18/hr is a pretty good wage for a student internship. I've known full-time people with degrees who weren't making that much.

haha yah $18 is good... would you say the place offering you a job would be a good name to add to your resume?

rationalist

I realize that, thats why I am considering jumping on this offer but I am not too sure if I want to yet. I have till monday to decide.

I believe so, for one I would began to have Architectural experience. I dont know what this firm standing is in the Architectural community, But the way I see it, is that I would be opening a door for myself into the field no matter what firm it is.

I believe that IDP will accept some units from an engineer Licensed Professional.

A great deal of what you deal with professionaly is dealing with MEP concerns. It could be an asset if approached properly.

Milk it as long as you can stand it doing it will make you a better architect.

montu's right that you can learn a lot at the mep office, but i expect you already have.

i'd make the jump while you're still in the position that you can ask yourself the question whether a cut in pay is ok. once you get so used to higher pay that cutting back is not an option, you'll be stuck.

You can earn a certain amount of IDP units from a non-architecture job.

But it's unlikely that you'll be able to earn any IDP units for a job that you have while you're in school anyway - that's because you either have to be fulltime (no less than 35 hours per week) for a minimum duration of 8 weeks, or half-time (no less than 20 hours per week) for a minimum duration of 6 months. Anytime you drop below those minimums you have to start counting again as if it is a new employment situation.

All that being said, I do think that if your goal is to be an architect then it will best to find an architecture job. If this job offer appeals to you then I think it would be reasonable to take it - but if not then you might consider looking for an architecture job for the summer and making the switch then (and you should of course be able to get IDP units for a fulltime summer job.)

also, look longer term... do you want to work MEP your whole life? switching now gets you a leg up in the architecture world...

Steve W.

I never thought about it like that

"i'd make the jump while you're still in the position that you can ask yourself the question whether a cut in pay is ok. once you get so used to higher pay that cutting back is not an option, you'll be stuck." SW

Your right.


Formerlyunknown ,

Yeah IDP requirements are harsh while in school. I currently am working 20-25 hrs a week, but during midterms and final, my hours go down to 10-15. it might become to difficult to stay at 20 for 6 Mos.
Quest?...So after you reach the six months does the time count from the beginning of those 6 months (meaning you would have 6 months exp) or on the day after 6 months( meaning you would have 1 day, of exp. going)?

MEP is cool( at least at the office where I am at), but I really want to do Architecture.... I am just worried that this might not be the right firm, The interview was ok, but I didnt get the feel from the office that I wanted. I went to another Interview the week before, It was a really cool place and If they would have offered me the position I would have taken it in a heart beat.

well you SHOULD wait for something that feels like a good fit, separate from considerations of money.

my point of view above springs from having been there: getting paid too much to do what you don't want to do can be a trap.

its funny that architects are talking about being paid too much... i think there was a thread on here about this but... when is it ok (if it ever is) to work for free?

Once you reach six months of experience it means that that experience can now count toward IDP - in other words all 6 months count, as does any experience that you continue to gain at that employment situation, as long as you don't dip below 20 hours per week. If you do dip below 20 hours then you have to start counting again as if it is a new situation. Also, if you switch from fulltime to part-time you have to count those as different employment situations.

i'd never condone working for free. and i'm in favor of us being paid well.

but the irony of it is that we get paid best when we do the worst work, i.e., soul-sucking developer/builder pollution.

this, of course, has nothing to do with difficultfix doing mep, just more broadly relevant to doing what you don't want to be doing.