At the risk of being blacklisted by the archinect thread fascists:
Having just finished a frustrating undergrad year I'm eager to push myself during the summer rather than vegetise on cotton pillows. I should be stacking shelves but have decided to take the financial hit and apply for a summer internship.
Although I've made my mind up about this some time ago, I have yet to apply anywhere and now that the time has come to do something about it a moment of doubt has occured: Is it really such a good idea?
Sure I will get a real life glimpse of what it takes to "produce architecture". Sure it will perhaps strengthen my projects one way or another...But I'm just worried about getting too indoctrinated about what constitutes...Architecture (Not withstanding what tutors are already pushing through my synapses).
It's early days and maybe my summers are better spent [...]? Perhaps interning just feels too obvious.
WRT is a planning firm more then an architecture firm. they have some great people in philly - so you'll get a good view of what planners and landscape architects do. but from an aesthetic, theoretic, or politic, they are conservative.
If you are interested in the larger side of architecture after this summer, go find a more progressive place to intern next year.
or maybe I'm misunderstanding your use of WRT.
SBT- what made you think that we'd go fascist on you? you seem nice, your question is interesting, and you've (might have) provided enough info to be clear. that's all the archinecteur's ask for. just don't ask a stupid question that has been asked many, many times before like: 'what graduate school should I go to?' - then you'll see the jackboots if we even pay attention.
it sounds like you're self-aware enough to avoid being overtly indoctrinated. think of your experiences, rather than indoctrinating you as more of a catalog of information that you can selectively pull from. just because you're presented with opposing ideologies between and within academics and professional practice, it doesn't mean you're supposed to pick a side. afterall, as a student you're supposed to be just soaking up everything.
but in terms of taking an internship or not is up to you. how far along are you through undergrad and what kind of program? do you intend on going to grad school?
i think if you're about to graduate and want to start working, prior experience will help you land a job. but if you're just starting and still have plenty of opportunities for an internship, don't sweat it. do something you enjoy. travel. take some fun classes. take photos. but keep on educating yourself, even if it isn't directly in architecture.
A Center for Ants? - Yeah, with respect to WRT I was more thinking along the lines of "with regards to"...
That's a nice perspective you present: "A catalogue of information".
FYI, I'm at the end of first year of undergrad and will go grad so still a long way to go. However, looking back on this past academic year, other issues aside, I found that I was more happy with the earlier projects. This could be for a number of reasons, but to me the feeling was that these were less pretentious in trying to be "architectural". They were just explorations...And somehow through naivety the results appear more fulfilling - there's stuff there that I'm still interested in.
My frustration is that this year I always felt I was hitting 25%...Or something. I want to somehow acquire perhaps some sense of discipline to help push further, to not get bogged down when I shouldn't by imagined expectations. In my academic world I'm fine sculpting dog shit - as long as I do plan and section.
I need help with the plan/section bit so that I have more time to get past the dog shit. Not sure that makes sense...
I have of course considered applying to the office of one of my "heroes". But then I thought "is that what my hero would have done?". Your point about prep'ing for a job is telling - the indoctrination I worry about is perhaps that I'll already submit myself to the idea of embedding myself within an industry. And I don't want to think like that right now...
isn't the summer about over? for all the frustrated/confused/doubting students you can get a great deal of positive and constructive feedback from the fine folks of archinect.
vado retro - Erm...No offence but I sometimes feel you're a bit of a thread killer? Perhaps you could let me/us know if you ever interned or not and what your thoughts were..What experiences/non-experiences you had in that respect.
That, in my frustrated/confused/doubting student-y mind, would constitute true positiveness and fine folksiness..Ne's pas?
wtf is with all the handholding. what should i do what should i do. have some faith in yourself or become a fucking bookkeeper. some threads deserve a quick and painless death.
What I mean to say is this:
Life is a battle, architecture is war and handholding (or a bit of conversation) is sometimes all we have to remind us that we're human...As in "fucking bookkeepers" and confused students.
Seeing as this appears to be an honet, earnest, educated attempt at seeking advice I don't think the thread deserves to be tossed aside with a fucking bookkeeper comment.
SBT as a first year student I think you would be better served by trying to expand your horizons before you go into the professional world of architecture. You have the rest of your life to bang your head against the wall with code issues, details, consultants, clients, etc. I would try to find something within the field early on that will get you thru those difficult times to come. Another option is to get a job on a construction site. Invaluable experience that will serve you well throughout your career.
Personally, I started interning in firms after my junior year of undergrad. To be honest if you start much before that level of schooling you may just not have the tools that firms are looking for to truly be effective in a professional setting. So give it a couple of years and explore the breadth of the profession before you get pigeonholed into it's depths.
pvbeeber - Hmm, I do work actually. The loans/grants just pay for the school - they don't also over my rent and food. Doing an internship means I'll loose money by not working full time in a money-making-financing-my-degree type-of-job. Hence this becomes some of the doubts I was alluding to previously. But nevermind.
Thanks for (some of) the feedback...
Jul 10, 07 6:21 pm ·
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Pros & Cons WRT Summer Interning
At the risk of being blacklisted by the archinect thread fascists:
Having just finished a frustrating undergrad year I'm eager to push myself during the summer rather than vegetise on cotton pillows. I should be stacking shelves but have decided to take the financial hit and apply for a summer internship.
Although I've made my mind up about this some time ago, I have yet to apply anywhere and now that the time has come to do something about it a moment of doubt has occured: Is it really such a good idea?
Sure I will get a real life glimpse of what it takes to "produce architecture". Sure it will perhaps strengthen my projects one way or another...But I'm just worried about getting too indoctrinated about what constitutes...Architecture (Not withstanding what tutors are already pushing through my synapses).
It's early days and maybe my summers are better spent [...]? Perhaps interning just feels too obvious.
Any thoughts/anecdotes?
WRT is a planning firm more then an architecture firm. they have some great people in philly - so you'll get a good view of what planners and landscape architects do. but from an aesthetic, theoretic, or politic, they are conservative.
If you are interested in the larger side of architecture after this summer, go find a more progressive place to intern next year.
or maybe I'm misunderstanding your use of WRT.
SBT- what made you think that we'd go fascist on you? you seem nice, your question is interesting, and you've (might have) provided enough info to be clear. that's all the archinecteur's ask for. just don't ask a stupid question that has been asked many, many times before like: 'what graduate school should I go to?' - then you'll see the jackboots if we even pay attention.
treekiller - You misunderstood my use of WRT. Sorry, poor judgement on my part...
i think SBT means WRT= "with respect to"
it sounds like you're self-aware enough to avoid being overtly indoctrinated. think of your experiences, rather than indoctrinating you as more of a catalog of information that you can selectively pull from. just because you're presented with opposing ideologies between and within academics and professional practice, it doesn't mean you're supposed to pick a side. afterall, as a student you're supposed to be just soaking up everything.
but in terms of taking an internship or not is up to you. how far along are you through undergrad and what kind of program? do you intend on going to grad school?
i think if you're about to graduate and want to start working, prior experience will help you land a job. but if you're just starting and still have plenty of opportunities for an internship, don't sweat it. do something you enjoy. travel. take some fun classes. take photos. but keep on educating yourself, even if it isn't directly in architecture.
A Center for Ants? - Yeah, with respect to WRT I was more thinking along the lines of "with regards to"...
That's a nice perspective you present: "A catalogue of information".
FYI, I'm at the end of first year of undergrad and will go grad so still a long way to go. However, looking back on this past academic year, other issues aside, I found that I was more happy with the earlier projects. This could be for a number of reasons, but to me the feeling was that these were less pretentious in trying to be "architectural". They were just explorations...And somehow through naivety the results appear more fulfilling - there's stuff there that I'm still interested in.
My frustration is that this year I always felt I was hitting 25%...Or something. I want to somehow acquire perhaps some sense of discipline to help push further, to not get bogged down when I shouldn't by imagined expectations. In my academic world I'm fine sculpting dog shit - as long as I do plan and section.
I need help with the plan/section bit so that I have more time to get past the dog shit. Not sure that makes sense...
I have of course considered applying to the office of one of my "heroes". But then I thought "is that what my hero would have done?". Your point about prep'ing for a job is telling - the indoctrination I worry about is perhaps that I'll already submit myself to the idea of embedding myself within an industry. And I don't want to think like that right now...
Perhaps I worry too much.
isn't the summer about over? for all the frustrated/confused/doubting students you can get a great deal of positive and constructive feedback from the fine folks of archinect.
vado retro - Erm...No offence but I sometimes feel you're a bit of a thread killer? Perhaps you could let me/us know if you ever interned or not and what your thoughts were..What experiences/non-experiences you had in that respect.
That, in my frustrated/confused/doubting student-y mind, would constitute true positiveness and fine folksiness..Ne's pas?
wrt SBT- VaDo DoEs ArcHInecT BeSt. He iS nEvEr a thrEAd kILlEr. leave the tree chopping to me.
ARGHHHH!!! I hate these texting abbreviations, makes me feel soooooo old.
wtf is with all the handholding. what should i do what should i do. have some faith in yourself or become a fucking bookkeeper. some threads deserve a quick and painless death.
Oh well, I lost the moment...Let's try that again.
intern
What I mean to say is this:
Life is a battle, architecture is war and handholding (or a bit of conversation) is sometimes all we have to remind us that we're human...As in "fucking bookkeepers" and confused students.
Seeing as this appears to be an honet, earnest, educated attempt at seeking advice I don't think the thread deserves to be tossed aside with a fucking bookkeeper comment.
SBT as a first year student I think you would be better served by trying to expand your horizons before you go into the professional world of architecture. You have the rest of your life to bang your head against the wall with code issues, details, consultants, clients, etc. I would try to find something within the field early on that will get you thru those difficult times to come. Another option is to get a job on a construction site. Invaluable experience that will serve you well throughout your career.
Personally, I started interning in firms after my junior year of undergrad. To be honest if you start much before that level of schooling you may just not have the tools that firms are looking for to truly be effective in a professional setting. So give it a couple of years and explore the breadth of the profession before you get pigeonholed into it's depths.
pvbeeber - Hmm, I do work actually. The loans/grants just pay for the school - they don't also over my rent and food. Doing an internship means I'll loose money by not working full time in a money-making-financing-my-degree type-of-job. Hence this becomes some of the doubts I was alluding to previously. But nevermind.
Thanks for (some of) the feedback...
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