In general, can/do MArch 1 students earn enough during summer jobs at firms to both pay the bills and start to pay off some of the interest on their loans. (say...earning around $2500/month and up?)
I'm starting school in the Fall and I'm just curious. A number of students (as well as schools) have advised trying to pay off some of the interest that accrues while in school - since many private loans begin to accrue interest at disbursement.
A lot of people I know either work for free (or a miniscule stipend) or they don't work at all - they see these summers as their last chance to relax and travel before the lame realities of 50-week workyears set in...
oh, but to answer your question, people who do get paid generally make around $14/hour. If you get really lucky you might be able to find $20/hour. Try to find some place that pays overtime and you're good. A friend of mine made $12,000 in 2.5 months at $14/hour because he worked some mad overtime (and his $14 turned into $21 or $28 with during those extra hours)
$2500 per month is only about $15 per hour and that isn't too hard to find - but it does depend a lot on what region of the country you're working in, and whether you have any previous experience at all (if you're strictly entry-level architecture-firm-wise you may have to settle for a little less in some markets.)
There were lots of people I knew who didn't work summers, or didn't work in architecture. I worked in another field one summer during grad school because it paid better, and another summer I had a day job in a firm and an evening job in an unrelated field, to make ends meet.
If you can manage to I think it's usually a good idea to work in a firm for at least one summer before you graduate - otherwise it makes your search for a first fulltime job more difficult, and that few months in a firm over a summer can make you worth a markedly higher salary when you graduate than if you have no experience at that point. In most cases you can count summer jobs toward IDP after your 1st year of M.Arch - as long as they last at least 8 consecutive weeks for no less than 35 hours per week.
I just got my first architecture-related job (although not in a firm) because next year, I want to have a better chance at getting into a firm, and to have some decent experience by the time I graduate.
Unfortunately, this means making about half the money I normally do, and waking up at 6:30 in the morning instead of 10:30, and having to wear more businessy clothes than I normally do.
Wait, why am I doing this again? Hahaha.
Yes, summer's great to relax. But an 8-hour workday where you don't bring your work home with you IS a break compared to studio. Plus, you're getting paid. Sounds good to me.
it would be worth considering spending your summers (at least the first one) working at "corporate" firms (rather than boutique firms)...
they tend to take on a certain number of summer interns each year,
they typically offer formal training to entry level personnel,
they tend to pay more than smaller firms
and they tend to offer paid overtime.
i didn't work in an architecture office until after graduation, but my first experience was with a corporate firm. they gave me a solid foundation and put me in a great position to get a job at the small design studio where i currently work.
AP, that's pretty much the plan right now (but obviously things can change in a year). I've definitely gotten the sense that if nothing else corporate firms have a structure that can handle newbies and train them. And it's good to hear that there are options that offer livable wages.
During my summers, is it important to gain very practical work experience (i.e. construction, detailing, fabrication), or is it okay to do something more academic (i.e. research assistant) if that's what I'm more interested in?
If your goal is to gain the most "marketability" then construction experience is usually very valuable (firms like to know that you have some real-world knowledge of how things go together). Working in a firm in a typical intern role is also usually going to be looked upon favorably.
There's nothing wrong with working as a research assistant - and if your long term goals include teaching then it will help to have that on your resume. But most firms like to see that you've had at least some typical architecture firm experience before your first full time job after graduation. It just helps to know that they won't have to teach you all the basics and that you have some fundamental knowledge of typical firm procedures.
May 17, 08 3:58 pm ·
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Summers during MArch programs
In general, can/do MArch 1 students earn enough during summer jobs at firms to both pay the bills and start to pay off some of the interest on their loans. (say...earning around $2500/month and up?)
I'm starting school in the Fall and I'm just curious. A number of students (as well as schools) have advised trying to pay off some of the interest that accrues while in school - since many private loans begin to accrue interest at disbursement.
A lot of people I know either work for free (or a miniscule stipend) or they don't work at all - they see these summers as their last chance to relax and travel before the lame realities of 50-week workyears set in...
oh, but to answer your question, people who do get paid generally make around $14/hour. If you get really lucky you might be able to find $20/hour. Try to find some place that pays overtime and you're good. A friend of mine made $12,000 in 2.5 months at $14/hour because he worked some mad overtime (and his $14 turned into $21 or $28 with during those extra hours)
whaaaaaa? people just chill for 3 months?
$14-$20 is about what I was expecting to hear.
thanks for the info
$2500 per month is only about $15 per hour and that isn't too hard to find - but it does depend a lot on what region of the country you're working in, and whether you have any previous experience at all (if you're strictly entry-level architecture-firm-wise you may have to settle for a little less in some markets.)
There were lots of people I knew who didn't work summers, or didn't work in architecture. I worked in another field one summer during grad school because it paid better, and another summer I had a day job in a firm and an evening job in an unrelated field, to make ends meet.
If you can manage to I think it's usually a good idea to work in a firm for at least one summer before you graduate - otherwise it makes your search for a first fulltime job more difficult, and that few months in a firm over a summer can make you worth a markedly higher salary when you graduate than if you have no experience at that point. In most cases you can count summer jobs toward IDP after your 1st year of M.Arch - as long as they last at least 8 consecutive weeks for no less than 35 hours per week.
work construction :)
don't you have to have some manual labor skills to do that?
I just got my first architecture-related job (although not in a firm) because next year, I want to have a better chance at getting into a firm, and to have some decent experience by the time I graduate.
Unfortunately, this means making about half the money I normally do, and waking up at 6:30 in the morning instead of 10:30, and having to wear more businessy clothes than I normally do.
Wait, why am I doing this again? Hahaha.
Yes, summer's great to relax. But an 8-hour workday where you don't bring your work home with you IS a break compared to studio. Plus, you're getting paid. Sounds good to me.
hey ripomatic,
it would be worth considering spending your summers (at least the first one) working at "corporate" firms (rather than boutique firms)...
they tend to take on a certain number of summer interns each year,
they typically offer formal training to entry level personnel,
they tend to pay more than smaller firms
and they tend to offer paid overtime.
i didn't work in an architecture office until after graduation, but my first experience was with a corporate firm. they gave me a solid foundation and put me in a great position to get a job at the small design studio where i currently work.
...my $0.02
AP, that's pretty much the plan right now (but obviously things can change in a year). I've definitely gotten the sense that if nothing else corporate firms have a structure that can handle newbies and train them. And it's good to hear that there are options that offer livable wages.
Okay here's another related question:
During my summers, is it important to gain very practical work experience (i.e. construction, detailing, fabrication), or is it okay to do something more academic (i.e. research assistant) if that's what I'm more interested in?
If your goal is to gain the most "marketability" then construction experience is usually very valuable (firms like to know that you have some real-world knowledge of how things go together). Working in a firm in a typical intern role is also usually going to be looked upon favorably.
There's nothing wrong with working as a research assistant - and if your long term goals include teaching then it will help to have that on your resume. But most firms like to see that you've had at least some typical architecture firm experience before your first full time job after graduation. It just helps to know that they won't have to teach you all the basics and that you have some fundamental knowledge of typical firm procedures.
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