I don't know what other people do when they get a job.I know most of my friends do CAD also but is that all we should be doing? I only have 7 months of professional experience which only includes CAD drafting. When interviewing, employers ask me what I did in my previous job and I answer "CAD drafting". Actually it is not that bad I mean I like drafting,I'm an introverted person and I like working on computers but lately it started annoying the hell out of me. I go to work (only 1 day a week!), I sit in front of computer and spend my next 8 hours looking at the computer screen drawing dummy lines. Office meetings happen behind closed doors,I never know what's going on just somebody comes to me and throws a rough sketch in front of me and leaves. I didn't expect this would be my future when I started architecture school.No I didn't expect to be a flashy designer right out of school either (I haven't graduated yet),it is not something I want to be anyway. One other big problem I have is, I'm a slow person.It is just my personality..I'm slow at everything but extremely careful and detail oriented.Is that a bad thing? I try to be fast sometimes but my energy gets drained quickly.My employers always complain about my slowness in CAD. They say you should learn from ...(insert a co-worker name) and need to learn more keyboard commands. I know lots of keyboard commands but it doesn't seem to satisfy the employers. Sometimes they just stand right behind me and push me to finish drawings. Is it a NY thing or is it same everywhere in world?
I'm very capable of producing nice looking drawings but it is not what I want to do ALL DAY LONG. I'm a senior student and I've never been to a construction site.I've never driven a nail into wood framing. I try to see how things go together by reading construction books but they are not very helpful because I can't make much sense out of black and white lines in 2D drawings yet I go to work (my architectural "internship") do drawings not knowing how they actually look in real life. Is it my fault,school's fault,employers' fault? How many women construction workers out there and how often do they get harassed? Am I supposed to stay in office and play office politics all day long? Not only that but I also want to "interact" with people. I was very reserved,shy and awkward in the past but I've worked on it and I started becoming a successful social communicator and now all the working-on-CAD-all day long thing is sucking the life out of me. I can't be my best self like that but I don't know what else I can do. I want to get into real estate to break off from CAD monkey position.I want to have a more leadership position in a company instead of being an underpaid isolated CAD monkey who doesn't know what's going on around her. Am I complaining too much? Maybe because of this reason architecture is not the best path for me? What else can I do?
you work one day a week how much do you feel you are entitled? I can assure you that due to the economic climate and your status as a student intern is part of the reason why you are doing the work you are doing. I do not understand why so many people expect to be behind closed meetings so early in their career. Everyone has to start somewhere just stay positive and pick up any knowledge you can. You will be surprised how much you learn in such a short time, but its hard to realize that only 8hrs a week, 32hrs a month.
Yes my colleagues and friends who work 40 hours a week have the same "entitlement" for some reason. The sad part is I don't feel like I'm learning anything.
As long as you're working for someone else, you will spend a lot of time developing their design ideas. Some see this as an opportunity to add their design skills to the final product. (If the sketches are as rough as you make them sound, you must have a great deal of latitude to make the details fantastic.) You're not inputting every single detail as someone else has drawn it, into AutoCAD; I suspect that you need to think quite a bit about what you are drawing. This IS, in fact, designing.
Second, there are plenty of active construction sites in NYC (I can't believe that the economy has shut-down ALL of them). Force yourself to find one near where you work, live, or go to school, then visit it on a regular basis. You can observe progress from outside of the construction fence. Make a list and/or photograph things that you don't understand, then bring that list to someone in your office to discuss it. (Alternately, you could start a thread on Archinect. We are happy to answer questions like "what is this?" "why are they doing that?" etc.)
It's very 'dangerous' to draw things in AutoCAD that you know nothing about. A good manager would insist that you not draw something without knowing what it is. It sounds like you might not have this type of guidance. So, it will take some self-imposed rigor on your part. With maturity, you will begin to see each complete building element in AutoCAD rather than just a bunch of random lines. It does help to draw each component as a poly-line - start with the known quantities like the floor slab, studs, window sills, etc.
Third, a note on being a woman in this industry. It's not easy. There have been a number of good threads on Archinect that address the topic. Confidence and toughness come with experience. Wearing a hard hat and steel toe boots does tend to level the playing field while walking the job site.
Finally, your situation will likely change once you begin to work full-time. Learn as much as you can now, and you will be ahead of your peers once you graduate.
Thank you for the advice Just Why,it was an excellent post. Yes I'll try to visit construction sites as much as possible. I'll check out those threads about women in architecture. When I was working full-time at a company I had a few more responsibilities such as answering phones and talking to contractors but that was it. The problem is I want be more than just a draftsman,I need to be more advanced because being a draftsman is a very risky position,they can lay you off anytime and you are very "replaceable".
Also what they mostly do is they don't build anything new. I don't get to work on project from concept to finish.They are just small re-modeling projects so there is so little design involved.
It is very dangerous not knowing what you're drawing.In fact this is a part of the reason I'm slow in CAD. For example they tell "Ok extend this line,offset that line 4",make that square dotted because it is in the back" and I get confused because I can't visualize how it actually looked in my head. I don't know what that extended line represent. Also they gave me a floor plan sketch recently and I had to draw that in CAD but the floor plan was so complicated and I never saw the place so I had no idea what the place actually looked like.
It will get better once you go full-time Para. I used to work full time myself but now I'm part time thanks to school and the economy. You can typically work in broader categories depending on what kind of a firm you work at. Small firms typically let you get out more and let you become more involved in the process (however, there are exceptions to this). NY is a big part of it as well, everything in this town is a mile-a-minute; this is the only place i've worked in architecture so I'm not sure about other markets but if working in other cities is as stressful as it is here well, I don't want to be an architect. One of the things I had to realize is that if i ever wanted anything I had to take the initiative. I got to go to my first client meeting because I told my boss I was willing to go out there and represent the firm because he couldn't go one weekend and that's pretty much how it always happens. When you go full time, just be sure to step up to the plate for alot of things, offer to make site inspections or surveys, offer to go to meetings and take notes. If you just sit there, dilligently drafting your life away in CADland you're never going to be given any chances to break that mold. It never hurts to ask and it shows you have balls (ahem, tits) and initiative, both of which are extremely important.
Personally, I'm going to go into development as well and start a design/build someday and I think you have a good idea about going into development because the client's chair is ultimately where all the decisions are coming from, or at least the major decisions that really affect the project. . Also, I hate CAD. I hate staring at those ridiculous colored lines on that black background and how it makes everything more difficult than it needs to be (it still beats the shit out of Vectorworks though).
"Small firms typically let you get out more and let you become more involved in the process" Yes that's why I only go after small firms because of the growth potential. How can I improve myself in a big firm where the boss doesn't even remember my name?
For development which schools are you considering Apurimac? What is your line of action?
Initiative..I'll tattoo that word on my mind.
And I prefer to show balls rather than tits in the workplace!
I'm thinking about going to alot of places, but University Of Georgia is top on my list Columbia looks great but i get the impression a degree from there would just lock you into the New York market, which im trying to escape.
As far as surviving in a large firm, I'm afraid I'm out of advice. I guess the only thing you can do is stand taller than the other hundreds of CAD jockeys that populate the firm or, you keep your head down while the rest of the world burns and start looking for a different gig when things pick back up.
Depending on the construction site and the work going on, I've found some contractors will let you on the site if you promise not to sue.
I just graduated with a weird degree in planning and had to go to numerous sites to do reports. Asking around for tours or even to watch can be very rewarding.
One thing I learned from visiting construction sites is how much construction workers feel the blunt end of design. While other people find blobs amazing to look at an design, it's the construction worker making something completely irregular hammering razor sharp thin sheets of titanium to an awkward skeleton.
I once began writing an article about architecture and planning from the janitor's perspective. Not only did most of the janitors I encountered know nothing about any of the materials they were responsible for, even fewer were ever told how to care for them. I had about three janitors tell me that if it looked hard to clean, they simply just didn't clean it-- they would just spray it with lysol and walk on to the next thing. Also mopping is out of the question for similar reasons.
So "easy to clean" was something I found to be "very important" to maintenance people.
These are things that you learn by going out and these are ideas that can help sell you.
rockandhill: that's a great story about the janitors. What's stopping you from writing the full article?
To build on your findings, a colleague once said, "even if we specify and install a honed finish stone floor, the maintenance people are likely to come in and wax it eventually."
Is it that we need to specify "easy to clean" materials or do a better job of educating the janitorial staff? Training is something that can be written into the specifications - it is usually required for mechanical equipment; why not material care and maintenance?
My laptop was stolen at the end of October 2008. On top of spending lots of time trying to recover some of the more idea-based work, I've lost most of my research and my written work.
I probably spend between 10-20 hours a week redoing everything I've ever done in school, finding work I've done when I was a print designer and recollecting all of the PDFs of journal articles to rewrite the articles.
Basically, I live off of about 6k a year now and have since I graduated. I spend most of my money on my car-- if I lose my car, I lose my vagabond status... I don't know if I could stand the progression into total homelessness. I've been trying to find some sort of regular income but when I was working at Starbucks [and a few other places], I was essentially spending a lot of money to work.
There's been attempts at getting government jobs in my state (they all do background checks) and I pretty much owe the state a lot of money in students loans I can't pay back.
So doing original research someone is going to write off as bullshit isn't technically my main priority. I have limited amounts of stability but even then I can't be dishing out 5-30 bucks here and there to either buy research, photocopy it or collect data on my own. I've also had to sell a lot of basic tools to make ends meet (no cameras, no tape recorders, no printers).
I basically have to find some way to make at least 8 dollars every day because it is illegal to sleep in your car in my state (unless you're at a designated campground or on federal property)-- if I can't find a place to sleep, I have to drive to one of these places or pay a parking garage. I usually do this by refurbishing free furniture off of craigslist and reselling it. Even though it's counter-productive,me and a friend use at least some of the money we make to run a charity we call "burgers for bums." We realize we're probably going to be in that situation in a few months, so we like to think if we do something... maybe someone will do something for us. We try to at least once a week make enough money to buy a burger, a beer and a pair of socks for at least a dozen homeless people.
I've written a lot of stuff I've submitted to various journals and magazines (a lot of it still pending but won't send me my stuff back) but I can't prove most of it.
So, I don't really bother anymore because most people don't care or it is shit. And for time constraint, my motor is probably going to blow in a month or two and I'll have to sell my laptop to get it fixed or to buy a plane ticket to go some place with better social services. So, yeah... two months to get a job or die trying?
Actually, even if off-topic... I think it's kind of on topic. Would you rather be slow and bothered at an internship (that will help you definitely get a job full-time) or be a seemingly unemployable loser like me?
para-
good to see you frustrated! i should be if you are not learning anything.
BUT it is not their job (esp. at 1 day a week), it is yours. you are the one who will get all of the benefit!!
educate, educate, educate. jobsites (esp. of things you might have been involved in) learn code (IBC and/or IRC), learn what you are drawing and WHY, learn assemblies/materials...you know all of that stuff they don't teach as well in universities!
use IDP as a way to get yourself into other parts of a project. it was a GREAT tool for me to get involved in other parts of the profession! (i don't know how well this works in your part-time situation.
good luck and look forward to the threads like just why mentioned!
para-
good to see you frustrated! i should be if you are not learning anything.
BUT it is not their job (esp. at 1 day a week), it is yours. you are the one who will get all of the benefit!!
educate, educate, educate. jobsites (esp. of things you might have been involved in) learn code (IBC and/or IRC), learn what you are drawing and WHY, learn assemblies/materials...you know all of that stuff they don't teach as well in universities!
use IDP as a way to get yourself into other parts of a project. it was a GREAT tool for me to get involved in other parts of the profession! (i don't know how well this works in your part-time situation.
good luck and look forward to the threads like just why mentioned!
rockandhill...no need to put tags. the url automatically becomes a link. if you want fancy then look at the bottom of this page and use the first code.
Med being introverted is not a disease.There are 2 types of people:Introverted and extroverted. Introverted doesn't mean anti-social or sociopath.It means although we like interacting with people, since socializing drains our energy we need to be alone for a while to re-gain our energy.Go educate yourself before you make ignorant comments. I'm a proud introvert and I have a very healthy social/dating life!
Maybe you should just clarify the "type" of introvert you are next time so that some of us who aren't such serasoned experts at the various stages of "introversion" will understand.
I know a great many people who are brilliant architects but are just socially retarded and therefore cut off from leadership roles.
Well it is because introverted people tent to be more intelligent.Actually no that's not the right definition but I read somewhere that introverts make up 60% of the gifted population, like Einstein types :))..In most cases when you have a high IQ level your EQ(emotional intelligence) level "suffers" so these architects you're talking about are very smart and brilliant.They probably spent most of their time focusing on their studies and careers so they didn't focus on improving their social skills. There aren't "types" of introverts but I guess some of them are more close to being extroverted,somewhere in the middle. The thing is introverts tent to be more socially awkward since they don't communicate with people a lot because as I said social situations drains us but with self-improvement they can be successful social communicators..That's what I did..And if you're an extrovert who talks all the time you can try being more introverted and start listening to people.When you're introverted you appear to be more mysterious which drops the ladies' pants sploosh on the floor :D
I concur, Introversion = social retardation (meant in the actual definition of retardation) and it's a huge obstacle when many people you work with are the same way. I fly under the radar, research and learn while I draw, and have a designated question person that I'm comfortable talking to. Get the office copy of Graphic standards and building construction illustrated and work through things mentally while you're laying down the lines. If you're working on an office layout, look at the space planning section and the things that go into the space so you get an idea of what goes into an actual office plan. Thus, if something's not shown and you know it should be, add it and begin adding to the design. Drafting is not just drafting.
dammson, I was trying to embed... and non of the general embed codes work.
Paradox, as someone who use to have a lot of inters a long time ago... I can assure you that sometimes upper management goes really far out of their way to treat interns like shit.
Most of the time, not for any real reason. It's a fun game. Unfortunately, there's people involved but those people were not us. Once you have interns of your own, you'll understand.
"why does anyone work for an architect while in school anyway?"
Well honestly I don't care if it is an architect or a construction firm,real estate firm..It doesn't matter.I just wanted to 1) earn money(I'm flat broke) 2) make my resume look prettier and 3) gain experience but everybody seems to forget that the people we work for can be a reference for us when we find another job.I think I can use the people I work for for "networking" purposes. Because they know contractors,developers etc. Since I'm a student with so little experience it is nearly impossible for me to find a job by just sending my resume to employers.Having contacts would help me find jobs easier.At least that's what I think.
Rockandhill I heard that some firms make their interns wash the dishes.None of the firms I worked for did that (thank god) but they certainly don't take you seriously (especially if you're a female)..sometimes they even insult and humiliate but I have to deal with that until I get enough experience and move up to a more respected position...
Drawing is the most important means of designing a building. CAD is only a drawing tool just like any pencil and paper. We are architects and we should be proud of communicating our designs through our drawings. We are not actors! we draw! and we are not paper shovers...we are designers and out talent and the outcome of buildings depend on the clarity of our drawings. You can't talk your way through construction. It is demeaning to call young professionals with professional degrees drafters, same as someone who took a night class at a community college. And it makes people outside of our profession not respect us as much to think that we are just managers and drafters.
Yes CAD is just a tool. I think firms should educate themselves about that.One firm I worked for hired a CAD monkey with no architectural degree and paid a nice salary to him(attention:unemployed people with MArch degrees!) They hired him just because he knew CAD and in the end we couldn't handle a project so they laid both of us off and hired an architect! People become drafters after graduation because they really don't know anything about construction let alone cost estimation etc.. Schools don't teach anything about cost because they believe it will limit the students' imagination! So when they start working they don't have anything to contribute to the firm other than their computer skills. In my school we have only a few classes that will really prepare us to the "real world" and the rest is bullshit...
Mar 31, 09 9:11 pm ·
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Slow Monkey (Warning: Long Rant)
I don't know what other people do when they get a job.I know most of my friends do CAD also but is that all we should be doing? I only have 7 months of professional experience which only includes CAD drafting. When interviewing, employers ask me what I did in my previous job and I answer "CAD drafting". Actually it is not that bad I mean I like drafting,I'm an introverted person and I like working on computers but lately it started annoying the hell out of me. I go to work (only 1 day a week!), I sit in front of computer and spend my next 8 hours looking at the computer screen drawing dummy lines. Office meetings happen behind closed doors,I never know what's going on just somebody comes to me and throws a rough sketch in front of me and leaves. I didn't expect this would be my future when I started architecture school.No I didn't expect to be a flashy designer right out of school either (I haven't graduated yet),it is not something I want to be anyway. One other big problem I have is, I'm a slow person.It is just my personality..I'm slow at everything but extremely careful and detail oriented.Is that a bad thing? I try to be fast sometimes but my energy gets drained quickly.My employers always complain about my slowness in CAD. They say you should learn from ...(insert a co-worker name) and need to learn more keyboard commands. I know lots of keyboard commands but it doesn't seem to satisfy the employers. Sometimes they just stand right behind me and push me to finish drawings. Is it a NY thing or is it same everywhere in world?
I'm very capable of producing nice looking drawings but it is not what I want to do ALL DAY LONG. I'm a senior student and I've never been to a construction site.I've never driven a nail into wood framing. I try to see how things go together by reading construction books but they are not very helpful because I can't make much sense out of black and white lines in 2D drawings yet I go to work (my architectural "internship") do drawings not knowing how they actually look in real life. Is it my fault,school's fault,employers' fault? How many women construction workers out there and how often do they get harassed? Am I supposed to stay in office and play office politics all day long? Not only that but I also want to "interact" with people. I was very reserved,shy and awkward in the past but I've worked on it and I started becoming a successful social communicator and now all the working-on-CAD-all day long thing is sucking the life out of me. I can't be my best self like that but I don't know what else I can do. I want to get into real estate to break off from CAD monkey position.I want to have a more leadership position in a company instead of being an underpaid isolated CAD monkey who doesn't know what's going on around her. Am I complaining too much? Maybe because of this reason architecture is not the best path for me? What else can I do?
you work one day a week how much do you feel you are entitled? I can assure you that due to the economic climate and your status as a student intern is part of the reason why you are doing the work you are doing. I do not understand why so many people expect to be behind closed meetings so early in their career. Everyone has to start somewhere just stay positive and pick up any knowledge you can. You will be surprised how much you learn in such a short time, but its hard to realize that only 8hrs a week, 32hrs a month.
Yes my colleagues and friends who work 40 hours a week have the same "entitlement" for some reason. The sad part is I don't feel like I'm learning anything.
As long as you're working for someone else, you will spend a lot of time developing their design ideas. Some see this as an opportunity to add their design skills to the final product. (If the sketches are as rough as you make them sound, you must have a great deal of latitude to make the details fantastic.) You're not inputting every single detail as someone else has drawn it, into AutoCAD; I suspect that you need to think quite a bit about what you are drawing. This IS, in fact, designing.
Second, there are plenty of active construction sites in NYC (I can't believe that the economy has shut-down ALL of them). Force yourself to find one near where you work, live, or go to school, then visit it on a regular basis. You can observe progress from outside of the construction fence. Make a list and/or photograph things that you don't understand, then bring that list to someone in your office to discuss it. (Alternately, you could start a thread on Archinect. We are happy to answer questions like "what is this?" "why are they doing that?" etc.)
It's very 'dangerous' to draw things in AutoCAD that you know nothing about. A good manager would insist that you not draw something without knowing what it is. It sounds like you might not have this type of guidance. So, it will take some self-imposed rigor on your part. With maturity, you will begin to see each complete building element in AutoCAD rather than just a bunch of random lines. It does help to draw each component as a poly-line - start with the known quantities like the floor slab, studs, window sills, etc.
Third, a note on being a woman in this industry. It's not easy. There have been a number of good threads on Archinect that address the topic. Confidence and toughness come with experience. Wearing a hard hat and steel toe boots does tend to level the playing field while walking the job site.
Finally, your situation will likely change once you begin to work full-time. Learn as much as you can now, and you will be ahead of your peers once you graduate.
Thank you for the advice Just Why,it was an excellent post. Yes I'll try to visit construction sites as much as possible. I'll check out those threads about women in architecture. When I was working full-time at a company I had a few more responsibilities such as answering phones and talking to contractors but that was it. The problem is I want be more than just a draftsman,I need to be more advanced because being a draftsman is a very risky position,they can lay you off anytime and you are very "replaceable".
Also what they mostly do is they don't build anything new. I don't get to work on project from concept to finish.They are just small re-modeling projects so there is so little design involved.
It is very dangerous not knowing what you're drawing.In fact this is a part of the reason I'm slow in CAD. For example they tell "Ok extend this line,offset that line 4",make that square dotted because it is in the back" and I get confused because I can't visualize how it actually looked in my head. I don't know what that extended line represent. Also they gave me a floor plan sketch recently and I had to draw that in CAD but the floor plan was so complicated and I never saw the place so I had no idea what the place actually looked like.
It will get better once you go full-time Para. I used to work full time myself but now I'm part time thanks to school and the economy. You can typically work in broader categories depending on what kind of a firm you work at. Small firms typically let you get out more and let you become more involved in the process (however, there are exceptions to this). NY is a big part of it as well, everything in this town is a mile-a-minute; this is the only place i've worked in architecture so I'm not sure about other markets but if working in other cities is as stressful as it is here well, I don't want to be an architect. One of the things I had to realize is that if i ever wanted anything I had to take the initiative. I got to go to my first client meeting because I told my boss I was willing to go out there and represent the firm because he couldn't go one weekend and that's pretty much how it always happens. When you go full time, just be sure to step up to the plate for alot of things, offer to make site inspections or surveys, offer to go to meetings and take notes. If you just sit there, dilligently drafting your life away in CADland you're never going to be given any chances to break that mold. It never hurts to ask and it shows you have balls (ahem, tits) and initiative, both of which are extremely important.
Personally, I'm going to go into development as well and start a design/build someday and I think you have a good idea about going into development because the client's chair is ultimately where all the decisions are coming from, or at least the major decisions that really affect the project. . Also, I hate CAD. I hate staring at those ridiculous colored lines on that black background and how it makes everything more difficult than it needs to be (it still beats the shit out of Vectorworks though).
Yes, initiative is the key in this instance.
"Small firms typically let you get out more and let you become more involved in the process" Yes that's why I only go after small firms because of the growth potential. How can I improve myself in a big firm where the boss doesn't even remember my name?
For development which schools are you considering Apurimac? What is your line of action?
Initiative..I'll tattoo that word on my mind.
And I prefer to show balls rather than tits in the workplace!
I'm thinking about going to alot of places, but University Of Georgia is top on my list Columbia looks great but i get the impression a degree from there would just lock you into the New York market, which im trying to escape.
As far as surviving in a large firm, I'm afraid I'm out of advice. I guess the only thing you can do is stand taller than the other hundreds of CAD jockeys that populate the firm or, you keep your head down while the rest of the world burns and start looking for a different gig when things pick back up.
Depending on the construction site and the work going on, I've found some contractors will let you on the site if you promise not to sue.
I just graduated with a weird degree in planning and had to go to numerous sites to do reports. Asking around for tours or even to watch can be very rewarding.
One thing I learned from visiting construction sites is how much construction workers feel the blunt end of design. While other people find blobs amazing to look at an design, it's the construction worker making something completely irregular hammering razor sharp thin sheets of titanium to an awkward skeleton.
I once began writing an article about architecture and planning from the janitor's perspective. Not only did most of the janitors I encountered know nothing about any of the materials they were responsible for, even fewer were ever told how to care for them. I had about three janitors tell me that if it looked hard to clean, they simply just didn't clean it-- they would just spray it with lysol and walk on to the next thing. Also mopping is out of the question for similar reasons.
So "easy to clean" was something I found to be "very important" to maintenance people.
These are things that you learn by going out and these are ideas that can help sell you.
[off-topic apologies]
rockandhill: that's a great story about the janitors. What's stopping you from writing the full article?
To build on your findings, a colleague once said, "even if we specify and install a honed finish stone floor, the maintenance people are likely to come in and wax it eventually."
Is it that we need to specify "easy to clean" materials or do a better job of educating the janitorial staff? Training is something that can be written into the specifications - it is usually required for mechanical equipment; why not material care and maintenance?
To be honest-- time, money and depression.
My laptop was stolen at the end of October 2008. On top of spending lots of time trying to recover some of the more idea-based work, I've lost most of my research and my written work.
I probably spend between 10-20 hours a week redoing everything I've ever done in school, finding work I've done when I was a print designer and recollecting all of the PDFs of journal articles to rewrite the articles.
Basically, I live off of about 6k a year now and have since I graduated. I spend most of my money on my car-- if I lose my car, I lose my vagabond status... I don't know if I could stand the progression into total homelessness. I've been trying to find some sort of regular income but when I was working at Starbucks [and a few other places], I was essentially spending a lot of money to work.
There's been attempts at getting government jobs in my state (they all do background checks) and I pretty much owe the state a lot of money in students loans I can't pay back.
So doing original research someone is going to write off as bullshit isn't technically my main priority. I have limited amounts of stability but even then I can't be dishing out 5-30 bucks here and there to either buy research, photocopy it or collect data on my own. I've also had to sell a lot of basic tools to make ends meet (no cameras, no tape recorders, no printers).
I basically have to find some way to make at least 8 dollars every day because it is illegal to sleep in your car in my state (unless you're at a designated campground or on federal property)-- if I can't find a place to sleep, I have to drive to one of these places or pay a parking garage. I usually do this by refurbishing free furniture off of craigslist and reselling it. Even though it's counter-productive,me and a friend use at least some of the money we make to run a charity we call "burgers for bums." We realize we're probably going to be in that situation in a few months, so we like to think if we do something... maybe someone will do something for us. We try to at least once a week make enough money to buy a burger, a beer and a pair of socks for at least a dozen homeless people.
I've written a lot of stuff I've submitted to various journals and magazines (a lot of it still pending but won't send me my stuff back) but I can't prove most of it.
So, I don't really bother anymore because most people don't care or it is shit. And for time constraint, my motor is probably going to blow in a month or two and I'll have to sell my laptop to get it fixed or to buy a plane ticket to go some place with better social services. So, yeah... two months to get a job or die trying?
Sorry for the thread poison, back on topic.
Actually, even if off-topic... I think it's kind of on topic. Would you rather be slow and bothered at an internship (that will help you definitely get a job full-time) or be a seemingly unemployable loser like me?
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WolfCYmBCMs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WolfCYmBCMs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WolfCYmBCMs[/video]
Sorry, I think spilling the beans was dumb. Now, I'm just if embedding works.
CRAP!
[youtube]WolfCYmBCMs[/youtube]
wtf.
could we get a BBcode FAQ up in here?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WolfCYmBCMs[/youtube]
Last try!
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WolfCYmBCMs[/video]
I wish this forum would let you delete your last posts or close your account.
ha ha >_<
rock, that's rough - best wishes
para-
good to see you frustrated! i should be if you are not learning anything.
BUT it is not their job (esp. at 1 day a week), it is yours. you are the one who will get all of the benefit!!
educate, educate, educate. jobsites (esp. of things you might have been involved in) learn code (IBC and/or IRC), learn what you are drawing and WHY, learn assemblies/materials...you know all of that stuff they don't teach as well in universities!
use IDP as a way to get yourself into other parts of a project. it was a GREAT tool for me to get involved in other parts of the profession! (i don't know how well this works in your part-time situation.
good luck and look forward to the threads like just why mentioned!
para-
good to see you frustrated! i should be if you are not learning anything.
BUT it is not their job (esp. at 1 day a week), it is yours. you are the one who will get all of the benefit!!
educate, educate, educate. jobsites (esp. of things you might have been involved in) learn code (IBC and/or IRC), learn what you are drawing and WHY, learn assemblies/materials...you know all of that stuff they don't teach as well in universities!
use IDP as a way to get yourself into other parts of a project. it was a GREAT tool for me to get involved in other parts of the profession! (i don't know how well this works in your part-time situation.
good luck and look forward to the threads like just why mentioned!
rockandhill...no need to put tags. the url automatically becomes a link. if you want fancy then look at the bottom of this page and use the first code.
Being introverted is a problem you will just have to remedy. Otherwise expect to stay with the status quo.
Med being introverted is not a disease.There are 2 types of people:Introverted and extroverted. Introverted doesn't mean anti-social or sociopath.It means although we like interacting with people, since socializing drains our energy we need to be alone for a while to re-gain our energy.Go educate yourself before you make ignorant comments. I'm a proud introvert and I have a very healthy social/dating life!
Ha ha, pwned!
lol
Maybe you should just clarify the "type" of introvert you are next time so that some of us who aren't such serasoned experts at the various stages of "introversion" will understand.
I know a great many people who are brilliant architects but are just socially retarded and therefore cut off from leadership roles.
Ha ha, pwned!
Well it is because introverted people tent to be more intelligent.Actually no that's not the right definition but I read somewhere that introverts make up 60% of the gifted population, like Einstein types :))..In most cases when you have a high IQ level your EQ(emotional intelligence) level "suffers" so these architects you're talking about are very smart and brilliant.They probably spent most of their time focusing on their studies and careers so they didn't focus on improving their social skills. There aren't "types" of introverts but I guess some of them are more close to being extroverted,somewhere in the middle. The thing is introverts tent to be more socially awkward since they don't communicate with people a lot because as I said social situations drains us but with self-improvement they can be successful social communicators..That's what I did..And if you're an extrovert who talks all the time you can try being more introverted and start listening to people.When you're introverted you appear to be more mysterious which drops the ladies' pants sploosh on the floor :D
Here is a website everybody should check out: http://giftedkids.about.com/od/glossary/g/introvert.htm
I also think you guys should take a break from architecture (sometimes) and read "Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman :)
I concur, Introversion = social retardation (meant in the actual definition of retardation) and it's a huge obstacle when many people you work with are the same way. I fly under the radar, research and learn while I draw, and have a designated question person that I'm comfortable talking to. Get the office copy of Graphic standards and building construction illustrated and work through things mentally while you're laying down the lines. If you're working on an office layout, look at the space planning section and the things that go into the space so you get an idea of what goes into an actual office plan. Thus, if something's not shown and you know it should be, add it and begin adding to the design. Drafting is not just drafting.
Everyone knows the difference between intro- and extroverts. we're just being facetious.
Dapper,I have to tell you this but I happen to be an introvert and a part-time dating coach..Now how did that happen?
Lol whatever. Let's get back to the main topic..
dammson, I was trying to embed... and non of the general embed codes work.
Paradox, as someone who use to have a lot of inters a long time ago... I can assure you that sometimes upper management goes really far out of their way to treat interns like shit.
Most of the time, not for any real reason. It's a fun game. Unfortunately, there's people involved but those people were not us. Once you have interns of your own, you'll understand.
Fuck Yeah! Toni Morrison and cyclical violence!
why does anyone work for an architect while in school anyway?
Money and experience beta.
part-time dating coach? archinect totally needs a dating advice thread!
"Ask Parad0x," or "Dear Improved Introvert," !
"why does anyone work for an architect while in school anyway?"
Well honestly I don't care if it is an architect or a construction firm,real estate firm..It doesn't matter.I just wanted to 1) earn money(I'm flat broke) 2) make my resume look prettier and 3) gain experience but everybody seems to forget that the people we work for can be a reference for us when we find another job.I think I can use the people I work for for "networking" purposes. Because they know contractors,developers etc. Since I'm a student with so little experience it is nearly impossible for me to find a job by just sending my resume to employers.Having contacts would help me find jobs easier.At least that's what I think.
Rockandhill I heard that some firms make their interns wash the dishes.None of the firms I worked for did that (thank god) but they certainly don't take you seriously (especially if you're a female)..sometimes they even insult and humiliate but I have to deal with that until I get enough experience and move up to a more respected position...
rockandhill,
only the original post can have a video embedded in it.
Drawing is the most important means of designing a building. CAD is only a drawing tool just like any pencil and paper. We are architects and we should be proud of communicating our designs through our drawings. We are not actors! we draw! and we are not paper shovers...we are designers and out talent and the outcome of buildings depend on the clarity of our drawings. You can't talk your way through construction. It is demeaning to call young professionals with professional degrees drafters, same as someone who took a night class at a community college. And it makes people outside of our profession not respect us as much to think that we are just managers and drafters.
Yes CAD is just a tool. I think firms should educate themselves about that.One firm I worked for hired a CAD monkey with no architectural degree and paid a nice salary to him(attention:unemployed people with MArch degrees!) They hired him just because he knew CAD and in the end we couldn't handle a project so they laid both of us off and hired an architect! People become drafters after graduation because they really don't know anything about construction let alone cost estimation etc.. Schools don't teach anything about cost because they believe it will limit the students' imagination! So when they start working they don't have anything to contribute to the firm other than their computer skills. In my school we have only a few classes that will really prepare us to the "real world" and the rest is bullshit...
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