I applied to some schools, got rejected, and have decided to apply again this fall. I would be interested to know what people think is the best way to gain practical knowledge outside of school. Obviously I'd take a job if anyone were hiring but they're not. I was thinking of studying carpentry/construction to get some trades knowledge. Has anyone done this? Any other suggestions on how to improve arch skills while not actually in school/practicing?
Construction is a blast. Work for someone like an electrician or plumber- if you work for a framer all you'll be doing is schlepping lumber or re-loading nail guns, and a roofer has even more obvious downfalls. I also second the 'read a lot' suggestion. Check out Pamphlet Architectures- Princeton Arch Press puts them out, they're like 10 bucks each and all contain a ton of great theory.
You always here..something like " aw man, I didn't get into GSD , so oh well,.I guess I am gonna take Kaplan for my GRE , do some competitions, and apply to better schools next year...I didnt want to go to GSD anyway."
but in truth, the year will go by so fast , I venture you wont do eveyrthing you plan...Construction sounds god , but might not really help the portfolio, be careful to keep hacking away at it....
Dont worry you will kick ass next year! Second yr gives you more insight, I am glad things worked out that way with me..( rejected 1st time applicant,myself)
My strategy has been to not shower and play World of Warcraft for 18 hours a day. My character has engineering as his profession, so I hope to pick up some basic construction knowledge that way.
work construction in almost any capacity - in my expereince it always seems to help people gain an understanding of materials, scheduling and an infusion of common sense and reality into their thought process. And its always appreciated during our interviews of potential staff. good luck
even though in the 'office world' you don't get any credit for 'hands on' experience.
sort of funny how you can get paid more being a laborer working for an electrician during the summer than you would make after graduating with a 5 year degree in the arch. field....
roofing is a good gig if your an inspector or quality control spec. work on epdm roofs and not coal tar pitch if you can
carpentry is cool if you dont mind being a bitch for a few months. hauling wood and gaining some muscles in the process. also avoid getting the 'board stretcher' trick and the left handed hammer trick
electrical is cool if you stick to pulling wire and wiring up plugs/switches. avoid cutting any wires even if the main guy said everything is off. i got zapped by a 220 and didnt feel too good......
drywall/taping is cool for about a week, then it sucks
millwork is good if you can find a shop that will let you assemble/etc. some millwork shops just build boxes and wack laminate items for commerical/corporate/education/etc projects. find a shop that does creative projects and learn about grains/glues/etc.
doing tile work isnt bad. leveling the ground is a pain if you have to. the grout work can get a little dirty also..ceramic tile that is
welding is good also. i would recommend messing with a wire feed mig setup first then get into tig if you can.
things i don't really like doing are hanging windows and doors....
the good thing about learning some of the trades is that you can hustle in some side work if you happen to have a 9-5 job. plus, by learning the trades, you will understand what notes really mean on a .dwg and you will come to realize the tolerances in each trade.
best use of a year not in school
I applied to some schools, got rejected, and have decided to apply again this fall. I would be interested to know what people think is the best way to gain practical knowledge outside of school. Obviously I'd take a job if anyone were hiring but they're not. I was thinking of studying carpentry/construction to get some trades knowledge. Has anyone done this? Any other suggestions on how to improve arch skills while not actually in school/practicing?
Thanks.
Take an evening community college class on Architectural Detailing and Construction.
Construction is a blast. Work for someone like an electrician or plumber- if you work for a framer all you'll be doing is schlepping lumber or re-loading nail guns, and a roofer has even more obvious downfalls. I also second the 'read a lot' suggestion. Check out Pamphlet Architectures- Princeton Arch Press puts them out, they're like 10 bucks each and all contain a ton of great theory.
"being a roofer has even more obvious downfalls"
Pu intended?
design me a grow house.
Kungpa- HA! no, it wasn't but thanks for pointing it out. Gotta watch those late-night entries... run them thru my pun-detector.
I did this...
You always here..something like " aw man, I didn't get into GSD , so oh well,.I guess I am gonna take Kaplan for my GRE , do some competitions, and apply to better schools next year...I didnt want to go to GSD anyway."
but in truth, the year will go by so fast , I venture you wont do eveyrthing you plan...Construction sounds god , but might not really help the portfolio, be careful to keep hacking away at it....
Dont worry you will kick ass next year! Second yr gives you more insight, I am glad things worked out that way with me..( rejected 1st time applicant,myself)
My strategy has been to not shower and play World of Warcraft for 18 hours a day. My character has engineering as his profession, so I hope to pick up some basic construction knowledge that way.
Oh god, I'm depressed.
work construction in almost any capacity - in my expereince it always seems to help people gain an understanding of materials, scheduling and an infusion of common sense and reality into their thought process. And its always appreciated during our interviews of potential staff. good luck
construction....
even though in the 'office world' you don't get any credit for 'hands on' experience.
sort of funny how you can get paid more being a laborer working for an electrician during the summer than you would make after graduating with a 5 year degree in the arch. field....
roofing is a good gig if your an inspector or quality control spec. work on epdm roofs and not coal tar pitch if you can
carpentry is cool if you dont mind being a bitch for a few months. hauling wood and gaining some muscles in the process. also avoid getting the 'board stretcher' trick and the left handed hammer trick
electrical is cool if you stick to pulling wire and wiring up plugs/switches. avoid cutting any wires even if the main guy said everything is off. i got zapped by a 220 and didnt feel too good......
drywall/taping is cool for about a week, then it sucks
millwork is good if you can find a shop that will let you assemble/etc. some millwork shops just build boxes and wack laminate items for commerical/corporate/education/etc projects. find a shop that does creative projects and learn about grains/glues/etc.
doing tile work isnt bad. leveling the ground is a pain if you have to. the grout work can get a little dirty also..ceramic tile that is
welding is good also. i would recommend messing with a wire feed mig setup first then get into tig if you can.
things i don't really like doing are hanging windows and doors....
the good thing about learning some of the trades is that you can hustle in some side work if you happen to have a 9-5 job. plus, by learning the trades, you will understand what notes really mean on a .dwg and you will come to realize the tolerances in each trade.
take business classes
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