I wish I had done some construction work between semesters. No IDP credits, but the guys who do it are usually more in-tuned to how things are constructed in real life.

Also, most of the kids that got jobs straight out of school this past spring were those with construction experience working for design/build or construction companies.

Just something to think about.

yea, i always felt construction experience is definitely important...

when u say most of the kids that got job have construction experience... isn't that something that may differ by school, region, city, and type of firm?

and i dont consider a construction company an architectural job... i understand that the guys who do it are more in tune with how things are constructed but i dont think they're in tune with why or how its designed.. construction knowledge is important dont get me wrong.. but i feel it comes in at a different angle than architecture firms (design firms).. unless ppl are looking to work for executive architecture firms..

I think you should take a course in punctuation. Afterwords, a course in sailing or something non architecture related is a must.

Employers like to see outside interests and/or minors in other related fields. The three semesters I spent sailing boats out of Long Beach got me my first two jobs. I still use it as an advantage in talking with clients.

I don't get why the school asked you to take a vacation. What is up with that?

you're almost funny. a course in comedy wouldn't hurt though. but sorry for the punctuation... when i type in forums and chats i just let it flow..

but yea, my school asked me to take a vacation cause I'm overloaded on credits and the only requirement i have left is in the spring.. also, part-time ends up costing more per course than a full course.. im currently taking my fall semester courses during the summer so its like switching my summer and fall around.. hopefully its easier to find a job in the fall when everyones headed back to school...

you're a trust fund baby right.. the only people who sail seemed to be those with enough money and time.. you wouldnt be the only trust fund architect kid that sails.. i know two others at my school... flip flops, plaid shorts with a izod polo shirt and a little bit on the emotional/whiney side.... right?..

no trust fund. Had polo shirts (no izod, God forbid!) and one pair of plaid shorts. Girlfriend torched them all in third year and got in-n-out tee shirts and started wearing flip flops.

I was known to have a towel around neck w/ wet swimsuit in studio and definitely had more than my fair share of fun.

I worked through school as an accountant, a drafter / gopher in a firm, a computer salesperson as well as started a drafting company for property inspectors. Still never had much cash and spent most spring breaks on campus.

I took Deep Water Cruising A, B and C during my fourth and fifth year for my barch at USC. I had so many ap credits coming into school I only had thesis, acting and sailing for my fifth year. Sailing was cool. Learned celestial navigation and marine weather. one more class and I can take the tug boat captain's exam!

I also took real property development. I can develop proformas for our clients and show them the economic return on their investment. Sometimes we tell clients not to build. This gives us a lot of credibility and a ton of repeat work.

seriously, that's impressive.
so do you do these things so that you can tell people about it or do you really enjoy all those things...?

I really do enjoy them all.

I don't sail as much anymore because I spent two summers competitively sailing. It became work and not fun. There were fists involved and i now stay away.

As for proforma's... Part of my company offers real estate development consulting for our clients and for me personally. Because I understand the numbers, the architecture and construction (we build too) I get a prominent seat at the table with investors looking to expand their holdings.

Part of the fun is looking at the underdeveloped property that our clients own and suggest projects to get the highest and best use of their property. The rents control the max budget for the project and helps develop the program.

In a slow economy we make our own work!

Sorry to interrupt,

If you want to do design work then pursue a design firm. I'm coming from a similar place and I went the corporate route and it is extremely taxing on my creative and mental health working 9 to 5 and performing my job here.

If you do go for a corporate job make sure they are hiring you for the skills you want to use, as it is very difficult to take on a design role once you have been hired for computer skills (which is all they want from us anyways).

From my experience, the way to get a job in corporate right now is to learn Revit as good as you possibly can and then help rescue a firm that is drowning in it (and there are many). Typically this role restricts your creative flow but it can be safe, comfortable and satisfy your IDP.

I am currently overpaid (pure luck) and saving as much money as possible so that I can get out of here and expand the business I have recently started/go back to school for a PhD, and I'm always trying to find work in a firm that has values that align more with my own.

Good luck!

OK, I swear I'm not trying to be snarky here, but you really should just try for any job right now and try to have a good experience no matter where you end up. If you have connections you should use them, and especially as a 3rd year student without much experience, because jobs right now are highly competitive and hiring managers have a lot of resumes to look at and can pick someone that meets their very specific needs. And can also probably find someone with more skills and experience who are willing to work an entry-level/intern type job for less money.

I don't think you need to worry too much about being absorbed into the 'corporate culture' for 4 or 5 months. We are not talking about a life-long (or even 2-3 year long) commitment here. I understand not really being into the structure but you should also think about the advantages beyond money: more people might equal better networking you can use in the future, corporate firms usually have better training programs, and if you are interested in working abroad sometime in the future having a big 'name' firm might help you there.

Also, you might be surprised by what you can learn at different firms, even if it doesn't necessarily seem like the kind of place you would want to work long-term, you can still have a good experience short-term. Especially if you go in with a positive attitude.

jay,
i was waiting for a realistic answer, and you gave them the best one!

how's the job search, poop?

K.
not looking right now! Got few projects in Memphis and Ohio that we started a while back, so I'm going to focus on getting those done....then I'm going to let you know how the search is! I know its bad because I have offers to help me on what I have now.

thanks ppl!

Is it truly difficult to work at a smaller firm after working for corporate?

afrdzak-I honestly couldnt say for sure, I have only had one long-term job and it was with a sort of smallish/local corporate-style firm. (I kinda got the best and worst of both the corporate and the smaller independent type of firms.) But, my guess would be that, especially right now when so many people are just doing the best they can to say afloat, most people arent going to hold your employment history against you too much. Of course some people are going to work better in one type of firm then they might in another, but for the most part the people who I have learned the most from are the ones who have had more varied careers, and have worked at several different types of firms on several different types of projects. Also, it seems like for most of the mid-aged to younger architects(like mid 40's or younger) I know, its pretty normal to have worked at several different firms and have moved around a little bit every couple of years, unlike the guys that are in their 50s and 60s who may have started at the firm 15 years earlier and maybe only worked for one or two firms in their entire career.

Go work for a corporate firm. You will learn the basics like waterproofing, and how to construct a good wall section(trust me, you do not know how to right out of school.), etc.

I would not work there long term, but you will learn a lot of IMPORTANT stuff!!! I would argue early on in a career, you learn a lot more being a drafter at a corporate firm, than cutting out blue/pink foam blobs at a designy office.

That comment about having corporate experience on your resume keepin you from getting a boutique job is BULLSHIT!!!!! Every firm operates the same when you get down to basics. They want people that have experience to get the job done, no matter what the building looks like. How long do you think model making experience will last you?

You need to ask yourself a very important question: Do you want to learn how to be a pure designer, or an ARCHITECT?????

Good luck!

Sailing ehh....

Graduated with an M.Arch in May and with the economy in the hole haven't been able to land an architecture job, however my full time SAILING job suits me well for the time being. ;-)

Bluesman7 raises some interesting points... but don't go work for a corporate firm, unless you want to, or want to learn what they have to offer.

I'm at my first job post-graduation, and I can tell you for a fact that most of us can't construct a proper (ie. standard) wall section. But to be honest, that's not such a big issue. We're a small design firm, working primarily with innovative materials and advanced-geometry structural systems. Yeah, I'd probably be lost if you wanted me to elegantly detail your platform framed structure, but that's not what I/we do, so it's no problem.

Just be aware that wherever you go, you'll be exposed to something different.

For me, I'm excited about working in an environment that's closely linked with the latest advances in research/academia and regularly collaborates with some of the world's leading consultants (Arup AGU, Transolar, etc.). Combined with the flat office heirachy and casual studio environment, I couldn't be happier.
That being said, I know there's a lot that I'm missing. We simply don't have the capacity (and often the legal jurisdiction for international projects) to handle a project entirely, and thus rely on partner offices to complete construction documents and oversee construction. So I'm obviously missing out on those learning opportunities.

But like I said, I couldn't be happier for the time being. At some point in my career, I'd like to get into more of a design-build type office, especially something closer aligned with the actual realisation / fabrication process, just to see the other end of the spectrum. But for now, I'm happy being "just a pure designer".

I am an MArch Student and have worked with 2 small firms and 2 large ones. There was much to learn in both environments. If you are very confident in you design abilities and want to take initiative go for a small firm, if you need more technical guidance and you want to learn good standard practices go for a large firm.

Working for free is rough, but if you can design with talented and experienced professionals you respect and respect you it is worth it. Do not work for free unless you are working on a project where you can collaborate on the design decisions.

Work abroad if you can. Be persistent with the professors you respect and get recommended to the architects they know around the world.