I am writing to share my experience and seek advice, conscious of the incoming shitstorm that is going to rain on my head.
I have interned, and I am still interning after achieving my M.Arch degree. Why? Because of poor choices. I come from a provincial, crap university with no international ties and no significant internship programs. All in my class were pretty unprepared and most of us (of course, me inlcuded) had no significant work experience to boast, due in part to an old and short-sighted education system.
So, I started catching up for my missing work experience: I have interned for 6 months in a German starchitect firm and applied and nailed another internship lasting until September, in another top-tier office.
While applying for the second internship round, I also received an offer for an architectural assistant position at the NY office of a hugely famous European firm. Long story short: we agreed to have contacts in the near future, as they could not commit for a position too early.
The offer is very tempting, but it would feel somewhat downgrading to accept a third post-graduate internship. I am also starting to question if - at this point - all this working in popular firms is actually just a cheap way to pimp my resume. I have the distinct feeling that typical intern tasks are very far from real work experience, and more close to unskilled work.
Comments/ observations/ advice would be very appreciated. I am a bit lost and I really look forward to hear some neutral opinion.
I'm curious how someone from a quote "provincial, crap university" has managed to get internships at starchitect offices. Care to clue me in as I'd like one. Thanks.
Get over the starchitect scene and start doing real work at a firm you wouldn't think you'd find yourself dead in. That's where you'll get real experience. If you aren't brave enough to find a position within a small firm that does consistently good work without all the bells and whistles, you'll be complaining about being stuck.
May 11, 14 9:54 pm ·
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Interning with M.Arch. What's next?
Hello people.
I am writing to share my experience and seek advice, conscious of the incoming shitstorm that is going to rain on my head.
I have interned, and I am still interning after achieving my M.Arch degree. Why? Because of poor choices. I come from a provincial, crap university with no international ties and no significant internship programs. All in my class were pretty unprepared and most of us (of course, me inlcuded) had no significant work experience to boast, due in part to an old and short-sighted education system.
So, I started catching up for my missing work experience: I have interned for 6 months in a German starchitect firm and applied and nailed another internship lasting until September, in another top-tier office.
While applying for the second internship round, I also received an offer for an architectural assistant position at the NY office of a hugely famous European firm. Long story short: we agreed to have contacts in the near future, as they could not commit for a position too early.
The offer is very tempting, but it would feel somewhat downgrading to accept a third post-graduate internship. I am also starting to question if - at this point - all this working in popular firms is actually just a cheap way to pimp my resume. I have the distinct feeling that typical intern tasks are very far from real work experience, and more close to unskilled work.
Comments/ observations/ advice would be very appreciated. I am a bit lost and I really look forward to hear some neutral opinion.
" I am also starting to question if - at this point - all this working in popular firms is actually just a cheap way to pimp my resume."
Plenty of people follow your path in the starchitect scene.
Sounds like it's time for a full-time position.
Enjoy BIG!
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