I imagine this is a reoccurring thread but I could not find it.
The big question: Do we count M.Arch grad school years as work experience?
I ask because I am trying to figure out where I land on the AIA compensation survey (in an effort to figure what kind of salary I should be looking at).
I am thinking that classes don't count for much, but perhaps the 5 semesters of teaching do count?
Thoughts?
Donna Sink
May 29, 15 10:32 am
No. Teaching experience is not practice experience.
Non Sequitur
May 29, 15 10:40 am
No.
Donna Sink
May 29, 15 10:44 am
I mean, you can elaborate on your resume the skills that you developed teaching as they might be applicable to a practice scenario; it's not like you didn't learn and grow from that work. But in terms of salary relative to work experience, you only want to count time spent in a firm.
natematt
May 29, 15 11:50 am
What Donna said, but I do think most people would put that under their work experience category on their resume, but that doesn't mean the same thing.
BulgarBlogger
May 29, 15 3:53 pm
Why in God's name would you ever consider Grad school experience actual work experience?
If an M.Arch grad would get work experience as a grad student, I would want work experience as a B.Arch student since an M.Arch and a B.Arch are practically the same thing...
SpontaneousCombustion
May 29, 15 3:54 pm
I list all the courses for which I held teaching fellowships or assistanships in grad school in the separate section on my resume called "Teaching Experience". I've since taught in a few other places, so the grad school stuff is all at the bottom of that category.
But when I write "I have 21 years of experience" I mean in architecture firms. I don't count academic time in that 21 years, though I do count all my 6 full-time summers and many part-time jobs during semesters worked in architecture firms over my 7 years combined undergrad and grad school - cumulatively I count that all as adding up to roughly 2 years of experience.
I've noticed that firms routinely find ways to count student years in their staff bios in proposals and marketing materials - for instance the last firm I worked in would always credit me with "more than 25 years of experience" when they filled in that question in responses to RFPs, because they were counting from the start date of my first architecture firm job, which was in the summer after my freshman year of college. Nonetheless, I don't claim that myself.
tamranthor
Jun 1, 15 12:56 pm
It is called dishonesty and is considered padding your resume. Poor form. Can get you in enough trouble that word will get around and you won't get any offers at all.
Try sticking with what you have and what you know. Employers prefer honesty.
notgeorgecostanza
Jun 4, 15 2:00 pm
It's similar to the architecture student who calls oneself an architect, you're not an architect until you pass the exams as you wouldn't want a med student telling people he/she is a doctor. But exactly why I didn't chose grad school. I value the real world experience over a peice of paper saying I just got myself in a lifetime of debt
BR.TN
Jun 4, 15 4:55 pm
^obvious troll
zonker
Jun 5, 15 4:19 pm
I only count the time I have been actively employed by firms since earning my M.arch
also there is the matter of progressive vs static experience - 6 years of production w/o an increase in responsibilities = 1 - 3 years exp. tops
Aluminate
Jun 5, 15 5:06 pm
Agreed. One of the most aggravating things in hiring is getting cover letters that claim "20 years of experience" followed by resumes that show that the person is a serial job hopper with 14 production drafter stints, most of which last just long enough to qualify for unemployment again.
Another annoying variation are the ones that claim 8 or 10 years of "architecture education" - but it's 8 or 10 years of community college CAD drafting and adult continuing ed art and architecture history courses. There's nothing wrong with these courses, but it's like imagining that learning 10 different "Beginner Piano" books somehow adds up to 10 years of progressively more complex training. For the odd natural virtuoso it might - but for the guys with 14 jobs drafting window details and a pile of CAD certificates it rarely does.
I imagine this is a reoccurring thread but I could not find it.
The big question: Do we count M.Arch grad school years as work experience?
I ask because I am trying to figure out where I land on the AIA compensation survey (in an effort to figure what kind of salary I should be looking at).
I am thinking that classes don't count for much, but perhaps the 5 semesters of teaching do count?
Thoughts?
No. Teaching experience is not practice experience.
No.
I mean, you can elaborate on your resume the skills that you developed teaching as they might be applicable to a practice scenario; it's not like you didn't learn and grow from that work. But in terms of salary relative to work experience, you only want to count time spent in a firm.
What Donna said, but I do think most people would put that under their work experience category on their resume, but that doesn't mean the same thing.
Why in God's name would you ever consider Grad school experience actual work experience?
If an M.Arch grad would get work experience as a grad student, I would want work experience as a B.Arch student since an M.Arch and a B.Arch are practically the same thing...
I list all the courses for which I held teaching fellowships or assistanships in grad school in the separate section on my resume called "Teaching Experience". I've since taught in a few other places, so the grad school stuff is all at the bottom of that category.
But when I write "I have 21 years of experience" I mean in architecture firms. I don't count academic time in that 21 years, though I do count all my 6 full-time summers and many part-time jobs during semesters worked in architecture firms over my 7 years combined undergrad and grad school - cumulatively I count that all as adding up to roughly 2 years of experience.
I've noticed that firms routinely find ways to count student years in their staff bios in proposals and marketing materials - for instance the last firm I worked in would always credit me with "more than 25 years of experience" when they filled in that question in responses to RFPs, because they were counting from the start date of my first architecture firm job, which was in the summer after my freshman year of college. Nonetheless, I don't claim that myself.
It is called dishonesty and is considered padding your resume. Poor form. Can get you in enough trouble that word will get around and you won't get any offers at all.
Try sticking with what you have and what you know. Employers prefer honesty.
It's similar to the architecture student who calls oneself an architect, you're not an architect until you pass the exams as you wouldn't want a med student telling people he/she is a doctor. But exactly why I didn't chose grad school. I value the real world experience over a peice of paper saying I just got myself in a lifetime of debt
^obvious troll
I only count the time I have been actively employed by firms since earning my M.arch
also there is the matter of progressive vs static experience - 6 years of production w/o an increase in responsibilities = 1 - 3 years exp. tops
Agreed. One of the most aggravating things in hiring is getting cover letters that claim "20 years of experience" followed by resumes that show that the person is a serial job hopper with 14 production drafter stints, most of which last just long enough to qualify for unemployment again.
Another annoying variation are the ones that claim 8 or 10 years of "architecture education" - but it's 8 or 10 years of community college CAD drafting and adult continuing ed art and architecture history courses. There's nothing wrong with these courses, but it's like imagining that learning 10 different "Beginner Piano" books somehow adds up to 10 years of progressively more complex training. For the odd natural virtuoso it might - but for the guys with 14 jobs drafting window details and a pile of CAD certificates it rarely does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDIvdZK5YY0