I graduated with my MA in Global Sustainability and I am studying for the LEED Credentials exam. I spoke with an architecture firm in my area and have set up a meeting to speak with them about the possibility of working for them. I have no architecture background, which I was upfront about. I'd love some advice about the meeting.
They asked if I have experience in Revit. I, unfortunately do not. The Geography department (for my undergrad) was small and I only had the chance to use ArcGIS, not AutoCAD or anything else. With my technical background I am sure I'd be able to use a new program with relative ease.
Thank you so much for any advice or input!
JLC-1
Mar 15, 16 5:37 pm
Focus on what you do know and can bring to the table, I worked for a large planning, landscape and urban design firm, and the environmental analysis was the starting point for any design decisions; and then the scrutiny of the development processes and how it could be tweaked or adjusted to minimize the impacts. I imagine that's what your degree is about?
ArchNyen
Mar 15, 16 6:55 pm
what technical background do you have? good luck in using Revit with "relative ease."
DeTwan
Mar 15, 16 9:21 pm
They are probably expecting some kind of proficiency at least with CAD. And it is hard enough for a proficient CAD operator to jump into learning revit.
All I can say is 'may the force be with you young padawan'
JLC-1, yes that is what my degree was about. I appreciate the helpful hints about how to pitch myself!
I have always wished I'd been able to use AutoCAD and now that ArchNyen and DeTwan have made it clear that Revit will not be an easy program to learn, I wish even more that I had some experience in using CAD. Thank you both for the warnings!
archiwutm8
Mar 16, 16 10:01 am
asht,sexton AutoCAD is piss easy to learn and for Revit I can send you some resources + books to learn from. I used to train a wide array of people Revit and support them and honestly it isn't as hard as people make out.
Everyday Intern
Mar 16, 16 11:59 am
If the firm is worrying about your abilities in Revit, I'd venture a guess that they don't quite realize what your potential could be. It sounds like they are looking to hire you as another production drafter, not as a specialist in environmental analysis or sustainability or LEED or whatever.
distant
Mar 16, 16 1:23 pm
^ EDI: the OP did not mention the size of the firm where he's interviewing. If they're small or medium sized then they're probably not able to afford a "specialist" per se - so their concern is having employees who are versatile. That doesn't necessarily mean they're looking at the OP as a full-time production drafter -- they probably just want to be sure they can keep him productively employed when there's not a lot of "specialist" work to be done.
I graduated with my MA in Global Sustainability and I am studying for the LEED Credentials exam. I spoke with an architecture firm in my area and have set up a meeting to speak with them about the possibility of working for them. I have no architecture background, which I was upfront about. I'd love some advice about the meeting.
They asked if I have experience in Revit. I, unfortunately do not. The Geography department (for my undergrad) was small and I only had the chance to use ArcGIS, not AutoCAD or anything else. With my technical background I am sure I'd be able to use a new program with relative ease.
Thank you so much for any advice or input!
Focus on what you do know and can bring to the table, I worked for a large planning, landscape and urban design firm, and the environmental analysis was the starting point for any design decisions; and then the scrutiny of the development processes and how it could be tweaked or adjusted to minimize the impacts. I imagine that's what your degree is about?
what technical background do you have? good luck in using Revit with "relative ease."
They are probably expecting some kind of proficiency at least with CAD. And it is hard enough for a proficient CAD operator to jump into learning revit.
All I can say is 'may the force be with you young padawan'
JLC-1, yes that is what my degree was about. I appreciate the helpful hints about how to pitch myself!
I have always wished I'd been able to use AutoCAD and now that ArchNyen and DeTwan have made it clear that Revit will not be an easy program to learn, I wish even more that I had some experience in using CAD. Thank you both for the warnings!
asht,sexton AutoCAD is piss easy to learn and for Revit I can send you some resources + books to learn from. I used to train a wide array of people Revit and support them and honestly it isn't as hard as people make out.
If the firm is worrying about your abilities in Revit, I'd venture a guess that they don't quite realize what your potential could be. It sounds like they are looking to hire you as another production drafter, not as a specialist in environmental analysis or sustainability or LEED or whatever.
^ EDI: the OP did not mention the size of the firm where he's interviewing. If they're small or medium sized then they're probably not able to afford a "specialist" per se - so their concern is having employees who are versatile. That doesn't necessarily mean they're looking at the OP as a full-time production drafter -- they probably just want to be sure they can keep him productively employed when there's not a lot of "specialist" work to be done.