I'm seeking some general advice given my background is admittedly a little unorthodox.
Some background for context:
I graduated in 2012 from Portland State (Bachelor of Arts, Architecture) and like many of you guys ran into the brick wall that was (still is) the economy at the time. With looming student loans and dismal job prospects (not to mention pay), accruing more debt in grad school simply wasn't financially viable. Given those circumstances, I felt it best to take a job in our family business working on a commercial fishing boat (yes, literally "Deadliest Catch"), which is what I've been doing for the past few years. While it totally doesn't suck as a job, I do miss design and would like to get back into it, particularly now that I'm 30.
That said, I haven't totally given up on architecture and I do have some relevant experience - mainly I'm looking for advice as to how to best position myself (resume, portfolio, etc.) given an unorthodox background. I plan to work for a contractor over the summer, starting out with general construction labor (framing houses, etc.) moving onto permit drawings in the fall - the idea being to better familiarize myself with actual construction techniques and navigating the permitting process, which seems to be a common complaint within field. Additionally, I've made plans (pictured) for a design/build in which I'll be renovating an existing building on my family's property into a "Hippy Shack," which I plan on living in. (It's my hare-brained solution to the ridiculous cost of living here in CA!) Anyways, as stated I'm looking for general advice as how to best present myself to potential employers, particularly given the non-traditional "career" path I've taken. Any direction, guidance, or anecdotal experience from someone that's been in similar situation or is actively working in the field is greatly appreciated.
Cheers!
thisisnotmyname
May 30, 18 2:04 pm
You plan strikes me as a very strong preparation for an entry level position in a small architecture firm. I only thing I don't see is proficiency in AutoCad and or Revit.
You should thoroughly document your construction activities with photographs and do a full set of plans in CAD or BIM for your hippy shack. These will be good things to accompany your resume and also show and discuss in interviews.
Miles Jaffe
May 30, 18 2:51 pm
Go after the small project market, design / build. This segment is poorly serviced and largely ignored but entirely viable for someone who will commit to it. It also serves a real need.
Screw the 'traditional' path, earn while you learn, be your own boss.
Lorrin French
May 30, 18 4:01 pm
"Screw the traditional path" - believe me, you're preaching to the choir!
Small firm, small market, design/build is ultimately what I'm after. I'm into projects that enrich their environment, whether that be rural, residential, commercial. In an urban context, development and renovation of existing properties.
Basically what this guy does, I got to "intern" (literally smashing out windows, digging holes, etc.) for him for a few months before and after I graduated. It was great hands-on experience just generally seeing how the whole operation worked.
The guy I'll be working for uses PowerCADD and Sketchup, he's a little bit of a dinosaur, but a well respected builder in our area and a genuinely cool dude. Unfortunately, I don't have access to Revit at the moment, but I've used AutoCAD before and am generally familiar with key commands/interface, so that wouldn't necessarily be super difficult to pick up.
What I'm more concerned with is how to best show this on things like a resume/portfolio, particularly given gaps in relevant employment. I'm working on getting a blog up to document the hippy shack and have a pretty solid idea of how I want to show my work digitally. Any experience with print portfolios? How many projects to show; how many pages to devote to what; how to represent projects I've worked on, but aren't necessarily my design work (see above) - I'm more worried about technical details as I don't have a whole lot of experience with the interview process.
Hey All!
I'm seeking some general advice given my background is admittedly a little unorthodox.
Some background for context:
I graduated in 2012 from Portland State (Bachelor of Arts, Architecture) and like many of you guys ran into the brick wall that was (still is) the economy at the time. With looming student loans and dismal job prospects (not to mention pay), accruing more debt in grad school simply wasn't financially viable. Given those circumstances, I felt it best to take a job in our family business working on a commercial fishing boat (yes, literally "Deadliest Catch"), which is what I've been doing for the past few years. While it totally doesn't suck as a job, I do miss design and would like to get back into it, particularly now that I'm 30.
That said, I haven't totally given up on architecture and I do have some relevant experience - mainly I'm looking for advice as to how to best position myself (resume, portfolio, etc.) given an unorthodox background. I plan to work for a contractor over the summer, starting out with general construction labor (framing houses, etc.) moving onto permit drawings in the fall - the idea being to better familiarize myself with actual construction techniques and navigating the permitting process, which seems to be a common complaint within field. Additionally, I've made plans (pictured) for a design/build in which I'll be renovating an existing building on my family's property into a "Hippy Shack," which I plan on living in. (It's my hare-brained solution to the ridiculous cost of living here in CA!) Anyways, as stated I'm looking for general advice as how to best present myself to potential employers, particularly given the non-traditional "career" path I've taken. Any direction, guidance, or anecdotal experience from someone that's been in similar situation or is actively working in the field is greatly appreciated.
Cheers!
You plan strikes me as a very strong preparation for an entry level position in a small architecture firm. I only thing I don't see is proficiency in AutoCad and or Revit.
You should thoroughly document your construction activities with photographs and do a full set of plans in CAD or BIM for your hippy shack. These will be good things to accompany your resume and also show and discuss in interviews.
Go after the small project market, design / build. This segment is poorly serviced and largely ignored but entirely viable for someone who will commit to it. It also serves a real need.
Screw the 'traditional' path, earn while you learn, be your own boss.
"Screw the traditional path" - believe me, you're preaching to the choir!
Small firm, small market, design/build is ultimately what I'm after. I'm into projects that enrich their environment, whether that be rural, residential, commercial. In an urban context, development and renovation of existing properties.
Basically what this guy does, I got to "intern" (literally smashing out windows, digging holes, etc.) for him for a few months before and after I graduated. It was great hands-on experience just generally seeing how the whole operation worked.
http://guerrilladev.co/project...
Specifically this project:
http://guerrilladev.co/project...
The guy I'll be working for uses PowerCADD and Sketchup, he's a little bit of a dinosaur, but a well respected builder in our area and a genuinely cool dude. Unfortunately, I don't have access to Revit at the moment, but I've used AutoCAD before and am generally familiar with key commands/interface, so that wouldn't necessarily be super difficult to pick up.
What I'm more concerned with is how to best show this on things like a resume/portfolio, particularly given gaps in relevant employment. I'm working on getting a blog up to document the hippy shack and have a pretty solid idea of how I want to show my work digitally. Any experience with print portfolios? How many projects to show; how many pages to devote to what; how to represent projects I've worked on, but aren't necessarily my design work (see above) - I'm more worried about technical details as I don't have a whole lot of experience with the interview process.
Thanks Guys!