I am a senior in high school and my current school offers programs where one can apply for work experience for a whole day every week in an industry thats of interest to us. I am certain that I want to pursue a career in architecture, there for I applied to a firm, to which they kindly accepted me in for a few days. I am posting here to get some ideas on what are some things that someone who is a trained architect/studying to be one, would get out of it if they were in my shoes. They take me on some site visits and I get to play around with Vectorworks which I quite enjoy, but overall I always wonder what opportunities I can get out of this experience that would potentially help me in the future/when I am in university.
Thanks. From Perth, Western Australia.
JLC-1
Jun 20, 18 12:02 pm
you will learn what it takes to turn a pretty picture into a building before most of your peers. But that can also be detrimental to your experience in uni, where studios tend to be more "creativity oriented", meaning they would want you to imagine things without the constraints of reality. Ask the seniors in that office about balancing those aspects of the profession. Take a load of pictures when on site visits, and ask all the questions. I wish american architects were educated this way.
thatsthat
Jun 20, 18 12:48 pm
My high school (in the US) had a "mentorship" program. There were no architects within an hour drive of my school though so I worked with a tract home "designer" who upsold clients on the more expensive finishes. Kind of a joke.
thatsthat
Jun 20, 18 12:45 pm
If you can get the opportunity to look at drawing sets for projects, that is great. Look at the type of language used in the notes. Ask what different symbols mean if you are unsure. Look at the types of drawings you're seeing and understand the differences and WHY you choose one over another. (Plans vs. elevations vs. details.) This is the bread and butter of what you will need in school and in your career.
When you go on site, you get to start understanding what is being built, but also how the roles/responsibilities of contractor vs. owner vs. architect vary, and how the information gets distributed between the parties involved. If you have a chance to study some drawings of the project you will be seeing on site beforehand, that's ideal.
Other than this, I would try to get a handle on what type of day-to-day activities people do in the office. Some people will be drawing, some will be on the phone, and some will be doing other things. If you can have lunch with a few coworkers, or find another opportunity to ask questions without being too intrusive, pursue it. Whatever you end up being a part of at this internship, don't be afraid to ask questions and try to wrap your brain around what's going on. A lot of it may be above your head at this point, but that's ok too!
eastcoast
Jun 20, 18 4:02 pm
I wish I had a similar opportunity to do this in high school. Im finishing up at Uni many years later and have had several internships at a few firms. I am still figuring it out as my internships are relatively boring and a lot of it is figuring things out on my own. Just ask for a working model and the accompanying drawings of a current or past project and figure out how things are done. Become a sort of shadow if you must for a specific project and ask to be apart of it when possible. (ie go to client meetings, job site..) If you can, continue to figure out all the technology side of the job even just a basic working knowledge. (all of this will be thrown out when you begin school) See if it's something you enjoy. I know that architecture school and architecture practice are two totally different things and what you think architecture is is also a different thing.
eastcoast
Jun 25, 18 9:58 am
I also was thinking about this afterward. If you can, go on the AXP website for architectural experience. This can give you an idea of different things to ask about to get a better understanding of various points in architecture practice. Its the requirements for getting licensure. (Me personally, I wouldn't create an account until you actually started college and were working full time to be sure its something you wanted to pursue since it costs about 100 dollars every year, but this can give you an idea of questions to ask and things to be apart of in the short time you are at the firm)
S W
Jun 20, 18 9:28 pm
Your school sounds like it has a great attitude to life. Enjoy designing, ask questions, you’ll gain knowledge. Ignore the negative responses. Best wishes. (I’m not an architect)
OneLostArchitect
Jun 25, 18 12:37 pm
I learned how to make coffee
bowling_ball
Jun 26, 18 2:00 am
My alma mater has just instituted a co-op program and on the side of the employer, it's been great. We've extended offers of full time jobs after graduation to nearly all students. It's a win-win.
My only real advice is to ask questions. Lots and lots of questions to somebody in the office with more than 5 years experience. School is nothing like work.
Hi,
I am a senior in high school and my current school offers programs where one can apply for work experience for a whole day every week in an industry thats of interest to us. I am certain that I want to pursue a career in architecture, there for I applied to a firm, to which they kindly accepted me in for a few days. I am posting here to get some ideas on what are some things that someone who is a trained architect/studying to be one, would get out of it if they were in my shoes. They take me on some site visits and I get to play around with Vectorworks which I quite enjoy, but overall I always wonder what opportunities I can get out of this experience that would potentially help me in the future/when I am in university.
Thanks. From Perth, Western Australia.
you will learn what it takes to turn a pretty picture into a building before most of your peers. But that can also be detrimental to your experience in uni, where studios tend to be more "creativity oriented", meaning they would want you to imagine things without the constraints of reality. Ask the seniors in that office about balancing those aspects of the profession. Take a load of pictures when on site visits, and ask all the questions. I wish american architects were educated this way.
My high school (in the US) had a "mentorship" program. There were no architects within an hour drive of my school though so I worked with a tract home "designer" who upsold clients on the more expensive finishes. Kind of a joke.
If you can get the opportunity to look at drawing sets for projects, that is great. Look at the type of language used in the notes. Ask what different symbols mean if you are unsure. Look at the types of drawings you're seeing and understand the differences and WHY you choose one over another. (Plans vs. elevations vs. details.) This is the bread and butter of what you will need in school and in your career.
When you go on site, you get to start understanding what is being built, but also how the roles/responsibilities of contractor vs. owner vs. architect vary, and how the information gets distributed between the parties involved. If you have a chance to study some drawings of the project you will be seeing on site beforehand, that's ideal.
Other than this, I would try to get a handle on what type of day-to-day activities people do in the office. Some people will be drawing, some will be on the phone, and some will be doing other things. If you can have lunch with a few coworkers, or find another opportunity to ask questions without being too intrusive, pursue it. Whatever you end up being a part of at this internship, don't be afraid to ask questions and try to wrap your brain around what's going on. A lot of it may be above your head at this point, but that's ok too!
I wish I had a similar opportunity to do this in high school. Im finishing up at Uni many years later and have had several internships at a few firms. I am still figuring it out as my internships are relatively boring and a lot of it is figuring things out on my own. Just ask for a working model and the accompanying drawings of a current or past project and figure out how things are done. Become a sort of shadow if you must for a specific project and ask to be apart of it when possible. (ie go to client meetings, job site..) If you can, continue to figure out all the technology side of the job even just a basic working knowledge. (all of this will be thrown out when you begin school) See if it's something you enjoy. I know that architecture school and architecture practice are two totally different things and what you think architecture is is also a different thing.
I also was thinking about this afterward. If you can, go on the AXP website for architectural experience. This can give you an idea of different things to ask about to get a better understanding of various points in architecture practice. Its the requirements for getting licensure. (Me personally, I wouldn't create an account until you actually started college and were working full time to be sure its something you wanted to pursue since it costs about 100 dollars every year, but this can give you an idea of questions to ask and things to be apart of in the short time you are at the firm)
Your school sounds like it has a great attitude to life. Enjoy designing, ask questions, you’ll gain knowledge. Ignore the negative responses. Best wishes. (I’m not an architect)
I learned how to make coffee
My alma mater has just instituted a co-op program and on the side of the employer, it's been great. We've extended offers of full time jobs after graduation to nearly all students. It's a win-win.
My only real advice is to ask questions. Lots and lots of questions to somebody in the office with more than 5 years experience. School is nothing like work.