Hi so I am a 19 year old architecture student, I am currently in the first year of my architecture program and I am firing up the portfolio right now as I am wanting to intern at an architecture firm this summer preferably in Tokyo. I have a lot of confidence in myself but I also want to be level-headed and set reasonable expectations for myself. I would really appreciate some advice on applying for internships as I am a first year student and notice that most firms have 3rd year and above required for accepting interns. I wonder if anybody else got in as a first year.....
pan5ury
Dec 12, 20 12:35 pm
I wouldn't rush it. I'd suggest you take the time to hone your skillset in various softwares like blender, maya, keyshot, lumion etc. because they will definitely come in handy later at school and will increase your production level and the quality of your work.
It would make a lot more sense to try and get an internship after second year, especially because you will have about four semesters worth of work to put in there. Plus, it will be enough material for recruiters to know where you stand relatively better than applying straight out of first year.
Akira
Dec 12, 20 12:53 pm
thanks for the advice, does it make any difference that I already have 1 year of experience at a firm? I also have joined like a couple of architecture competitions so I have quite a lot of material to put in
thisisnotmyname
Dec 12, 20 2:59 pm
That makes a big difference. Our hiring for internships is always about the candidates' work experience level and skills regardless of where they are in their academic sequence. In our eyes,
a person who interned every summer is a very strong candidate.
Akira
Dec 12, 20 3:44 pm
Oh okay that is nice to hear, hopefully they will see pass the fact that I am only a first year
pan5ury
Dec 12, 20 1:18 pm
If that's the case, then sure, go for it. Compile it all in your portfolio and start sending it out to various firms.
will galloway
Dec 12, 20 8:31 pm
it's possible. if you have the skills and some flair you might be able to land a position at an interesting office. Fujimoto and Sejima and so on dont generally pay interns, or at least they did not. Even so, I've seen them turn away very talented people simply because they have their pick of the best. On the other hand, for a foreigner who does not speak Japanese I suppose you might be spending most of your time making models in any case, so perhaps it is mostly about good timing and chance...I've never got a good sense of how they choose their interns.
Japan is considering opening the country up again to tourists in the spring, but who knows if that will happen or not. Covid has changed things quite a bit. But if everything works out the olympics will be on in the summer and finding a place to stay is going to be fun. If you get a spot be sure to find a place to stay right away. Its likely to be quite crowded.
Akira
Dec 14, 20 4:18 am
Thanks for your advice, I wonder what is expected of a 19 year old, I am working on my portfolio and it has a few solid projects, I dont really care about getting paid because its kind of a vacation in a way for me
tduds
Dec 12, 20 11:09 pm
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but you've got the rest of your life to work in a firm, and only one shot at being 19. Go get a weird summer job completely unrelated to architecture & experience life outside of the design school bubble. You might learn more there than you will photoshopping renderings for some hotshot.
Akira
Dec 14, 20 4:19 am
Yea I understand where you are coming from, but I do want to travel and be able to live in a different country for a bit, I just want to be exposed to a higher level of design
thatsthat
Dec 14, 20 10:16 am
I actually learned a lot about customer service and dealing with difficult people while working those weird summer jobs. That experience has been incredibly useful in my career. (It also made me thankful that my time in these jobs would be relatively short-lived compared to some of the lifers I met.)
You might also consider a semester/year break from school to do a more long-term internship instead of something during the summer. I have a friend that took a year off, went abroad, and did 3 different internships during that year. It was great exposure and a break from the studio grind.
randomised
Dec 14, 20 2:41 am
Or try getting your hands dirty, can be in Japan too, they have the best worker outfits:
Akira
Dec 14, 20 4:16 am
hands dirty like construction job? I can do that here but I just wanted to get more firm experience while kind of vacationing at the same time, want to be away from home for once
randomised
Dec 14, 20 10:20 am
If you call sleeping under your desk vacationing, maybe ;-)
Akira
Dec 14, 20 9:49 pm
well you are right in that sense I expect it to be gruelsome, but I do think I will have some day offs and I will arrive earlier to sightsee
Pankhuri Malhotra
Dec 14, 20 10:09 am
Hey you could also explore wood working or ceramics in Japan! I know they have workshops for that for sure!
Akira
Dec 14, 20 9:48 pm
Hey thanks for the suggestion, I am not sure if I will be interested, I mainly want to get exposed to Japanese architecture and design
Hi so I am a 19 year old architecture student, I am currently in the first year of my architecture program and I am firing up the portfolio right now as I am wanting to intern at an architecture firm this summer preferably in Tokyo. I have a lot of confidence in myself but I also want to be level-headed and set reasonable expectations for myself. I would really appreciate some advice on applying for internships as I am a first year student and notice that most firms have 3rd year and above required for accepting interns. I wonder if anybody else got in as a first year.....
I wouldn't rush it. I'd suggest you take the time to hone your skillset in various softwares like blender, maya, keyshot, lumion etc. because they will definitely come in handy later at school and will increase your production level and the quality of your work.
It would make a lot more sense to try and get an internship after second year, especially because you will have about four semesters worth of work to put in there. Plus, it will be enough material for recruiters to know where you stand relatively better than applying straight out of first year.
thanks for the advice, does it make any difference that I already have 1 year of experience at a firm? I also have joined like a couple of architecture competitions so I have quite a lot of material to put in
That makes a big difference. Our hiring for internships is always about the candidates' work experience level and skills regardless of where they are in their academic sequence. In our eyes, a person who interned every summer is a very strong candidate.
Oh okay that is nice to hear, hopefully they will see pass the fact that I am only a first year
If that's the case, then sure, go for it. Compile it all in your portfolio and start sending it out to various firms.
it's possible. if you have the skills and some flair you might be able to land a position at an interesting office. Fujimoto and Sejima and so on dont generally pay interns, or at least they did not. Even so, I've seen them turn away very talented people simply because they have their pick of the best. On the other hand, for a foreigner who does not speak Japanese I suppose you might be spending most of your time making models in any case, so perhaps it is mostly about good timing and chance...I've never got a good sense of how they choose their interns.
Japan is considering opening the country up again to tourists in the spring, but who knows if that will happen or not. Covid has changed things quite a bit. But if everything works out the olympics will be on in the summer and finding a place to stay is going to be fun. If you get a spot be sure to find a place to stay right away. Its likely to be quite crowded.
Thanks for your advice, I wonder what is expected of a 19 year old, I am working on my portfolio and it has a few solid projects, I dont really care about getting paid because its kind of a vacation in a way for me
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but you've got the rest of your life to work in a firm, and only one shot at being 19. Go get a weird summer job completely unrelated to architecture & experience life outside of the design school bubble. You might learn more there than you will photoshopping renderings for some hotshot.
Yea I understand where you are coming from, but I do want to travel and be able to live in a different country for a bit, I just want to be exposed to a higher level of design
I actually learned a lot about customer service and dealing with difficult people while working those weird summer jobs. That experience has been incredibly useful in my career. (It also made me thankful that my time in these jobs would be relatively short-lived compared to some of the lifers I met.)
You might also consider a semester/year break from school to do a more long-term internship instead of something during the summer. I have a friend that took a year off, went abroad, and did 3 different internships during that year. It was great exposure and a break from the studio grind.
Or try getting your hands dirty, can be in Japan too, they have the best worker outfits:
hands dirty like construction job? I can do that here but I just wanted to get more firm experience while kind of vacationing at the same time, want to be away from home for once
If you call sleeping under your desk vacationing, maybe ;-)
well you are right in that sense I expect it to be gruelsome, but I do think I will have some day offs and I will arrive earlier to sightsee
Hey you could also explore wood working or ceramics in Japan! I know they have workshops for that for sure!
Hey thanks for the suggestion, I am not sure if I will be interested, I mainly want to get exposed to Japanese architecture and design