I wanted to take some advice about working as a newly graduated architect. In my view i am not too inexperienced since i did 2 short term internships and i have been working in my family's architecture office since i graduated. However, i am not living in a city where there are lots of new projects to gain experience and working with my family is not my dream job obviously. I just learnt how to prepare a real project drawing, making professional renderings and project presentations.
For all these reasons now i just want to broaden my horizon, see new perspectives and gain different experiences. My question is, do you think is it too late to look for an internship (i graduated in june 2020) because i don't see myself as a complete architect yet and i want to learn. Also, do you think that can i find an internship or junior position in UK or USA? (considering that i am a non-eu citizen) Living and working in London (especially) is my dream but i don't have riba accreditation, can you suggest me a solution?
Thank you in advance. I am so confused and stressful.
Non Sequitur
Nov 19, 21 3:28 pm
Whatever you do, never take an unpaid internship regardless of the name on the office door.
randomised
Nov 19, 21 3:57 pm
Unless – of course – you want to take an unpaid internship :-P
Non Sequitur
Nov 19, 21 4:08 pm
Again rando, there is not a single respectable reason why one should take an unpaid internship. not a single excuse.
yoake
Nov 19, 21 4:21 pm
you are right in so many ways, but i would consider if the company pays for lunch, accommodation etc and gives no money. because internship is like a learning process i think, they don't want you to do important works anyways
Non Sequitur
Nov 19, 21 4:53 pm
Nope. Wrong. Have some fucking self-respect. Don't lower yourself to such low standards. If you accept no pay internships, don't come back and complain that architects don't get paid the same as astronauts or whatever.
monosierra
Nov 19, 21 5:18 pm
Indeed. I think it speaks to the failure of architectural education in general that somehow graduates think it is OK to continue their "education" through unpaid work.
If it was properly integrated work-study system or apprenticeship then so be it - school and profession collaborate to provide a comprehensive curricula.
What we have now, in many countries, is the worst of both worlds. Students graduate with insufficient skills, having been taught by folks who have little to no work experience themselves, and proceed to seek unpaid work under the justification that "Well, I cannot contribute much so its good that the firm even wants me around. Heck, they even have to teach me!".
Taken to the grotesque extreme and you have the likes of Rashid declaring that his unpaid interns should be paying him for the privilege of learning from his "atelier".
randomised
Nov 19, 21 5:48 pm
Lighten up, it’s just the equivalent of giving a drink on the house and putting some free salty snacks on the bar...
Hello,
I wanted to take some advice about working as a newly graduated architect. In my view i am not too inexperienced since i did 2 short term internships and i have been working in my family's architecture office since i graduated. However, i am not living in a city where there are lots of new projects to gain experience and working with my family is not my dream job obviously. I just learnt how to prepare a real project drawing, making professional renderings and project presentations.
For all these reasons now i just want to broaden my horizon, see new perspectives and gain different experiences. My question is, do you think is it too late to look for an internship (i graduated in june 2020) because i don't see myself as a complete architect yet and i want to learn. Also, do you think that can i find an internship or junior position in UK or USA? (considering that i am a non-eu citizen) Living and working in London (especially) is my dream but i don't have riba accreditation, can you suggest me a solution?
Thank you in advance. I am so confused and stressful.
Whatever you do, never take an unpaid internship regardless of the name on the office door.
Unless – of course – you want to take an unpaid internship :-P
Again rando, there is not a single respectable reason why one should take an unpaid internship. not a single excuse.
you are right in so many ways, but i would consider if the company pays for lunch, accommodation etc and gives no money. because internship is like a learning process i think, they don't want you to do important works anyways
Nope. Wrong. Have some fucking self-respect. Don't lower yourself to such low standards. If you accept no pay internships, don't come back and complain that architects don't get paid the same as astronauts or whatever.
Indeed. I think it speaks to the failure of architectural education in general that somehow graduates think it is OK to continue their "education" through unpaid work.
If it was properly integrated work-study system or apprenticeship then so be it - school and profession collaborate to provide a comprehensive curricula.
What we have now, in many countries, is the worst of both worlds. Students graduate with insufficient skills, having been taught by folks who have little to no work experience themselves, and proceed to seek unpaid work under the justification that "Well, I cannot contribute much so its good that the firm even wants me around. Heck, they even have to teach me!".
Taken to the grotesque extreme and you have the likes of Rashid declaring that his unpaid interns should be paying him for the privilege of learning from his "atelier".
Lighten up, it’s just the equivalent of giving a drink on the house and putting some free salty snacks on the bar...