Since graduating from a four-year BS Arch program June 2022, I've been working as a full-time architectural designer at a large firm in SF (this came after three summer internships at local and international firms).
This fall I am going back to school to get my M.Arch I, but I'm wondering what type of jobs I should be looking at for the summer. My current office graciously offered to let me work part-time during school and full-time again during the summer, but ideally I'd like to get out of healthcare and do high density residential or mixed-use work. Given my standing as a current M.Arch student for the next three years, should I expect to apply/work as an intern or an entry designer if I want to aim higher and spend my summers working at a big firm (SOM, Gensler,...)?
reallynotmyname
Apr 7, 23 6:36 pm
SOM and Gensler certainly hire cohorts of summer interns for 12 or so weeks of employment between spring and fall. Applying for one of those type of jobs would clearly be a good idea given your stated interests.
A position as an entry-level designer where you work part time at a big firm while attending school is more rare, but not unheard of. The path into that arrangement may be to start out as a summer intern and then convince the firm to keep you on while you finish school.
Since graduating from a four-year BS Arch program June 2022, I've been working as a full-time architectural designer at a large firm in SF (this came after three summer internships at local and international firms).
This fall I am going back to school to get my M.Arch I, but I'm wondering what type of jobs I should be looking at for the summer. My current office graciously offered to let me work part-time during school and full-time again during the summer, but ideally I'd like to get out of healthcare and do high density residential or mixed-use work. Given my standing as a current M.Arch student for the next three years, should I expect to apply/work as an intern or an entry designer if I want to aim higher and spend my summers working at a big firm (SOM, Gensler,...)?
SOM and Gensler certainly hire cohorts of summer interns for 12 or so weeks of employment between spring and fall. Applying for one of those type of jobs would clearly be a good idea given your stated interests.
A position as an entry-level designer where you work part time at a big firm while attending school is more rare, but not unheard of. The path into that arrangement may be to start out as a summer intern and then convince the firm to keep you on while you finish school.