and.concerning.work

let me take a quick second to fill you in on the architecture education/work system and hopefully clarify where i am. first of all when you decide to do architecture you have a decision to make from the very beginning. where school is concerned you have two tracks you can choose from. in architecture the ultimate goal is to become a registered, licensed architect and to ensure that everyone who gets to that point is qualified there is some serious quality control. there are guidelines set up to ensure that the schools teach what they need to and for schooling the first track is a 5 yr, and the second track is what we call a 4+2. in the 5 yr track you go to a school (like U of H for instance) for 5 yrs and when you graduate you get a "bachelors of architecture." this is an accredited degree and passes the requirements for schooling to move on to the next step. the other track, the 4+2, is what most schools are on (Texas A&M for instance) and you graduate from a 4 yr institution with a "bachelors of ___." depending on the school they call it a lot of different things. sometimes its a bachelors of architectural science, most of them call it a bachelors of environmental design, but there are a few others as well. either way, its an accredited step on the degree path, but its not what they call a "professional degree" enabling you to start the profession and move on to the next step in the process. (the 5yr is a professional degree) so then usually you move on to a 2yr graduate program in architecture. when you finish that you have a total of 6 yrs and a "masters of architecture" which is an accredited professional degree and then you're ready to move on to the next phase of becoming licensed.
so step 2. this phase is what's called IDP (intern development program). because the business end and real working world of architecture is so different from the core education you have to have as a foundation, you're required to get what amounts to about 3 yrs of practical work experience during this phase. now then, simultaneously, you can also be working on the 3rd phase, which is your licensing exams. depending on which state(co, tx, oh, etc.) you're in, you're allowed to start taking your licensing exams while earning your idp credit, although in some states you have to finish idp first and then take the exams in successive order. either way, once you finally complete all 3 phases, youre officially an architect(well after some paperwork and lots of cash). however, the 3rd phase is no cake walk, there are 7 exams(now, it used to be 9) all of which take about 8 hours to complete and cost anywhere from $150-300 each, and you must pass all 7 with an 80% or better if i remember correctly.

now then, at this point i'm in phases 2&3 now that i've gotten my masters of architecture and my bachelors of environmental deign - therefore equalling a professional accredited degree. i havent actually logged any of my idp hours yet (theres a hell of a lot of paperwork and process involved in logging your hours) but i have gotten close to 2 years of practical work experience (although all of it might not count at this point - per all of the nit-picky little rules for it to count). i havent started taking exams yet or even started studying, but maybe once things get settled down a little i can get going on that.

so all that to answer your original question - what am i doing at work? well at this point, because i have gotten my masters, my title is "architectural intern" or "intern architect." i know this probably sounds silly, but they're very very specific about who is allowed to actually use the title "architect" because of all the liability that comes with it (and well, hopefully a little respect and prestige). when youre still in school and dont have an accredited degree your title is either co-op or intern when you work at a firm. thats the lowest rung on the ladder. im in kind of the middle phase where i start getting more responsibility thats more on-par with the level of knowledge and experience ive gotten at this point. it depends on the firm and the supervisor as to just what all that entails, but at this firm im doing pretty well. they trust me to do quite a bit and theres no telling what all i'll be doing in the time between now and when im licensed. so right now, i work with contractors and coordinate drawings and specifications, i draft a lot of the time, sometimes i do 3d modeling, and it looks like at some point in the near future i may be doing some construction administration - which is a pretty big deal this early in the game actually. so im pretty happy with my circumstances. however, im not officially a full time employee at the firm yet. i had a summer hourly position when i started and i was supposed to be finished with that on the 8th. so now (hopefully later this week) i have a meeting with my bosses to negotiate the terms of becoming a full time employee and getting me on salary and benefits and such.

more to come soon, im sure.