There are two great resources for those just in the very earliest part of their architectural careers (or thinking about undertaking an architectural career). One is a website maintained by the AIA called ARCHcareers.org, and it does a solid job of explaining the process from college to internship to licensure. (I especially appreciate that they mention that attending a prestigious school matters less than actually working, having a good portfolio, and being a decent human being.)
The original creator of that site is Dr. Architecture, who continues to answer questions at his own blog for anyone who has a question or concern about becoming an architect as well. Dr. Architecture, who in real life is the Assistant Director of the School of Architecture at UIUC, is like the A-Team of ARCHcareers.org: if you have a problem, and nobody can solve it, maybe he can help.
A revised edition of Lee Waldrep's book - "Becoming an Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design" came out in 2009. There was a copy at the Tattered Cover on the weekend at a spendy $40. I think Amazon has it for less. In thumbing through it, it had extensive interviews all the way from AIAS to FAIA members where they all answered a standard set of questions about their choice, and then a few specific to their work or firm. It was a little thin on - future of the profession, alternate career paths...a couple of paragraphs on BIM, etc.
ReplyDeleteJD: good observation. Dr. Waldrep and I have talked about some of the thinner points in his book, and he and I will be talking some more soon about how we can both better inform each other's websites/projects.
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