If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now

In an effort to start the New Year off organized, my husband and I revamped the layout of our home office and in doing so I began to look through my books from college…and now I’m actually interested in reading them!





It’s amazing how much those books by Francis D.K. Ching aide me in my understanding of buildings, design, and construction. They would have been wonderful tools in supplementing my education had I actually taken the time to look through them while I was in school! Of course, I glanced at them from time to time, but not nearly enough. Some days I find myself wondering if the world would make a lot more sense to me had I studied these a little more while in school? Maybe not, but I can’t help but question it every now and then.


I have never considered myself a "history buff" but I did find my Architecture History classes rather fascinating. However, as a student bogged down with 15-18 hours of classes (including a treacherous studio) and a part-time job, it was hard to really enjoy studying about Romanesque architecture or the Enlightenment period. When I flip through the pages of this book now, I get excited about architecture and its history!


I’ll admit it. This is a book I bought with the best intentions of reading it, as I love the work of Kieran Timberlake, but again my busy life caught up with me and I never made it past page 67. With that said, it is back on my book list.

L.E.E.D. Screening Process...Really?

I am currently preparing to take the LEED GA exam. That’s LEED Green Associate for those unfamiliar with LEED V3. Does anybody else find it troubling that the USGBC does such an extensive background check on people wanting to become a LEED Green Associate or LEED AP of some other sort? I had to prove that I was somebody in a ‘worthy’ profession in the application process to take the exam and it caught me off guard. I mean, regardless of who you are or what field you’re in, does it really matter as long as you can prove your competence on the topic of sustainability? Does the USGBC or GBCI (it’s hard to keep up with the jurisdiction of each organization) really turn down applicants who are eager to learn more about LEED principles and sustainability? Wouldn’t the world be a better place, theoretically, if everyone was competent enough to know the gist of what a LEED AP knows? I’m just sayin’.

Maybe there’s a good reason for this that I’m not understanding. If anyone reading this has an idea, please let me know!

Keeping Up With I.D.P.

I happen to be the only person in my office accruing IDP (Intern Development Program) hours currently and if you’re situation is anything like mine, you may not get a lot of support in understanding the steps you need to take in order to become licensed. Here are a few tips that you may or may not have known about earning training hours for IDP:

1. If you attend any ‘Lunch & Learn’ that is AIA accredited at your office, you can translate that time into IDP hours! It is a credit that is hard to beat in my opinion. All you have to do is show up and hear to what a rep has to say and they’ll provide you lunch! Honestly, on that intern salary, a free lunch is hard to pass up! You do have to submit something from the AIA verifying your participation.

2. The EPC (Emerging Professional Companion) provides opportunities to supplement an intern’s education. There are quizzes available online for IDP credit too! This is a great resource because it compartmentalizes each component of design. There are definitely certain disciplines that are hard for interns to get their hands on in the office (since we have less experience) and the EPC is a resource for some of that information. We have to start somewhere, right? www.epcompanion.org

3. If you become a LEED accredited professional (LEED AP), you can earn up to 5 training units, or 40 training hours. This would get documented in the supplementary education area.

4. NCARB also offers supplementary education hours that can be earned on your own, outside of the office. If you go to www.ncarb.org and click on ‘Experience Through Internship’, there is a list of opportunities interns have in gaining additional training hours for their IDP.

Me & My Blog

This blog is a record of my path to becoming an architect. I will constantly update my thoughts and happenings in an effort to move up and out of the role of ‘intern’.

A little bit about me. After 7 years of college, I finally graduated with a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Kansas in May, 2009. Even though the economy was (and still is) crap, I was fortunate enough to continue to work full-time at the architecture firm that I had been interning part-time at while in school. Prior to this internship, I had worked as an intern for a local design-build firm for one year. So in total, I have been an intern architect for about three years, but some days I feel as though I know less than I did when I started!

And that is why I created this blog. This is the voice seldom heard in the office; the voice of the intern. Many great things happen as an intern: 1. you’re fortunate enough to be given a chance to prove your skills, or at least you’ve been hired to do something in the field of architecture, 2. you get the opportunity to work with talented and experienced architects and professionals, 3. you have an excuse when you don’t know the answer, and 4. you have an excuse when you mess up royally. Along with the great things come some of the not so great things about being an intern: 1. after years of professional preparation you get paid the same wages as the guy at the counter of a fast food restaurant (or close to it), 2. the frustration you feel when you don’t know the answer, even though you’ve trained for this very thing for 7 years, and 3. the constant self-doubt that inevitably hits you and makes you wonder if you should have just went into the medical field after all…at least there’s some job security there!

My intent with this blog is to offer the perspective of the intern with the hopes of getting comments, advice, and discussion in return. Many of you out there know what it’s like to be in my shoes. Many of you have been here before, some are in the same position currently, and some will be here soon. I want to address the issues that I see in my day to day experiences with the hopes of finding others who can relate. I want to discuss the steps and setbacks that I encounter in my path to becoming a real architect.

More entries to come!