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!