What
Should Architectural Internship Be? Give any Opinions or Ideas that Would
Make an Internship Better.
I believe the main purpose of the internship stage is to augment our mostly theoretical education with the practical knowledge necessary for real life architectural practice. But beyond that the internship process should foster a sense of community between all interns so that they do not feel isolated in a sea of unknowns but encouraged to discuss their questions and concerns with others in the same boat. The internship path should include outside activities, individual study and organized classes, beyond the office, that can help supplement either what cannot be obtained in the office either because of specialization or work designation or what one is learning through their work but may need more explanation.
The AIA Associates should become more of their own entity, similar to the AIAS, with local chapters and regular organized activities in addition to the regular AIA activities. When I was in school I was the Vice President of the AIAS my senior year and was fortunate to attend two AIAS yearly forums. The combined knowledge I learned from the planned activities and the conversations with other students was invaluable. Why not take this concept and apply it for architectural interns? Through a combination of chapter, regional, and national AIA Associate activities and perhaps even a yearly forum, interns could really foster a community that would prove instrumental to their getting licensed.
Why is it that many states feel that only after we have completed our internship hours we are ready to begin taking the ARE? It may take me up to five years to complete my hours, why not start now while studying is still part of my recent past and life is perhaps less complicated? I believe that the requirements for beginning the testing process should be nationalized to allow all interns to begin taking the exam after they have obtained their professional degree and one year of experience in an architecture office.
My final thought has to do with outside activities, workshops, and perhaps even classes offered at local universities that would count towards obtaining some of the hours that many interns find next to impossible to get in the offi ce, such as Category B. Currently, hours obtained through classes do not count towards intern hours so this policy would have to be reviewed and updated. I’ve heard some mention of online activities sponsored by the AIA that interns can complete, perhaps developing and spreading the word about this aid to obtaining hours can go hand in hand with the other ideas. There should be more recognition that there are many methods to obtaining the necessary information needed to become a registered architect. I hope these thoughts will spark ideas in the jury’s mind as I’m sure they will continue to do so in mine as I continue on my internship journey.