If I could change one thing, it would be the substitution of a new letter
in the familiar acronym IDP. It would be a simple change, a seemingly
inconsequential change, an inexpensive change, and a change that would
end a lot of misunderstanding. I would like
to take part in the ADP: the Apprentice Development Program.
The notion of changing the “intern” nomenclature is not new
to forward-thinkers in the AIA, NCARB and other architectural organizations.
The subject has been discussed at length; I argue for action. The IDP
is the ideal place to make this change. By using the word apprentice the
misconception of an intern will end. No longer will I be asked, “When
are you going to get a real job?” or “I thought your job was
only for the summer.” The word, apprentice, will trickle down onto
business cards and into usage by clients. Why struggle to change this
problem in any other way? We can painlessly let the solution work from
the bottom up.
Though we in the profession understand the meaning of an architectural
intern, most in our culture are left confused. Wikipedia defines it thus:
“in North America, an intern is one who works in a temporary position
with an emphasis on education rather than employment, making it similar
in some respects to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or
university students...”(1) Why do we continue to align ourselves
with a term that refers to temporarily-employed students?
Apprentice is an appropriate term. Our culture embraces the word to describe
someone who is in the process of becoming skilled in a profession, under
the guidance of an employer. Take the NBC hit reality show, The Apprentice,
for example. The premise of the show is to take people from diverse backgrounds
and give them a set of tasks through which they will learn to become more
like business guru Donald Trump. Are we not in the process of doing the
same in the IDP? We are apprentices.
I encourage you to consider the difference that a letter makes. Change
the IDP to ADP. See
if there won’t be a better cultural understanding of how our profession
trains its own. Let’s communicate clearly; let’s start with
the Apprentice Development Program.
1. "intern." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2005. Answers.com GuruNet
Corp. 30 Jun. 2005.
http://www.answers.com/topic/intern