Congratulations! You have just graduated from five grueling years of architecture school, and with it you've gained all the rights and responsibilities that come with the title of …INTERN?!? Unfortunately, it will probably be another five years before you gain the elusive title of architect. The question facing so many young designers is what they should expect to get out of these limbo years between academia and licensure. Currently, internships lack the flexibility that is needed to achieve the many goals that young interns have.

Internship should be a time to learn the technical aspects of building, witness the inner workings of an architectural practice, prepare for licensing exams, and to further develop design skills.

Internships perform well on the first task. Interns get plenty of experience learning how a building actually comes together through drafting construction documents and visiting building sites. Exposure to all the aspects of an architectural practice, however, is less common. Many interns have ambitions of having their own firms someday, but most are in need of a reality check. They have little idea of what goes into running a practice and growing a successful business. Partners need to expose young designers to marketing, job profitability, contracts, and managing employees.

Preparing for the various registration exams is a time consuming process, especially when coupled with the long hours most interns put in at work. Currently, all studying has to be done on weekends or at night. Many firms have seminars for continuing education built into the work day for licensed architects in the firm; don't interns deserve at least that much? Licensing organizations, firms, and the companies already producing AIA approved presentations should work together to prepare programs that focus on teaching topics interns will be tested on.

However important they are to internship, it is not exams or drafting details that draws most young people to the profession of architecture, but rather the anticipation of one day designing a building. Yet, by the time you receive your license you haven't had much time for designing since leaving school. Realistically, there is very little way for interns to develop a portfolio of their own designs without entering competitions, but there's rarely the time for that. Large firms need to provide forums for their interns to come together to work on independent projects and competitions. Smaller offices could satisfy this same need by teaming up with other small firms. In order to differentiate the forums from interns working as individuals, firms have to provide some support. They can accomplish this by allowing interns to use part of their workday to attend forums or provide financial support for things like supplies, printing, and registration fees. Not only would design forums provide interns the valuable time to hone their design skills, but also give them experience working on a team in different roles than as just a drafter. Treating internship as a comprehensive but flexible process will help turn interns into the next leaders of the design profession.