It is difficult for an intern to assimilate into the architectural firm of today. The heightened construction market throughout the country has created a blessing for architects and a curse for interns. While it is in the best interest for the intern to firmly grasp the full gambit of the architectural profession, the unrelenting need for most offices to churn out "production drawings " limits the intern's ability to fully engage in all aspects of a project, and the architectural profession. An intern having previous job experience is especially vulnerably since proficiency and knowledge equate to some becoming project managers or highly paid CAD technicians. These types of positions require a substantial amount of responsibility and overtime, but also provide higher rates of compensation. Occupational pitfalls like these have the ability to stall, if not extinguish, an interns drive to become licensed.

Even if we omit the current need for production staff, the dynamics of today's firms have changed, directly contributing to the lack of experience an intern receives. Through first hand experience, I know that younger architects (those licensed 5 tp 10 years or less) are more willing to take risks, embracing the knowledge of new graduates and utilizing the abilities of new technology. These architects are also more likely to understand and address the needs of today's intern, having recently traveled the same path. Unfortunately as the number of newly registered architects dwindles there are fewer daredevils, and an overabundance of just the opposite. To impact the architects of the future now, the main challenge lies in awakening the majority of architects licensed for 15+ years. These architects, while geographically diverse, all maintain the same business ethic; to provide a "litigiously safe", "cost effective" design, meeting the base needs of the client. Architects of this caliber find no reason to utilize the talents and principles taught to today's graduates. An architect with a comfortable client base has no need for interns who can independently design, practice the latest fundamentals of "passive/ green" architecture, or utilize the latest CAD based programs beyond what is required to complete a set of construction drawings. These firms remain in what I consider the "architectural" stone age, and are quickly creating a new breed of "workers" instead of "thinkers".

In all practicality, I have never envisioned my internship, nor my architectural career with too much grandeur. I did however sincerely believe that I would have the chance to fulfill my love of architecture in one, or possibly two long term jobs preparing me for architectural licensing. Currently, having joined my seventh architectural firm in eight years, I have finally rationalized my wrongdoing. I had held so tightly the belief that an architectural internship would be as described through classes, IDP, and the AIA; but in reality it isn't. Today all interns must face their internship from an entirely different perspective. An architectural Internship has transformed from what was once a sharing of experience from teacher to pupil, into a nomadic journey to licensure.