Architects formulate the relationship between society and the built environment. In this essay, I delineate my vision of architectural future, and chalk out a plan for today's intern to create that future. I believe that an ideal internship rests on four pillars- 1) breadth and depth of architectural exposure, 2) vision broadening through strategic discussions with mentors and networks, 3) development of business acumen and 4) global adaptability.

To gain breadth and depth of architectural exposure, today's intern (and tomorrow's architect) should be exposed to a wide array of projects (residential, commercial, institutional) and to all phases, from conceptualization to completion. This will enable tomorrow's intern to appreciate the inter-relations of form and function, to gain in-depth knowledge of structures and to develop profound understanding of a site's limitations and advantages, thereby maximizing client satisfaction. Through diversity and depth of architectural exposure, highly important soft skills such as planning, time-management, communication and teamwork should be re-enforced. Such re-enforcements will complement and enhance technical skills, thereby creating the foundation for today's architect to build tomorrow's environment.

Collaborative involvement with a mentor will challenge today's intern to stretch his or her mind and visualize opportunities for building tomorrow's environment. Some interns may seek partnership in an architectural firm, while some others may have entrepreneurial aspirations. A matching system allowing interns to find mentors in the field of interest will allow today's intern to become tomorrow's architect in the most efficient manner. In addition, interns should actively network in architectural societies to gather diverse viewpoints and to build relationships. Such relationships are highly critical for tomorrow's intern, as those relationships will assist interns to find jobs, clients, continually learn and to make society better.

Importance of cultivating an intern's business acumen often gets overlooked, but nevertheless is extremely critical to the success of tomorrow's architect. Today's intern should be trained to manage staff, to keep employees motivated and to create a win-win situation for principal and agent, thereby expanding boundaries of success. Interns should be exposed to all facets of client-communication, ranging from proposal submission, managing expectations to delivering results. Business ethics are another key element and must be discussed to equip tomorrow's intern to make right decisions when faced with difficult choices.

Today, most clients (major companies) operate in multiple countries and hence it is very important for architects to adapt to a global atmosphere. This globalization presents the opportunity of leveraging a local relationship and expanding it into other parts of the world. Hence, today's intern must be prepared for a high level of globalization. Encouragement in creating global awareness through secondary research and primary research (attending seminars on global structures, building relationships with architects from all over the world, discussion with mentors) will help today's intern develop traits necessary to succeed as tomorrow's global architect.

In sum, I conclude that an internship encompassing the pillars of architectural knowledge, strategic visions, business acumen and global adaptability will ensure that today's intern does indeed become tomorrow's architect.