As a part of my "day job" my role is to mentor the less experienced staff to ultimately become a top notch architect. This past week while talking to a young man who has thus far invested over 5 years of his life in earning his Masters of Architecture degree plus another two years or so gaining experience within a firm, I found myself talking to him as if he was one of the runners in our Running Fit 501 training course!
First to put this in perspective you need to understand just how much time it requires to become an architect. For further clarity, one cannot legally represent themselves as an architect until they passed a nationally based series of tests referred to in the profession as Professional or Licensing Exams. But before one can take the exams, they must first earn a professional degree from one of 52 schools or colleges of architecture in the US. This degree has recently evolved into a 5 Masters degree. Students earn their Masters within only 5 years as all architecture curriculums consist of intensive and grueling course work.
Until relatively recently students with their degree in hand can begin to take their exams. The exams consist of seven separate test in the topics of structures, heating systems, electrical, site planning, construction documents, management, etc. It behooves the candidate to gain practical experience before attempting to study for these exams. But just not any experience will do for in order to obtain the license the candidate must also compile a record of experience working directly under the tutelage of another licensed architect in all of the basic areas of architecture. Think of the internship a medical student must obtain. Now, come to understand that unlike the medical student, the future architect is left to fend for themselves to gain the balance of experience they need and since much of this experience is typically only performed by someone who is already licensed, the future of the future architect is extended long into the future.
In reality the future architect must first earn a degree, pass seven grueling tests and gain experience. The total time from when the student enters their first college class to when they eventually obtain a license to practice architecture it about 15 years! Now add to the equation compensation. For comparative purposes one can generally equate compensation in the profession of architecture to being less than compensation one might receive in the teaching profession. Both professions are significantly under compensated especially when balanced against their respective responsibilities and risk.
So here I sat this past week outlining a plan of attack for this future architect as he prepares to enter the world of gut wrenching exams during the next several years and my advice to him was to schedule carefully, have a back-up plan, and most importantly schedule relief and time off between exams so he can recover properly before entering the preparation stage of the next exam. Sounds exactly like what the runners in the RF 501 training sessions hear from their coaches as they prepare to run their marathons.
Thanks for reading this, there will be no test on this but you are required to: RUN HAPPY :)
Lee
