Architects can be there own worst enemy.
I am now both a licensed architect and a NASCLA licensed GC. The BUSINESS of architecture is the starting point of this adversarial relationship between the intern and the company. Let me break it down.
1. Architectural Companies want one thing- nose in a CAD computer 10 hours a day.
2. Architects place way too much of their contractual money in the CD side of the contracts..
3. Concept and Design Development will be given to the office design "stars" or the principle/owner takes that section.of the
work.
4. Contract administration has been taken away from the architect. Yet if an owner finds an error in the drawings they still want
that "error" paid for by the architect. CA work was our protection for E&O.
5. Architects have been "gamed" by sophisticated business people who have extracted the protection but kept the responsibility.
6. As much sympathy as been written about the intern needing "field experience" . The business of architecture has little time for field work and the offices are now a sea of deafeningly quiet CAD cubicles with pressure cooker deadlines and the need only for "permit detail" drawings . Only with constant vigilance or "high end" projects do my points above take a lower priority.
7. With the exception of a few greats like Samuel Mockbee - ours is a profession of the 1%. We rely on this ever diminishing demographic of wealthy patrons hoping to throw us a bone. While they enrich themselves on our designs and hope to find enough errors so they can justify not paying the full fees.
So 12.5 years is not near enough to be competent in this business . 2 decades at least to become savvy in the tricks of the developer class and their methods of extracting arbitration, striking CA work, scheduling traps, budget commitments, document responsibility abuse, chronology twisting, and constant threats of law suits. In order to be worthy of running a good operation, I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the toughest profession is architecture. Our need to retain a thick skin is a life long commitment. I have never encountered another profession that needs our level of patience and experience.
------------------------------
FHA Development LLC
Owner, Licensed Architect in 25 states, Fully Licensed NASCLA General Contractor
Celebrating 30 years of service
Frank H. Austin
3654 Graycliff Rd.
Snellville, GA 30039
P. 770-972-9594
C. 770-630-0287
frank.austin@comcast.net NOTE: This transmission may contain information that is privileged and confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, photocopying or distribution of these contents is unauthorized and prohibited. If you have received this in error, please notify the sender immediately and destroy all copies.
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 08-07-2017 17:50
From: Loangle Newsome
Subject: NCARB - On average, it takes 12.5 years to become an architect
I do believe that part of the time it take is driven by the person taking the test and what the requirements of the states architectural board is. I'm in CA and it only requires 5 years of education / experience to start taking the test and a total of 8 years of total education and experience to become licensed. AXP and office experience all are completed concurrently. You can get some credit for experience during school but that has to be reviewed by the state board. It took me 3 1/2 years out of college to get my license but that was back in the days when the test was offered once a year with the graphic portion offered twice. And that includes the time it took to schedule and pass CA supplemental exam. Recent candidates in my office currently tend to take a lot longer between test because they can take them whenever they want. There is no urgency in a lot of cases from what I have seen. I do think 12.5 years is a long time but its all relative.
------------------------------
Loangle Newsome AIA
Calpo Hom & Dong Architects
Sacramento CA
Original Message:
Sent: 08-02-2017 17:50
From: Sally Anne Smith
Subject: NCARB - On average, it takes 12.5 years to become an architect
Latest from NCARB. Although an improvement from 15.6 years in 2008, this is still absolutely ridiculous.
------------------------------
Sally Anne Smith AIA
Smith Architectural Studio
Carmel CA
------------------------------