Winter Commencement
As December now rolls around it's the eve of my last lecture in my professional practice class at Yale. Although I've been teaching for almost twenty-five years, I still can't believe how quickly the semester accelerates into Thanksgiving, and suddenly it's all over but the shouting (or, in our case, final projects and juries). About the same time as the term slammed to a closed I received a note from a student at Prarie View A&M, asking many of the existential questions that must be facing architecture students nearing their degrees. Seemed like a good time to speculate a bit about that future, and what this year's graduates might be facing as they confront the job market in the spring, with enough time between now and then to contemplate their options and plot their strategies, so here goes:
What does the market look like out there for a young architect?
Phil brings up some excellent points in his post. I think the underlying issue that is now haunting all of my peers and myself is the uncertainty of our future. All of the facts and numbers point to such a gloomy future. 6,000 of us graduating while there are still 20,000 more experienced architects looking for jobs too?! That means we are at a 3 to 1 disadvantage even before we walk across the stage and shake our dean's hands. So what do we have that those 20,000 architects do not? The Revit Mind.
The Revit Mind does not simply mean we know Revit and they don't. It means we think differently. We problem solve differently. We naturally collaborate across disciplines without a hint of discrimination or hesitation. We contain the ability to complete three or four different tasks at once (while texting, checking Facebook, and watching a football game). We are the Generation X Reviteers and we should not be afraid of those 20,000 CAD generation baby boomers...
Just as Phil points out in his post, we need to stay "in the grid". If we can creep into every nook and cranny of the building industry and utilize our Revit Mind's to their fullest effect I honestly believe that we have the power to revive it.
Logging you in...
Mark E. Woodward · 695 weeks ago
Until you "box jockies" realize that you are less valuable than the non-graduate employee who has 6 months experience running blueprints and fetching coffee and donuts, then you'll remain unemployeed. The ability to competently use Revit is no more of a "door opener" than that overpriced piece of paper that you'll soon be receiving.
First, GET REAL and then get some epxperience!
TheRevitKid 72p · 695 weeks ago
The point I was making about facebook and texting was not that we do not have work ethic it is that we can get all the work done in the same amount of time while doing 500 other things... i was being a bit facetious...
I whole-heartily disagree with your last paragraph. I think someone who is competent in Revit to the point where it will be a door opener will be able to retain more information in 3 months than the blueprint/coffee fetcher will in 6 months. The way I see it, someone who is THAT good at Revit (or BIM software in general) will have a good understanding of buildings and construction or else they would not be THAT good at Revit.
Not to mention, the overpriced piece of paper is required for us to become licensed so many of us have no choice.
Jorge Benavides · 695 weeks ago
Mark E. Woodward · 695 weeks ago
Unfortunately, the young skulls full of mush have spent 5 long years being taught mostly theory by grad student TI's and Prof's who can't make it in the "Real World". The "box jockies" can't hand letter, they never learned lineweights and can't do simple math in their head, but damn can they make that computer smoke!
They would have better spent their time getting a second major, one to support their boutique avocation of architecture, because architecture, like most professions is about BILLABLE HOURS. LOTS of the projects that they will cut their teeth on are "down and dirty", not requiring the power, and input time, of Revit, so they should definitely maintain their AutoCad (and even hand drafting?) skills.
Sorry to rain on your parade RevitKid. Enjoy your big day and the walk across the stage because LIFE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWS...