As we begin to see an uplift within the AEC industry and firms opening internship positions, we understand that it can be overwhelming for students to prepare for spring and summer internships while juggling school. We noted a few times across various articles how internships are important to complement your schooling. However, they are typically short-term positions, and there’s a lot to absorb, so here are key takeaways that you should think about during the internship.
In a previous article, we discussed ways to make your internship application stand out, so if you haven’t had a chance, we highly recommend it! It’s important to keep in mind that whether you are a student, emerging professional, or experienced, these tips help make the most of any opportunity available to you!
1. Attend Meetings
The profession’s collaborative nature requires us to interact with a plethora of other professionals, so if at all possible, a great learning opportunity is to attend construction meetings between the general contractor, owner or owner’s representative, project manager, and architect. When attending construction meetings, you’ll begin to understand how important communication and politics have a role within the profession.
However, if it’s not possible, there are still a handful of meetings that are advantageous for you to attend!
Design Charrettes
Design charrettes are intense periods of design brainstorming that all participants attempt to imagine a solution to a problem. What better way to learn first-hand how architects envision architectural concepts to solve problems than this? If you can, go! You might feel uncomfortable at first, but sketching and drafting solutions are what we do as designers. Who knows, maybe your sketch can initiate an engaging conversation with the participants.
Lunch & Learns
There are certain meetings where either design professionals or consultants visit the office to present a specific topic called Lunch & Learns. I think some could argue that these can sometimes be the best just because of the possible food that is being ordered. Nonetheless, lunch & learns is one-way professionals stay updated with the industry, so capitalize on food and knowledge at the same time! Yum!
2. Seek Resources
Mentorship
One of the best resources an intern can seek out is a mentor in the firm during your internship! A mentor can guide you through areas of architecture that may seem foreign to you and provide lessons so you don’t have to go through them yourself. From all the interviews and people I’ve spoken to, most professionals love nurturing the younger generation of architects, so extend yourself!
In fact, mentors necessarily don’t have to be experienced professionals. Instead, it may be less intimidating if you reached out to a junior architect, and it can become a friendship more than a teacher-student bond.
Networking
It’s important to capitalize on building your professional network from the interactions with professionals at meetings or events during your internship. People are more likely to accept you for an internship or position if a trusted employee referred you!
Continuing - Education Funds
In my experience, this resource may only extend to full-time employees, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. These funds are set aside by the firm to cultivate and educate their designers, whether it’s AREs, LEED, WELL, or other certification courses that will benefit the business long-term.
Scholarships
Check to see if the firm offers any scholarships!
3. Ask Questions - Good Questions
Although some questions can be answered right away, most architecture questions will come as you work, so don’t be shy and always ask questions. If your internship is with a smaller firm, one thing you can consider doing is asking the principal some questions about their values, organization, and business to interact with the other side of architecture.
However, if the firm is large, you may want to consider asking an associate with a little more flexibility to answer thoroughly. Also, larger firms have different resources and projects, so some specific questions may come up than at a smaller firm.
4. Take Initiative
Internships can be relatively short, so you’d want to make the most of your time there by showing initiative. It would be best if you always asked for additional tasks once you are finished with yours. Whether it’s reorganizing documents or preparing a file for your supervisors to review, it’s an opportunity to learn and even show your potential for future employment.
Showing initiative can be expressed not only through work but engaging in purposeful conversations with colleagues, demonstrating a desire to cultivate your architecture knowledge.
5. Document Your Contributions
Don’t forget to document and indicate what your tasks were for the following project(s). The value of professional work in your portfolio is gold for students! Don’t be shy when asking the firm if you can use the following things you’ve worked on for your portfolio. More often than not, they understand and allow you to use such materials because they’ve been in the same position as you “X” years ago.
Last but not least, make sure to enjoy your time there! Internships can be stressful, and that’s okay. Remember, each internship is a unique opportunity that not everyone gets! They are crucial to your education and should help you see what avenues of architecture you’d like to pursue. If it was a challenging time, make an effort to leave on a positive note, and look at it as a time of growth. We hope these tips help make your time spent at internships valuable. What are some of your key takeaways that we didn’t mention? Please share them in the comments below or on our Instagram!
Sharing is caring! We hope to provide you with valuable insights and share them with someone who might find this useful. Make sure to follow our Youtube and Instagram for more content!