Are you thinking of studying Architecture or looking to become an architect after graduating from an accredited college program? It can be hard to know what you want to do in your late teens. Job shadowing can be very beneficial to better understand what type of career you want. However, how beneficial a job shadow can be is dependent on the student and the professional to be prepared. The first time I prepared to have two high school students come to the office for a job shadow for a few hours made me realize how important it is to prepare from both sides. It is not just about the student coming in with a list of questions for you to answer and the professional showing them around the office. It is about giving them a true experience about what it is like being in the architectural profession, making sure they understand accredited programs, and the endless possibilities of where an education in architecture can lead them within a short time period.
Student
Based on my research, most sources think job shadowing is just done while in high school when you know very little about the profession, and how to get to that position. I would argue that job shadowing can also be useful during the first couple years of college, especially with architecture. For most college architecture programs, at least 50% of students change majors. Having a job shadowing experience after a year or so experience in an architecture program can help a student’s decision to either change majors or stay in the architecture program.
As a high school student, it is important to ask questions that are related to the requirements of college and the requirements of being an architect. These type of questions are meant to help with the bigger picture of the process from high school graduation to becoming a registered architect.
- How many years of schooling is required?
- Do you need a master’s degree?
- How do I know if this program is an accredited program?
- Is there an unexpected class you wish you took?
- Did you study abroad while in college?
- What is required to become a registered architect?
- What type of organizations or resources should I research?
- Ie. NCARB, NAAB, ARE/AXP
Learning about a particular company is nice, but each firm runs a little bit differently, and cultures can be drastically different. Instead, you should strive to gain an understanding of what types of tasks an Architect does day-to-day, where are architects working outside the traditional architecture firm and/or what aspects of the profession interest you the most. This may mean asking the person you are job shadowing if there is another firm they’d recommend you visiting and if they have a contact at that firm. The beauty of the AEC profession is that it is a small community and professionals often know others at multiple firms nearby. The more places help you gain insight, and grow your own network. You may be able to reach out to this person again for a potential internship. The individual I shadowed in high school I ended up working with at a different firm upon graduation, and he became a mentor of mine.
As a college student, you should already have an understanding of the college requirements and a basic understanding of NCARB’s AXP process. A job shadow for someone already in an architecture program should be focused on getting unanswered questions to the process it takes to be registered, learning more about how college studio life transitions to the office, get your foot in the door, and most importantly start to understand who you want to be.
Instead of trying to get an internship after your first year of architecture school, what if you strived to have 10 opportunities to job shadow. It is not really working towards your AXP hours, but you are gaining connections and insight into a multitude of different offices’ cultures.
The Professional
As the host, it is important to be prepared to have someone job shadow you. There are important initial questions you should ask to plan for the day such as; How long are they expecting to be in the office? (An hour, few hours, all day?) Each of these make a big difference. Know what type of student is coming? For instance, is this someone in high school or already in college? If the student is flexible, I recommend a half or full day. That does not mean they are with you for the entire time. Let the student work with and shadow others at various stages of their career. (Senior professional, Interiors, project architect, and some right out of college) This helps to give the student insight from multiple perspectives, make their visit worthwhile, and only requires a small portion of the entire work day for any one professional.
It would also be helpful when planning their job shadow to know a little bit more about the student. If they are trying to decide between majoring in architecture or interior design, it would be wise to see if an interior designer is available to sit in for part of their day to explain the process of becoming an interior designer. Or, if they are determined to go to a particular university, you may have someone in the office that went to that school that can share their personal experiences.
Lastly, the student doesn’t know what they don’t know. They may not be prepared for the type of questions you would ask looking back. It would be good for firms to create a simple packet or list of questions for the professional to review with the student. Educating them on what they don’t know and providing information for them to research further on their own is important. If a job shadow comes in and you just provide a tour to the office you are not helping the student understand the profession they are looking to pursue.
In the end, both the student and the professional should be prepared for each other to have a job shadowing experience run smoothly and be beneficial. The more prepared the professional is the more beneficial and engaging the experience can be. The more job shadows a student experiences the greater variety of experiences and insights they gain. Multiple job shadows also help grow your potential future network within the profession and could help find that first job after graduation.
Written by
Katelyn Rossier, AIA, LSSBB
