Career StagesEducator/Practicing Network

Slide 1

Presentation of the

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Preliminary Results

A joint survey of ArchVoices and

the AIA National Associates Committee

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Previous Surveys

1996 Building Community

1999 AIA National Survey on Internship

Pool: 1,995

Response Rate: 40%

1999 NCARB Architectural Internship Evaluation Project

Pool: 2,134

Response Rate: 24%

2001 NCARB Practice Analysis

Pool: 500 IDP Interns

Response rate: 5%

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Survey Sample

23,606    total population contacted

4,816    usable responses

   

1,000    random sample for processing

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Survey Respondent Composition

Full AIA Members 19%

AIA Associate Members 61%

ArchVoices subscribers 40%

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Comment Breakdown

Total Comments 988

Licensure Process 35%

Professional Issues 31%

Compensation/Careers 12%

Survey Issues 12%

Personal Stories 10%

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Survey Topics

Career Path

Current Employment

Education

Prior Employment/Careers

Firm Support & Mentoring

Internship

Architect Registration Examination

Licensure/Registration

Professional Involvement

About You

2003 Internship & Career Survey

CITF Recommendation I:
Accessibility into the Profession Needs to be Broadened

“I am very disappointed in the lack of flexibility for women who choose to have a family and work in this profession. I see no reason to give up my family in order to complete IDP requirements to take the ARE. Surely, I am not the only female architect looking to be a Mom and a designer!!??”

--24-35 year old Caucasian female from Louisiana in an architecture-related position (855)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Age

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Gender

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Ethnicity

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Reasons for Going into Architecture

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Work Settings

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Reasons for Changing Jobs

2003 Internship & Career Survey

CITF Recommendation II:
Practice Should be Integrated into Education

“I truly believe that my education will be of great use to me later in my career. However, as an intern, I find little of my architectural education to be of use to me at all, and I think that is a tragedy. I think schools do a poor job of preparing students (who will soon be interns) for the first 3-5 years of their professional life. I know that my career would have started off better with the appropriate preparation from school.”

--25-34 white female architect from Michigan (6157)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

When First Professional Job was Obtained

Year 1999 2003

After graduation: 51% 40%

During school: 22% 42%

Before school: 19% 15%

No job yet: 8% 3%

2003 Internship & Career Survey

CITF Recommendation III:
Education Should be Integrated into Practice

“I wish architectural interns had their own labor union. I envy those who build our buildings for their salary, overtime, employer respect, and ability to organize against their employer if necessary.”

--25-34 white male IDP intern from Idaho (2270)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

IDP Status

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Contact With IDP Coordinators

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Ability to Complete IDP Training Areas with One Firm

Yes 51%

No 47%

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Firms’ Commitment to Interns

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Plans to Return to School

• 39% of respondents plan to return

• Of those, only 31% are seeking an M.Arch

• Fully 22% plan to get an MBA

2003 Internship & Career Survey

CITF Recommendation IV:
Every Candidate for Registration should have a NAAB-accredited Degree or its Equivalent

“I enjoy the field of architecture but disagree with their degree requirements. The fact that I couldn't afford a fifth year of school 20 years ago shouldn't restrict me from becoming registered in my state. I would have to quit my job to achieve a professional degree and since the pay isn't that great I would pursue my second BA degree in computer science before I would purse Architecture any further.”

-- 34-45 white male IDP intern from Maryland in an architecture-related position (8289)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Degrees Earned

2003 Internship & Career Survey

CITF Recommendation V:
Alternative Paths to Registration Should be Accepted

“The IDP system needs to be re examined. It does not allow alternative routes to becoming eligible to take the ARE. My situation: the firm I was working at when I graduated and was earning IDP credit offered NO mentoring, NO structured education. During that time I was earning IDP credit and learning absolutely nothing. Now, I'm self employed as a designer, am forced to actually think about what I do and therefore have learned vast amounts more about the profession than I ever did while working for a firm. But because of the IDP structure I can never take the ARE & become registered.”

-- 34-45 white male architect from North Carolina (6843)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Time to Complete IDP

Actual Expected

Less than 4 years 41% 52%

4 years 24% 19%

5 years 17% 15%

6 years 5% 5%

7 years 4% 2%

8+ years 8% 4%

2003 Internship & Career Survey

CITF Recommendation VI:
Examination Should be Permitted Upon Graduation

“I am currently pursuing an opportunity to take the ARE in a different state from the one I live in so that I can take the exam concurrent with IDP. I am not concerned with getting a license in my state anymore, rather just getting licensed at all.”

-- 25-34 white female IDP intern from Ohio (3950)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

ARE Status

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Would Take All or Part of the ARE Upon Graduation

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Reasons for not taking the ARE

Not eligible: 50%

No time: 13%

Paperwork/Scheduling 7%

Not required 6%

Cost 5%

Difficulty: 1%

Other: 4%

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Time to Finish the ARE

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Do You Feel Your Education Adequately Prepared you for the ARE?

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Do You Feel Your Internship Adequately Prepared You for the ARE?

2003 Internship & Career Survey

CITF Recommendation VII:
Continuous Learning and Mentorship are Fundamental

“I would like to see mentorship opportunities for women and minorities to help them get into executive and leadership positions and/or start their own firms. Surveys show that for the past twenty years, enrollment by women has greatly increased, but there has not been a significant increase or similar ratio in the number of women executive or leaders in architecture.”

-- 34-45 Asian female architect from California (10500)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Most Important Benefits a Firm Can Provide

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Satisfaction With Mentoring Provided

2003 Internship & Career Survey

I Would be Most Interested in a Mentoring Program Coordinated By

2003 Internship & Career Survey

How Long in Current Job

< 1 year 19%

1-2 years 28%

3-4 years 28%

5-9 years 20%

10+ years 5%

2003 Internship & Career Survey

CITF Recommendation VIII:
National and International Reciprocity
Should be Strengthened

“I am a registered architect from Germany and have worked there for 15 years, 10 of them licensed. I would have appreciated it very much if I just had to take the ARE exams without being forced to go through the IDP program.”

-- 34-45 female architect from Germany (7621)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

CITF Recommendation IX:
Architecture Graduates Should be Recognized for Their Knowledge and Abilities

“One of my colleagues responded to the question 'Why did you become an architect?' with 'Because I bought the lie' when she joined the software company I work for. I personally have found the experience of working in the architecture industry very dissatisfying. Most firms simply let you sink or swim and provide no training. They think that working with other poorly trained architects is a substitute for training….”

-- 25-34 white male ARE candidate from New Jersey working in an unrelated field (8331)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Careers Prior to Architecture

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Professional Satisfaction

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Type of Work

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Slide 43

“I always appreciate the opportunity to provide information regarding interns and internship. Rarely is our voice heard in the profession. I hope though, that one day all of this information will someday make a difference in helping interns grow into the profession.”

-- 24-35 white female ARE candidate from New Jersey (20385)

2003 Internship & Career Survey

Slide 44

Next Steps…

2003 Internship & Career Survey