Willis: concept

The undeserved architect: Beating the system by working within it

2009-11-05T22:13:00.000-08:00

Now that I am actively pursuing getting my architectural license, I want it as soon as possible. Like everything else in my life, I have little patience for long, drawn out processes. Neat and tidy, and give it to me as quickly and as easily as possible, thank you very much. It would stand to reason then that any way to obtain the title “architect” faster than the prescribed methods would be something of interest to me.

If there is one thing I’m dedicated to in life, it is attempting to beat the system while working within its confines. This dedication applies to the field of architecture as well, and more specifically to becoming a registered architect.

One of the main reasons for moving to California in 1999 was at that time I could become licensed without having a professional degree. With a certain number of years of experience (I forget at this point), I could sit for my written exams (ARE). California is one of the few states that still allows this, although the process is slowly becoming more difficult. The reason that California allows this is because they have their own special exam, The California Supplemental Exam (CSE, or just “the oral”) that must be passed before getting licensed. This additional exam is a difficult oral exam given by a jury of live architects in a hotel conference room several times a year, and I have feared it since I knew it existed, and therefore I have little desire to take it.

So I was very excited to hear that as of 2010, California will be phasing out the oral and switching to a written format supplemental exam, to be administered beginning 2011. This is excellent news, but I want to be an architect as soon as I’ve passed my written exams. My solution? Get licensed in Colorado.

Colorado’s requirements for licensure differ from California in one important way. There is no supplemental exam.In addition, you may transfer your grades from another jurisdiction (in my case California), and as long as you have met their education and experience requirements you may apply for and receive a license. You are an ARCHITECT.

I’ve summarized the list of requirements here.

Is it a waste of money if you only practice in California? Yes. Do you still have to announce that you are a “Colorado Licensed Architect”? Likely. Will you be able to solicit your own projects that are larger than a house? Not yet. But you WILL be an Architect, indisputably, you can put that AIA at the end of your name, and you receive all the recognition that comes with it(admittedly, not much). From there you can get your reciprocity back in to California when you sit for the written, not oral, CSE in 2011.

For me, after all the money I’ve spent in NCARB and ARE fees, the cost for a license in Colorado is a drop in the bucket.

Getting your experience on: Education, Experience, and Architecture

2009-11-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

Very little in my education taught me to be a practicing architect. I’m guessing that if the instructors, lecturers and professors had shared actual knowledge of the profession, they would have dissuaded many of their students from completing the program. Rather, the education I received taught me to be an open minded thinker, it broadened my aesthetic sensibilities, and gave me context in history for why buildings look the way they do. These are important characteristics to nurture, and I would not trade my education. However, open mindedness and aesthetic sensibilities are largely subjective, and history is just that. Having this knowledge is by no means necessary for the practice of architecture. The fact that you can “design” is not a predictor that you can be successful in realizing a building, from concept to construction.

No, what IS necessary is experience. Learning while doing. Challenging yourself to understand the process by working through it. Learning from your mistakes. Lots of mistakes.

So why then do so many states maintain a rigid education requirement for licensure? Obviously, I know the answer to this, and it is a combination of maintaining the integrity of the license, protection of educational programs, and exclusionary practices by those who have, to those who have not (in this case, an accredited degree).

If you are like me, you see education in terms of economics, Net Operating Income, Debt, and Return on Investment. A bachelors degree in anything is no doubt an assured return on investment, although Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and those other undereducated and famously successful among us would disagree. But in the architecture profession, the difference in potential income between a bachelors degree and a masters degree is negligible. As a matter of fact in my experience, the primary and defining difference between the two degrees is that a disproportionate amount of masters holders (MARCH’s) are “designers”, while a significant amount of bachelors holders(BARCH’s or BS-ARCH) are production staff. Guess which group would more likely be able to build you something?

Unfortunately NCARB, the governing body of architecture, in most cases requires an accredited National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)professional degree to pursue its certification, which is the nationally recognized standard for architectural education. An NAAB program is an undergraduate bachelors degree, consisting of 5+ years, or a 2+ graduate masters degree.

In my case, with a pre-professional bachelor of science degree in architecture (essentially an indication that you chose your program badly), I would need to return to school for a 2 year masters degree in architecture, or one of the seldom offered one-year plus programs that allow for a professional (albeit still bachelors) degree. With close to 15yrs of experience in the industry, I can handle almost any task required in the practice of architecture, but what I could not handle is to waste the money and time on another architectural degree.

So I need a loophole. My first, thankfully, came from the California Architects Board, and is to me yet another indication of California’s continued spirit and tradition of allowing people to control their own destiny through hard work alone.
With that said, I have compiled a short and to the point list of states that will allow you to become registered (as of this post date) without a professional degree in architecture.

1. California

2. New York

3. Colorado

4. Washington

There are more, but do you really want to live anywhere else? If you’re interested in the other states or to find out if your state is included, you can find out HERE.

Thankfully, NCARB has introduced the broadly experienced architects program, and this allows, finally, an architect to gain reciprocity (get licensed) in many other states by means of obtaining an NCARB certificate. However, this program requires 6-years post initial registration to complete the requirement, placing many architects squarely in the middle of their careers and could be a prohibitively long wait to receive a license.

So if you have a pre-professional degree in architecture and either don’t want the masters, or would like to pursue a more lucrative masters program (MBA), Here’s what you do.
Move to New York.
We have enough architects in California.

The Population of Architects: What's in a name?

2009-11-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

Architecture has been on my mind a lot lately. Not the practice of architecture, but the word itself, and more specifically, the word Architect. As I attempt to crank out marketing-speak for myself in relation to my profession, I am often reminded that I, as a "building and spaces design specialist" can not legally call myself an architect, or reference the word or its derivatives when I'm speaking of my profession to others. This is frustrating on a number of levels, as it inhibits the ability to come up with a name for anything I do, from my own firm, to my own website, to my own blog.

I understand the reasons. Certainly every person who is a "health care provider" would not call themselves a "Doctor" without passing the medical boards, and a "legal advisor" would not call themselves a "Lawyer" without passing the bar. Still, the "practice" of Architecture is very far removed from these other professions, and needs to either distance itself from the parallels or rise to the stature and prominence (and yes, financial return) of them.

Yes, I know the easy answer. Pass the exams, get my license, no issues. And even though I have mixed feelings about staying in the profession at all, I'm working on this increasingly expensive and prohibitive process, if for no other reason than to avoid ambiguity of my "title".

But in the meantime, as a member of the architectural profession who is (currently, and subject to change sooner than later) not yet licensed but perfectly capable of designing, building, and managing a project, what do I call myself?

"Designer"? Not an apt description, because the word does not encompass the range of services I can provide. "Project Manager"? Manager of what? "Project Architect"? Nope, uses the A-word. "Intern"-Really? "Supreme Being and Grand Master of All Things Constructed"-perfect description, but too wordy.

So I'm open to suggestions. With only a hundred thousand licensed architects in the U.S. (which means a lot of unlicensed "building and space design specialists"), there have to be some more creative titles out there than I'm capable of coming up with. How do the unwashed and unlicensed designate themselves to prospective clients and employers?

On a related note, how do I know there are only one hundred thousand licensed architects in the U.S.? Well, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards or NCARB, the often maligned governing body for all things architect, has released a survey indicating how many registered architects there are in the country, listed by state. Although I could provide a link to their survey I feel that its missing some compelling information and so I have compiled my own here. Using the data from the survey and U.S. Population statistics from the ALWAYS credible Wikipedia, I have added percentage of the population who are licensed architects in each state.

My findings?
1) Washington D.C. is apparently a hotbed of architecture.
2) California really does have more of EVERYTHING, and a lot of it.
3) South Dakota may be the place to be if you're an architect who doesn't like competition.
4) With under .05% of the population licensed to practice, you would think there would be a bit more work to go around ITTET.

I want to be an expert: Can I afford not to have a blog?

2009-11-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

In a world where an increasing amount of average citizens are minted "experts" daily and published as authors based on their online presence, their cultured opinions, colorful and thoughtful commentary on forums, and their witty dialogue on their own blogs , can I afford not to have a blog?

There is a talk show on KCRW, the NPR affiliate here in Santa Monica called “Which Way, LA”. The host, Warren Olney, calls often on “experts” to debate their theories on, among other things, local and national politics, architecture and city planning, transportation, gentrification, and the general life and times of managing an unmanageable metropolis. With very few exceptions, Warrens panel guests are articulate and focused, and leave me with very little doubt as to their expert-ness.
Most of the time.

One of my dreams is for Warren to call on me one day for my professional opinion, and to participate in a spirited debate with my equally intellectual colleagues as... an expert.

But how to become an expert? I don’t have the educational credentials. I don’t have the pedigree, socially or otherwise. Nor do I have a lofty position in the public eye. As a matter of fact, if I were the outside public listening to me pontificate, there would be no reason to accept the credibility or validity of any of my statements.

However, what I do have is an almost obsessive interest in the few things that matter to me, a very tuned-in and observant nature of the comings and goings around me, the writing skill of a sixth grader who aspires to be an author, an inordinate amount of time on my hands, and a veritable distaste for seeing many so-called experts miss the mark with their input.

A blog is perfect. Because a blog finds its audience, or vice-versa. You can read it if you're curious or want to contribute, and if you're not we're both saved the awkwardness of a conversation that's not of interest. Hopefully nobody's time is wasted.

The truth is, sometimes I have questions, theories, or observations for which I want others input and discussion. Since these questions, theories, or observations are often sporadic, and come to me while on my bike, in the shower, or in an otherwise indisposed state, the chances of me bringing up these topics while out in the world is slim. Even slimmer is the chance that the audience I encounter out in that world will have an interest (or remotely care about) the topics that I may have shared, had I remembered to share them. Add to that the issues of most of my thoughts rarely ever being fully formed when I approach them in a social setting, and my inability to listen to another person for thirty seconds without getting distracted, and I’m quickly realizing that a blog may be the way to go.

So! There it is, my reason for blogging. Now that I have justified it to myself and others, I would like to welcome you to my blog. For my friends who will possibly read out of sympathy or allegiance, thanks! If you happened to find your way here through a popular search engine, and you want to comment or share your own "expert" opinion on something I have written, Please do. I welcome the non-physical, non-verbal, non-time wasting interaction.