It is officially four weeks and five days until I graduate with my Master's of Architecture. YIKES!!! As you can see..I have been busy updating my blog throughout the last two semesters. Me not being on here in months is a small indication that I have definitely not been bored! These last few months have been crazy!
Last semester I just don't think I stopped to come up for air, but I definitely have a lot of great things to show for it. For example, my portfolio is finished, printed and bound. (Well...at least a version of it is. Every time I show it to a professional for advice, they point out more than a few things they would like to see different (often times conflicting with the last guy)).
This semester I have not only been busy with classes, but the looming reality of graduation actually hit me, making this semester much more weighted. I have been struggling to remain in the moment, present in my classes because when I do not have a school deadline I am catering to, I am off searching for jobs to apply to.
The tough thing about the architecture job world right now though, is that there are no jobs. (Ok fine..there are about 3 posts a month on one of three different job posting websites - usually for positions I am dreadfully under-qualified for). Because of this hard fact I my "job searching" efforts have looked a lot more like networking. "Hey friend...I know you work in an architecture firm that is not hiring..but can you rack your brain and try and remember back to the one person you met years ago who knows someone who may know someone who is working at a firm in Boulder?? okay, thanks.." I then figure out the firm that they kind of sort of have a connection to, scour their website, taking feverish notes so that I do not miss a single building they have designed, and write a perfectly passionate and tailored cover-letter, definitely name-dropping my "contact". Perfect. At this rate, I have attempted to "apply" to eight or so firms in and around Boulder that do not have positions, but I am hoping that my incredibly well-written cover letter will impress them so much that they will create a position for me and find the money to do so. At this rate I will have a job by Christmas!
Oh yea - I also joined a summer softball league, playing on a team from a local architecture firm. Networking at its finest!
So there you go on what it looks like to be an architecture grad in 2011.
If things don't pan out in architecture (I am giving myself a month or two of unapologetic unemployment time to recover and continue the job search), I am starting to consider "where else would I look?" I am not opposed to searching in related fields..such as SketchUp modeling or tutoring (anyone??), graphic design, interior design, maybe teaching undergrad architecture?, related design, ministry, wedding planning, becoming a professional baker, barista-ing, or starting a family (kidding about the last one!). I'll keep you posted.
That's about it for now. Back to modeling a weird-looking cabin that will never get built for my studio class that I should care more about.
