Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Architects at Frederick Fisher and Partners
Entry-level architecture positions include internships— "many firms...offer internships, some year-round"—and opportunities in marketing; Marisa's own path involved combining research and writing skills with learned technical skills like drafting and model making, showcasing the diverse routes to a career in architecture.
Internships, Architectural Drafting, Model Making, Research and Writing, Marketing
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Marisa Kurtzman
Architect, Partner
Frederick Fisher and Partners
Wesleyan University, BA 1999
Yale School of Architecture, B.Arch 2006
History, Art History
Architecture, Construction & Design
Creative
Honors Student
Video Highlights
1. Internships are a great entry-level opportunity, often paid.
2. Marketing departments in architecture firms offer entry-level positions.
3. Technical skills like drafting and model making can provide entry-level opportunities.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
Many firms, including my own, offer internships, often during the summers. Some of these are year-round opportunities.
Most firms pay for internships, though some do not. My firm, for example, does offer paid internships.
There are also opportunities in marketing departments. What I did, working in an architecture firm for three years before graduate school, was a great example. I had the right combination of skills, primarily research and writing, which gave me a foothold.
Keeping an open mind, I learned how to draft and make models. These were skills I acquired during those three years. If you have technical skills like drafting and model making, those are opportunities that are available to you.