What do you guys think are some does and don't that summer interns should be aware of while working this summer. Work in an office is so different from academia for students. Some of them (me being one) feel uneasy and out of place in an office; like a little fish in a big sea. Maybe because it is my first internship, but I'm sure others are feeling the same way. Any thoughts archinecters.....
Just ask questions and don't assume things and your work should be just fine. Don't spend all day surfing the internet or emailing. Look like you're learning something and you'll be just fine.
don't ask people how much they make. Jump into tasks, don't hesitate to try something, but don't hesitate to ask questions either. Just don't be the guy that sits there staring at something for 15min. because they don't know where to start.
You can provide much needed comic/stress relief in the office: you're a pressure valve. Knock things over occasionally, dip into the company ink, overwrite files, come into work wearing the same thing as the day before, ask everyone if they've finished their envelope COMchecks (because they haven't) in lieu of "good morning!", bring a tiny dog to work, whatever. The sky is the limit. They'll hire you again next summer because they need cheap, familiar labor.
Snowboars,
1)excellent opportunity to learn the nuances of manipulating expense accounts and time-sheets.
2) stay 1km away from the office babe's cubicle/desk.
3) MOST IMPORTANT :
If someone asks you "Hey You'r new here ?..so what do you think of the office and the boss."...?
The safest thing you can do is to nod and smile showing as much teeth as you can.
Just curious - is snowboarstar etc, a mistake? I thought boar were averse to snow. Snowboardstar is more logical...
Seems like most advice is steering you towards anonymity, conformity and silence.
I say walk in there tomorrow wearing an Architecture Sucks t-shirt, and proclaim to everyone that they will be working for you one day, and anything - anything - they can do to please you will be duly noted. After someone talks to you, tell them they are going on your list.
if you come to work and you don't know these things... be sure that you will discover the fact that your face does NOT harmonize with masonry units...
also... please know your masonry units, this is stupid, but damnit, just know you're supposed to think about shit...
also, know how to research crap, like products, don't make shit up... or else you will meet my friend brick fist as you have so dilligently studied two suggestions ago...
cheers... happy interning...
(this is based on real intern tutoring experience, people are this dumb...)
please, for the sake of everyone involved, know how to do really simple things on a computer, like installing software and changing your settings. it amazes me how much time i waste at work doing really simple things for people.
avoid seeming like you know how to do such things to the people who matter, or you will get stuck being the go to person for printer problems, computer issues, and other assorted office problems
remember that skills are like a pandora's box. once you open them up to the office, you can not pretend you don't know how to do something. not that this means you should hold out on what you know. either way you are screwed- on one side all you do is draft, the other means you seem to get nothing done while you are split between drafting, 3-d modeling, and doing graphics. oh, and of course helping everyone install software
make it a point to figure out the people who will be the most helpful, be it a project manager or cubicle mate. these people will be the most important to helping you with your experience working. remember though, they have things to do as well and cannot be available to help you all the time. when you have a question, spend 5 minutes trying to answer it yourself. be resourceful. if you can't figure it out after that, write it down, move on. it is better to approach someone a few times with a list of questions than every 5 minutes with one question.
Suck up as much knowledge as you can. This may seem obvious. Nonetheless, even if you're not involved with any of the decision making, try to learn as much as you can about the budget, the structure of the contract, how the contractors and consultants work, etc. Ask your boss(es) and co-workers about this stuff. Unless they're total pricks, they'll probably be impressed by your curiosity.
Admitting certain skills may indeed open a Pandora's Box. e.g. As an intern without a professional degree, I got roped into deploying computers throughout our office (around 90 employees) when the IT people caught wind of my interest in computer hardware and business at the firm slowed down temporarily. But I was able to fight my way out of it, and ended up with a seemingly-permanent position on one of the project teams.
I'm not sure I'd hold back on many skills, though, if you're at least interested in their pursuit. I hate to view people as a commodity, but it would seem that the more well-rounded and skilful you appear, the more attractive an "investment" you would be to your employer.
You could always disavow knowledge of a certain skill with a wink and a nudge, as my housemate recently did to his new boss at a party. This way, you 1) tacitly allow that you know a valuable skill 2) assert your confidence in your value to the firm without that skill, and 3) not have to do what you don't want to, even if you know how. On second thought, that might not work so well for architecture. My friend's in advertising.
Intern 101....
What do you guys think are some does and don't that summer interns should be aware of while working this summer. Work in an office is so different from academia for students. Some of them (me being one) feel uneasy and out of place in an office; like a little fish in a big sea. Maybe because it is my first internship, but I'm sure others are feeling the same way. Any thoughts archinecters.....
Just ask questions and don't assume things and your work should be just fine. Don't spend all day surfing the internet or emailing. Look like you're learning something and you'll be just fine.
don't piss off the receptionist and don't tell him/her things you don't want others to know.
don't ask people how much they make. Jump into tasks, don't hesitate to try something, but don't hesitate to ask questions either. Just don't be the guy that sits there staring at something for 15min. because they don't know where to start.
don't wear white socks with dress shoes/pants
today our summer intern pointed and asked me "what is that?" he was referring to our blueprint machine.
Have a good joke handy...it will cool your nervousness
do spit in it if someone asks you to go bring coffee for them
Make yourself indispensible at something.
Try to remember things after only screwing them up once.
Bring donuts or bagels, or whatever, once.
^^ maybe on your last day, so that they don't expect it from you every week or whatever, and you leave on a good note.
if your shirt is "too tight to type in" then don't wear it.
that is, wear a more comfortable shirt for tasks such as typing.
never say any constructive criticism on the firms design philosophies to anybody, even the toilet cleaner. it will all come back to haunt you.
You can provide much needed comic/stress relief in the office: you're a pressure valve. Knock things over occasionally, dip into the company ink, overwrite files, come into work wearing the same thing as the day before, ask everyone if they've finished their envelope COMchecks (because they haven't) in lieu of "good morning!", bring a tiny dog to work, whatever. The sky is the limit. They'll hire you again next summer because they need cheap, familiar labor.
my pants are often to tight to type in. but im suckin in my gut for oana!!!
discussing philosophy. that's a good one.
Snowboars,
1)excellent opportunity to learn the nuances of manipulating expense accounts and time-sheets.
2) stay 1km away from the office babe's cubicle/desk.
3) MOST IMPORTANT :
If someone asks you "Hey You'r new here ?..so what do you think of the office and the boss."...?
The safest thing you can do is to nod and smile showing as much teeth as you can.
Just curious - is snowboarstar etc, a mistake? I thought boar were averse to snow. Snowboardstar is more logical...
Seems like most advice is steering you towards anonymity, conformity and silence.
I say walk in there tomorrow wearing an Architecture Sucks t-shirt, and proclaim to everyone that they will be working for you one day, and anything - anything - they can do to please you will be duly noted. After someone talks to you, tell them they are going on your list.
Then again, it could be the whiskey talking....
don't fuck up my drawings with your sure fire layer standards, it really sucks to have to spend my weekends fixing them.
diabase..you sound like bourbon
?
refuse to work on a sunday night till midnight. see what happens. if your internship truly sucks, consider transfering to another.
figure out what an x-ref is....
find out the power of polylines...
if you come to work and you don't know these things... be sure that you will discover the fact that your face does NOT harmonize with masonry units...
also... please know your masonry units, this is stupid, but damnit, just know you're supposed to think about shit...
also, know how to research crap, like products, don't make shit up... or else you will meet my friend brick fist as you have so dilligently studied two suggestions ago...
cheers... happy interning...
(this is based on real intern tutoring experience, people are this dumb...)
please, for the sake of everyone involved, know how to do really simple things on a computer, like installing software and changing your settings. it amazes me how much time i waste at work doing really simple things for people.
avoid seeming like you know how to do such things to the people who matter, or you will get stuck being the go to person for printer problems, computer issues, and other assorted office problems
remember that skills are like a pandora's box. once you open them up to the office, you can not pretend you don't know how to do something. not that this means you should hold out on what you know. either way you are screwed- on one side all you do is draft, the other means you seem to get nothing done while you are split between drafting, 3-d modeling, and doing graphics. oh, and of course helping everyone install software
make it a point to figure out the people who will be the most helpful, be it a project manager or cubicle mate. these people will be the most important to helping you with your experience working. remember though, they have things to do as well and cannot be available to help you all the time. when you have a question, spend 5 minutes trying to answer it yourself. be resourceful. if you can't figure it out after that, write it down, move on. it is better to approach someone a few times with a list of questions than every 5 minutes with one question.
Suck up as much knowledge as you can. This may seem obvious. Nonetheless, even if you're not involved with any of the decision making, try to learn as much as you can about the budget, the structure of the contract, how the contractors and consultants work, etc. Ask your boss(es) and co-workers about this stuff. Unless they're total pricks, they'll probably be impressed by your curiosity.
Admitting certain skills may indeed open a Pandora's Box. e.g. As an intern without a professional degree, I got roped into deploying computers throughout our office (around 90 employees) when the IT people caught wind of my interest in computer hardware and business at the firm slowed down temporarily. But I was able to fight my way out of it, and ended up with a seemingly-permanent position on one of the project teams.
I'm not sure I'd hold back on many skills, though, if you're at least interested in their pursuit. I hate to view people as a commodity, but it would seem that the more well-rounded and skilful you appear, the more attractive an "investment" you would be to your employer.
You could always disavow knowledge of a certain skill with a wink and a nudge, as my housemate recently did to his new boss at a party. This way, you 1) tacitly allow that you know a valuable skill 2) assert your confidence in your value to the firm without that skill, and 3) not have to do what you don't want to, even if you know how. On second thought, that might not work so well for architecture. My friend's in advertising.
"don't piss off the receptionist."
Oooops. done that. (mad cow)
Came up on my performance review....
good thing is...
I still have my job.
Hooray..
You should definately be able to get your Architect posts up over 300 by the end of summer.
Typo... Architect = Archinect
know plot scales...don't want to be the guy who plots out a fascade of a skyscraper at 1:1 scale
believe me on this one
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