Intern Insights: Reflecting on Summer Internship at Yaeger
As summer is coming to an end, we wanted to take the opportunity to sit down with our summer intern to reflect on his time with us. Alex Smith, a 4th year architecture student at Kansas State University, brought curiosity, creativity, and a strong work ethic to our team this summer.
His insights offer a thoughtful look into the learning journey of a young aspiring architect navigating the professional world for the first time. Here’s what Alex had to say:
What aspects of architecture became more interesting or meaningful to you during your internship this summer?
I have a new appreciation for very aesthetically driven projects, as I can now see how difficult it is to design something simply for what it looks like in the modern reality of contractors and project funding.
What part of the projects you worked on felt the most challenging?
Each project I worked on had its own unique challenges, which contributed to my learning as I moved between projects. I would say the most challenging part of the projects that I saw was the level of coordination that is required from the architect to each different contractor in order to keep development on schedule.
What part of the projects you worked on felt the most natural?
Personally, working on real-time renderings felt very natural to me because of my time at K-State. The renderings that I worked on were very preliminary and rough, which is very close to how I am generating renders at school as well.
What was your biggest takeaway from your site visit to our Historic Preservation project at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, MO?
Interacting with the men that would eventually use the security building we were designing was very interesting. Despite the fact that the project is a federally funded military base building, working with the end-user drastically changed how I approached the redesign of the building after the fact, and the decisions I made after were much more informed and realistic than they previously had been.
What buildings, clients, or project types you encountered during your internship gave you a new perspective on the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry?
The combination of federal military projects as well as private casino and entertainment architecture provided two very differing perspectives when it came to seeing what the industry looks like. I had the privilege of learning much more about the process of securing federal funds and the challenges that brings along with it, and the insight into the push-and-pull nature of some of these projects certainly gave me a new perspective of development.
What was your most unexpected learning experience? What’s something new you tried or learned here that you hadn’t expected to?
My newfound experience with Revit. I knew that I would be using the program on a day-to-day basis, but I now have a much better understanding of families and how Revit parametrically uses information on many different levels to streamline the coordination of information within a project. I now feel that I have a solid working knowledge of Revit, and I am much more confident in my foundation of learning.
Was there anything that surprised you about working in an architecture firm?
I would say I was most surprised by how unique each of my coworkers careers are. Everyone seems to have been on their own path through school and their career, and each conversation that I have with them makes me think of my own potential career and the different paths that I could go down. I find it very interesting to learn about what the industry looked like 30 years ago before BIM technology, and the fact that I work with people whose careers span longer than the existence of Revit provides a lot of opportunity for learning.
What was your favorite space in or around the office to work or take a break in and why?
I love my daily walks outside. I made the habit of taking a 15-minute walk every day after lunch, and it really helped to break my day up. I personally love being outside and have worked outside in past summers, and being outside was the biggest thing that I missed this summer.
If you could go back to your first week here, what advice would you give yourself?
Do your best to learn as much as possible every single day. I learned so much in my first month here as I was hit with new information every day, but I realize that I allowed myself to be a bit more complacent in seeking out new information every day towards the end of the summer.
If someone else were considering interning here, what would you tell them to expect?
Working at Yaeger feels like being welcomed into a group of friends, and if you put forth your best effort they will do everything they can to nurture your learning during your time here.
To learn more about interning with Yaeger Architecture, Inc. contact [email protected]