June 6, 2012
by: admin

The event featured a lively discussion between the panelists and audience.

Daniel Fox

Event: Got License?
Location
: Center for Architecture, 05.29.12
Speakers
: Martin Smith, Manager, IDP, National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB); Jared Zurn, Assistant Director, ARE Development, NCARB; Robert Lopez, Executive Secretary, New York State Education Department (NYSED)
Moderator
: Amanda Rivera, Assoc. AIA, Co-chair, Emerging New York Architects (ENYA)
Organizers
: AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee

“I wanted to be an Architect,” Venesa Alicea, AIA, told the audience. “Not an architectural designer…an Architect. Owning the title…that’s what motivated me to get my license.”

The Emerging New York Architects (ENYA) Committee hosted Got License, an outreach event covering recent changes to the Intern Development Program (IDP) process and the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) guidelines. In addition to the discussion topics, young emerging professionals at different stages in their careers joined the panel of experts to share their experiences with licensure as recent graduates, as current interns completing IDP, and as registered architects.

Amanda Rivera, ENYA co-chair, questioned the panel about their motivations for pursuing licensure. When asked how to help young architects become registered, Georgiana Haynes, Assoc. AIA, an intern architect currently completing IDP, admitted that she hadn’t tested due to her fear of failing. “It took me five years before I finally tested,” she said. Her supervisor suggested she take the exam without studying to overcome her fear. “Just do it,” she advised the audience. “Take the first exam.”

The tone of the audience reflected Hayne’s enthusiasm. The slew of questions covered a range of topics from identifying an IDP supervisor to ascertaining that the company one is working for is legally practicing. A popular question was how to acquire IDP hours when unemployed. Faced with the challenges of today’s recession, unemployment is a vivid reality for many designers. Martin Smith, Manager of IDP at NCARB, shared that one of several ways to obtain hours was by visiting a construction site with a mentor through hard hat tours and the Mentor Match Program.

Based on the number of participants and their zealous quest for answers, the event was a success. It motivated professionals to face their fears and to proceed with scheduling their licensing exams.

Marvine Pierre holds a professional Bachelor’s degree in architecture, is a contributing writer to e-Oculus, and is member of the ENYA Committee.

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