Get What You Came For
By Annette K. Carter
Licensed 2004
Art history class at Boston Latin Academy is where it all started in my adolescence. In this class, we learned about things as disparate as the history of Chinese calligraphy, the artistry of American quilting, and Impressionist painters. A seemingly tedious task of selecting three artists’ names out of a hat would have a tremendous impact on my life.
As luck would have it, one of the three “artists” I randomly selected was Frank Lloyd Wright. At age 12, after researching and learning about Mr. Wright and his work in the fascinating field of architecture as both a science and an art, I decided that I would become an architect when I grew up. I considered no other careers from this moment on.
Fast forward six years later to my senior year in high school where, at a meeting with my guidance counselor, I enthusiastically declared that I planned to be an architect. My announcement was not met with the approval that I had anticipated. The guidance counselor proceeded to tell me that architecture is an unstable field and I should pick something more realistic, more stable, more practical. Furthermore, she cited that success in architecture was wholly affected by and dependent on the state of the economy. Sad to say, but at age 17, I had no idea what this meant because I was not even aware of the “economy”. I suddenly had the idea that this economy thing must be very important and should be understood since it seemed to be the key to a prosperous and stable life. So, I decided I could not be an architect after all.
As a result, I entered the University of Pennsylvania with my major “undecided” only to learn that there were majors in this thing called economics. Surely, this is what I was meant to study. I selected Economics as my major only to find out that it was totally boring. I was unwilling to lose all the time I had put in so I decided to add a second major, International Relations. International Relations was infinitely more interesting, and I was able combine it with economics to create a unique double major. At the time, I still felt like I wanted to be an architect, but being a poor kid, I could not afford to spend any extra time at university changing majors and making up courses. I felt I needed to graduate within the four years allotted. Which I did.
The funny thing is that when I graduated in 1983, the economy was in a slump, just coming out of the 1981-1982 recession. I was unable to find a job in my field for a full year. The next year, however, I got a job with the Boston Housing Authority and worked there for 4 years before quitting due to sheer boredom. That was followed by a few jobs, including a stint in banking. What I learned from these various jobs and experiences, was that being good at a job does not always lead to it being satisfying work.
One of my favorite quotes since high school is by Charles Du Bos (1882-1939), the French critic of French and English literature, which states:
“The important thing is this:
to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are
for what we could become.”
It has been a guiding principle for both big and small changes throughout my life. With this quote in mind, I decided to take one course at the Boston Architectural Center (BAC) to decide whether to put architecture behind me for good or to pursue it in full. Fortunately, I absolutely loved the class at the BAC and promptly decided to apply to graduate school.
I searched for programs that would lead to a terminal degree in architecture and that did not require an undergraduate degree in architecture. They were very few, however, the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) had such a program. Thus, I entered a graduate program where all 25 of my cohorts came from various backgrounds such as English, art, history, journalism and more. I believe coming to the program from a non-architecture undergraduate background made the journey only slightly more difficult than it would have been anyway. Ultimately, I graduated from UMCP in December 1996 with my Master of Architecture. It was a great relief and a great accomplishment for a first-generation college kid from Boston, who had immigrated to the United States from Barbados years earlier. After getting my architecture degree, my next goal was to become a licensed architect, which I accomplished in 2004.
My journey to licensure was long, but worth it. I believe it took me over two years to complete the nine exams that were the standard when I began the process in 2002 or 2003. For anyone hoping to become licensed, the first thing you have to do is set the goal of obtaining your license. Set a date for obtaining your license, then set a deadline for the first exam. As they say, without a goal and a deadline, it’s just a dream.
Overall, I think my best strategy for passing the exam was not only to study, but to sit down on Saturday mornings and practice a real time the test for each section I was attempting next. I was not only able to practice the unique software, that was available for download to test takers to practice at home; but I was also able to determine how much time I could spend on analysis for the long exams, like design. I knew, for example, I could spend one full hour on program analysis and making square foot templates for the program elements and still finish on time. This reduced my stress significantly on the day of the actual exam to know how much time I had for analysis, this, and then the final design.
“YOU CAN DO IT” is the message I would give to anyone preparing for the ARE exam or any similar exam. You may not pass it the first time around but thousands of people less intelligent than you have managed to pass this exam, and you can also. My sister has a saying as a PHD coach. “Get what you came for.” Architecture school is a long and difficult journey for most. You have studied, clocked countless hours, and sacrificed greatly to be able to be called an architect. You are not fully a professional without the license. The years will pass whether you take the exam or not. There will be setbacks. However, no matter the circumstances, keep going. Do not put it off. Get what you came for.
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Images:
Stamp provided by author. Flag from Creative Commons stock photo.