And More on the Fall Out

Two of my most popular posts are: So you want to be an Architect? and the Fall Out. It is amazing and disheartening to think that, two years later, we are still wondering whether we've hit bottom. This just popped in my inbox, sent by a fellow architecture friend, and it calls to mind much of what those two entries focused on. The author speaks eloquently about the multifaceted problem that is the professional world that we through ourselves into.

As I teach, I sometimes wonder why the schism between the culture of school and the culture of practice exists. If we are a professional degree, should we not be preparing students to practice? And if we truly feel that the education we currently provide is important, is it time to expand the education track rather than, as NAAB has set forth, limited it even more? If our students do not feel prepared or supported, than will we, as the article hypothesizes, lose a generation? And what happens then?

If anything, I hope that this Fall Out has forced our profession, and those within it, to take a serious look at the fundamental structure of how we teach, develop and practice. If anything, the last two or three years of my own professional life, has confirmed that, if I wish to pursue this, it will be a road of detours and pitfalls. I hope that, in time, I'll find a more direct path. Or, perhaps, I'll just look back at this time and realize it was necessary. Whatever the case may be, I'm just glad I'm not alone. And I am glad we're talking about it.