Unlocking Travel Photos from 35 mm Slides

I don't think my dilemma was uncommon.  I had stacks of 35 mm slides tucked in a closet. Mine only spanned about 8 years, which for many with my problem, is a short time.  None the less, I had close to 2000 travel slides, starting with my 1995 semester in Italy, to our third trip to Italy in 2002. Shortly thereafter I finally purchased a Pentax D*ist digital SLR.  It replaced my Pentax K1000 and subsequent Pentax ZX auto-focus 35 mm.

For years I had wanted to get the slides digitized.  But the equipment to do it was very expensive and slow.  Services are out there to do it, but even at $0.25 each image that would have cost hundreds of dollars.

Some of the 1,725 35 mm slides I have scanned so far.

As a frugal guy, I looked into alternatives.  I read some articles about scanning with a high quality digital camera, which I know owned in my Pentax K50.  So, as you can see below, I set up an LED light table, rigged with a straightedge ledge and black paper mask, along with my camera on a tripod with a remote shutter release.  I also had already in my possession, three macro lens filters that screw on to my standard 18-70 lens.

My scanner without a scanner set up.  Total nerd-shot.

This did just an ok job.  It was also very slow.  It took some time to get the focus right, and honestly, after staring into the light table for a while, my focus went wonky at times because of my eyes.  I also shot in RAW, which took an extreme amount of memory.  Then I would have to crop and fool with the contrast and colors in Photoshop.  But I was able to pull several of my more memorable slides out of the backlog to enjoy anew.

Here are a couple examples from this process:

Trevi at Night.

Uncropped Sistine Chapel

Then I began seeing some alternatives I could afford.  Epson has a slide, negative and photo scanner in the V600 which I was able to pick up for just over $200.00.  It had good reviews along with the on board imaging program.  I fine tuned my process in Professional Mode over time, and ended up using 16,000 resolution.  This produces an image that I couldn't really make out any imperfections over higher resolutions and each file was in the neighborhood of just 2 MB.  you can do four slides at a time, and make adjustments to color, back lighting, contrast, etc. for each individual slide, then run all four at once.  It takes about 7-10 minutes at this setting for all four jpgs to finalize, and I was saving all the files to a thumb drive.  I have since backed them all out on the cloud storage we have.

Over four months, doing a few sleeves a weekend on average, I was able to scan 1,725 images that previously had been dormant.  Not only the memorable shots that I would pull out from the masses, but the more subtle slides that may not have looked as desirable from just holding the slide up to the light.  Because I scanned all my slides, my efforts revealed some images I may have never really seen again.  And of course, those slides I used my contraption to scan were improved by the use of the Epson.

Improved Trevi at Night Scan.  Much sharper focus.

Improved Sistine Scan.  Much improved color rendering.  I am hoping the new Pope will forgive me for snapping this.

While in Pisa, this is not the typical shot, but I think this one turned out really well.

Not exactly a shot for over the fireplace, but I like it none the less.

It may seem like an obvious statement, but architects tend to take photos of buildings.  And boy did I. But after sorting through all those photos, some of my favorites are of people.  Some I knew, others, like the cobblestone guy, I did not.

Artichoke Man is one of my favorites.

A couple of classmates of ours, resting in front of Santa Croce in Florence.

I had a lot wrapped into my slides.  And as time went on, they became a record of the travels with my wife and our friends.  Though it was a lot of work, I feel extremely accomplished in getting all these into a format that is useful.  It will be a lot easier to do a slide show in PowerPoint than changing out all those slide carousels for a projector show...

Earthships

On Earth Day a few years back, I inadvertently participated in the festivities by getting sucked into a movie called "Garbage Warrior" on the independent film channel.  It follows the  exploits of "renegade" architect Michael Reynolds and his crew as they design and build "Earthships".  The film chronicles the main character as he looks to design, develop and build off-grid homes utilizing natural found materials and recycled items, including used tires, bottles, cans and the like.  Reynolds at first worked under the radar in Taos, NM, developing on some land that no one else wanted.  There were, of course, no available utilities or infrastructure anywhere near the site, as that was the point of his experiment.

Beer Can Wall.  My uncle had one like this, kind of...

The real draw of this film, as with any good documentary, is the protagonist.  More so than what the main character does with his skills and resources, the conflict is what sucks you into watching.  Eventually, after decades of free reign, the authority having jurisdiction over the community in which Reynolds works and lives begins to question what he is doing.  They now have zoning ordinances and building codes, and the Man begins to come down on him.  It is now a story of "Us" against "Them".  Now, this man with flowing white hair who wears dirt covered clothing and boots has to clean himself off, comb his mane and do battle with his adversaries on their own turf.  He goes off to the State Capital in order to draft a resolution that would allow for his kind of development, where there is no need to connect to the utility companies, water is collected from rainfall and sewage is treated on site.  His efforts fall on deaf ears at first and, without ruining the ending of the movie for anyone interested in seeing it for themselves, he is determined to persevere.

No straightedges required.

After his initial setback, the movie crew follows Reynolds to the Pacific Rim post tsunami to build a single family, self sufficient home in just a few days while teaching the displaced people how to continue the practice.  As with many documentaries of current figures, the filming ends before the whole story is complete.  A postscript describes Reynolds' efforts in post-Katrina Louisiana, and the viewer is left with some hope that the Establishment may be coming around to understand Reynolds' ideology of sustainable homes.  His ideas are now looked upon as possible solutions for a world in seeming turmoil.

Discarded tires help create a home.

While none of us here are looking to fight the local planning standards to allow used tires as the foundations for either schools or retirement facilities, we have been involved with some innovative concepts that really do buck the system.  And it takes quite a bit of resolve to persevere and a Client with vision who is willing to pay for  something they believe in.  It often takes that initial fight and precedent to smooth the way for future endeavors, and sometimes the person leading the fight looks more like a hippy than a lawyer.

One of our projects, using reclaimed barn beams for stair treads.

For more about Earthships, check out the website:  Eathships.com  Worth a look!

You're from Lancaster...

So you're Amish, right?  I don’t know how many times I’ve been asked this question.  Depending on who asks my answer can vary significantly.  But as our firm is from Lancaster and we work all over the country, I decided to provide a little historical background for those who may not be familiar with our fair city.  Because where we're from has something to do with who we are.

We've been using wind and solar energy here for a long time.

RLPS is a unique firm in that it is well known in the senior living circle as a national firm, yet we are not based where one might expect.  Instead of New York, Washington, DC, Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, RLPS is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the heart of Amish Country.  Many years ago, I imagine this was a barrier to us getting work outside of Pennsylvania.  But today, we routinely compete with a half a dozen or so national firms that specialize in design for the senior housing industry.  We are the only firm that is based in a non-metropolitan area, however.  We speak at national conferences and at conferences for individual states from coast to coast, and our staff have been published in various national publications and trade papers.  We recently had people in both Portlands (Maine and Oregon) on the very same day, so we had all 3,187 miles covered, coast to coast.

Slate roof on First Reformed Church of Lancaster steeple.

Lancaster has a rich history of fine masonry workers. (Central Market)

RLPS began modestly in 1954 and at that time built its reputation upon the design of churches.  In the 1960’s and 70’s, many of those congregations created not-for-profit senior living campuses for their parishioners and missionaries, and RLPS provided design services for those same clients.  Now, a half-century later, we have worked on nearly 1,500 senior’s housing and care center projects.  We enjoy a national reputation, having worked in more than 30 states over the last 30 years, but we still have our roots in Lancaster.

Smell that?  Must be Spring!

Many of our staff is native to this area, including myself.  I was born in downtown Lancaster and, as I like to put it, Mehaffey’s have been polluting Lancaster County for centuries.  My earliest ancestor I have yet traced with the surname Mehaffey (also James) was in Marietta, Lancaster County in the 1700’s.  I believe our staffs’ roots has something to do with our endurance and our work ethic.  Lancaster County was part of Penn’s Woods and was a haven for those fleeing religious persecution in Europe.  As a result, the area became a home to the Amish, Mennonites, Anabaptists, as well as the Scots-Irish looking to put some distance between themselves and the Crown.  These religious folk have a tradition of hard work and perseverance.  Today, there are employees at RLPS who have worked here for 30 and even 40 years and beyond!  This is unheard of in the architectural offices around the country, really.  I have been employed at RLPS for 20 years, and I still consider myself a young pup compared to five or six other guys who easily average more than 35 years.

Amish kids bringing their dads lunch at a local construction site (Landis Homes)

Lancaster is both a City and a County in South Central PA.  The city has a population close to 60,000 residents and the County is slightly over a half-million people.  There are those who may argue for other towns, but we say Lancaster is the oldest inland town in the United States, founded in 1734.  The very first paved road in the US ran from here to Philadelphia (now Route 30).  Lancaster is situated between the State capital (37 miles), Philadelphia (76 miles) and Baltimore (78 miles), making it ideal for commuters.  RLPS has been known to attract new employees from these more metropolitan cities.

Lancaster City and County have a rich history as it relates to the rest of the United States.  In 1777, after the British took Philadelphia, the Continental Congress met in Lancaster on September the 27^th, making it the Capital of the US for that day (the Congress had to continue to move west, away from British forces soon after).  In terms of politicians, Lancaster City is home to the James Buchanan estate, Wheatland.  As fifteenth president of the United States, he doesn’t get a lot of love for keeping the US from entering the Civil War, but that may have something to do with another Lancastrian, Thaddeus Stevens, famed abolitionist portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones in the film Lincoln.  The residents here from the Swiss and German stock especially were resolutely against slavery.

There are some tremendous buildings downtown (North Duke Street)

In terms of commerce and industry, Lancaster also played a part in manufacturing from infancy of the Nation.  The Conestoga wagon and the Pennsylvania Long Rifle both were manufactured here.  Robert Fulton, inventor of the steam boat, was a native son.  FW Woolworth opened the first Five and Dime store here in 1879.  Armstrong World Industries was founded in Lancaster in 1891 (by one of those Scots-Irish families), known of course for their floor and ceiling products, but started out in cork and linoleum made from plant fibers and oils.  Milton Hershey’s first successful candy shop was in Lancaster in 1886 and it is still home to the plant that makes Twizzlers (Hershey was one of those Swiss-Germans).  RCA had a factory here in the 1940’s, and along with Hamilton Watch Company and the Stehli Silk Mill, Lancaster made massive contributions to the War effort (radio parts, bomb timers and parachutes).  If you’ve ever been to an airport; you’ve seen Auntie Ann’s Pretzels, headquartered in Lancaster.  And MapQuest, formally a division of RR Donnelley (a printer of maps among other things), has its roots in Lancaster.

The old Silk Mill - windows were blacked out to prevent the Nazis from bombing it.

I give you this background to augment most folk’s knowledge of Lancaster, PA with full acknowledgement of the steep agrarian history.  We mostly come from farmers, yes.  In the attempt of full disclosure; the place I am typing right this second was a cornfield years ago, and I literally was picking corn on this site in 1989.  But we as a county (excluding the Amish) were part of the industrial revolution and every other revolution since.

A very large percentage of our staff was born or grew up in Lancaster County or a neighboring county and I think it has a lot to do with who we are.  And those staff who aren't originally from Lancaster have been here long enough to have raised their children here.  We sometimes have to overcome backwoods or hick stereotypes, but our reputation nationally has been steadily building.  And while much of our work ends up outside of city centers based on the availability of large tracts of land, RLPS has been making some headway into more metropolitan work as of late.  This may be one of the last barriers we need to cross as a firm, getting that high profile, city center commission.  But based on information from the US Census Bureau, 97% (footnote 1) of the land in the United States is considered rural, not urban, so maybe we will be just fine.

Other Notable Lancastrians: 

Jim Furyk, golfer and US Open champion 2003 (he was a senior when I was a freshman at our high school)

Kristen Wiig, Famous Actress (also went to my school up to 8^th grade, in my class)

Lt.. Cdr. Andy Baldwin, US Navy, from the Bachelor (also from my high school, though younger than me)

Brad Rutter, all-time money winner on Jeopardy! (also from my high school)

Charles Demuth, painter, 1883 - 1935

Tommy Herr, Major League Baseball player

Bruce Sutter, Hall of Fame pitcher

Major Dick Winters, US Army, my personal hero from Band of Brothers fame, and my grandfather’s first cousin

Footnote 1:  Information obtained at www.newgeography.com/content/004088-rural-character-america-s-metropolitan-areas on May 29, 2015.

Photo Credits:  Photos 1, 2 and 3, Gregory J. Scott.  Photos 4, 5, 6, & 7 by the author.

The Reluctant Code Guru

When I was hired here at RLPS a mere 18 years ago, my position was to assist one of the partners, Gregg Scott, on his particular projects.  His position included leading projects as partner-in-charge for several clients, but he was/is also the main business development person for the firm, doing interviews for more work, lecturing at conferences and keeping clients happy and coming back.  As opposed to developing the same strengths Gregg had by the bushel: as his underling, my job evolved into a role that augmented the skills Gregg didn't have time for.  I became a very young project manager/project architect on day one.

On my first day on the job with him, he told me we were running up to visit three projects in Northeastern PA, and to "wear a blazer".  Each of the projects was in a different state of completeness - one in early design, one in construction, and one post construction.  After a couple of months and a few meetings with these Clients, Gregg eventually left me on my own, without the life vest of having him attend all the meetings with me.  Gregg was out of town very often, so in place of his direct guidance back at the office, he encouraged me to utilize the office resources, which included not only code and technical books, but the people in our office who had the knowledge to help me.  I had only been in the field nine months prior to starting with RLPS, I had very little experience with Codes, especially in the Department of Health arena.

My part of the library.

Of those three first jobs were included a very messy skilled care facility addition and renovation starting in the design phase, a personal care provider in a mansion from the 1800's currently under construction, and a large retirement community that had just been completed.  I had to very quickly learn the ins and outs of building codes, health codes, constructability, construction management, and the coordination with our engineers and the in-house drafting team.  All of whom had many decades more experience than I did.  I was lucky that Dave the Contractor was (mostly) gentle with me and helped lead me to the proper decisions sometimes, Tom the Structural Engineer didn't laugh at me when I thought it was his job to fire proof the steel, Bill the Drafter I had on the job with me was able to draw the sections based on his vast experience, and we had an in-house resource for code support, Paul.  All that and I was making the transition from MicroStation to AutoCAD.

After a few years’ time, I eventually became a more traditional project manager, leading a variety of projects for any of the partners-in-charge at our firm.  But having been left to sink or swim in my early days, I had developed an ability to find things out for myself, whether calling on Code Officials or Plan Reviewers for guidance or consistently bugging our in house Code Expert.  When I did bug Paul, I always gave my best effort to read and understand the Code before I interrupted him, which he appreciated.  I used Paul as a resource to verify my interpretations, not as a substitute for reading the books.

Fast forward to 2014 and my annual review with the Partnership at the firm…this review is an opportunity to discuss how things are going and perhaps how things in the office can improve.  All suggestions are considered (I was the one to suggest sparkling water to be added as an option to the soda fridge – score!).  We had been operating without the benefit of Paul's guidance for a few years at this point, so I happened to mention that, based on the upswing in new projects at that time; a lot of designs were progressing without a seasoned project architect on board to review for fundamental code analysis.  It is always better to head off an issue early, I said, because I had been on the receiving end of some very difficult positions once the project got into Design Development with me at the helm. Some examples: bathrooms or kitchens far too small to be accessible, fire walls separating buildings that would be extremely hard to build or would require rated adjacent windows, occupant loads too large not to be separated or needed additional exits - just to name a few.  It would be great, I said, if someone could look at these plans before we have the Owners super excited about a building that will be too difficult to build without various changes.

Some of the literature at my desk.

Well, be careful what you wish for.  That guy is now me.  I was not suggesting that we get one person do this job more or less full time, let alone it being me.  I wasn't sure I was qualified me to do it, really.  I had been an unofficial resource for codes in the office for some time.  I had a lot of experience (as much as anyone in the office I suppose) with Department of Health work that included NFPA reviews. I had a pretty good grasp on the International Code Council (ICC) codes as well.  Everyone from partners to drafters were already stopping by with questions.  But I had no formal training in code compliance or quality control.  I also wasn't sure I would be able to give up working on one job for months or years at a time, as I was accustomed to do.

Turns out I can still work for the Clients I have a relationship with, just in a more managerial way.  I have to adjust my thinking sometimes, but I can still be a team member.  And I started to really like seeing more projects our office is working on, where I may have never seen them prior to the finished product photos.  Analytically I am able to look at early plans and try to sort out construction types and area/height limitations, building separations, occupant loads, etc.  As I understand it, others don't find this as interesting as I do.  I describe it as "reading the Matrix".  I try to look at any limitation or hurdle with a problem solving eye, very much the same as I do when I am laying out building programs and adjacencies in floor plans.  It is just another type of problem to solve - split the building this way, provide sprinkler coverage to get height increase, perhaps change the construction type...and not knowing everything there is to know about the project or client just means that I need to think in terms of options.  You can do this or that and get to five stories - you choose.

The Matrix - Isn't this how everyone sees buildings?  I see clearances and ratings as readily as doors and windows.

I also do a lot of reviews of projects near the end of Construction Documents as part of our quality assurance procedures.  This way I get to see the (almost) finished product and see which options they went with.  I try to go through the code sheets as if I am seeing it cold, however.  I try to take on the persona of the Plan Reviewer.  I try to take out any of the questions I feel may be asked with the help of a red pen.

Codes change of course, as we experienced from the SBC,  BOCA and the UBC to the ICC family of codes.  We work all over the country and, in my opinion; there is really no unified building code.  Every jurisdiction has multiple amendments and approves the more recent codes at their own pace.  Various State agencies require conformance to the NFPA Life Safety Code while local jurisdictions review under the International Building Code. And why is it International when only US States and Territories use it?  And depending on the State, there is potentially a 12 year difference in the Code edition enforced - 2003 vs. 2015 Editions.  So one of the more challenging parts of my position is figuring out what we have to comply with.  This is not always so easy to find on the State and Local websites.  In one case I found one department did not yet know that a legislative change revised the way townhomes were reviewed, essentially taking out of the State’s purview and putting it solely into the local review.   Anytime there is an overlap of responsibility between the State and Local, it is just an opportunity for potential conflict. It is all part of the fun!

So, a couple of years later, I am primarily the office "Code Guy".  There are still several jobs in construction that I had run, and am still involved with projects where I had been the primary contact for several years.  But now I am integrated into the front ends of many projects, assist project managers with issues, attend preliminary code reviews with them at the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), assist in the QC/QA process, as well as assist any client having code issues with existing facilities, etc.

It is challenging work, but there is a variety and overview that I find refreshing.  I had just recently worked on three projects with extremely long timelines, each taking 5 or more years to design and build.  I felt a little pigeon holed in those projects and felt like I didn’t get to see anything else we were doing as a firm.  While I have to broaden my depth of understand of code issues as I look at up to a dozen projects in a week sometimes, I see more projects, I work with a wider range of people in the office and I even correspond with a broader cross section of Clients in my new position.

The one area that I am still getting used to is the interruptions.   I have come to realize that my work days are now a series of disruptions with some intermittent scheduled work in between.  When I am working on any of my projects, I am often doing complex calculations or I have my head in the Code book(s), reading and rereading sections of code.  This is not an ideal task to interrupt, at least not for me.  I never claimed to have any Codes memorized.  In fact, Codes have a tendency to change with each edition, so it is not wise to rely on memory alone.  Certain tasks can take me into a section I have never really read before and the Code is not always particularly black and white for every situation.  I don’t carry code books to the coffee pot or the rest room.  That doesn't seem particularly sanitary in either case.

Read, interpret and retain, right?

Everyone has their strengths, though, and where one has strengths where many others are unsure, you're bound to be popular.  Maybe I need a take-a-number dispenser like at the deli.  I’ve always liked those paper hats they wear, too.

Now serving:  Number 32.

The position I am in now all relates to whom I started working with and how I was able to fill in and learn a set of skills that were needed to round out those first three projects I started working on with Gregg.  Had Gregg been the technical guy, I may have never become the Code Guru.  I really don’t like that name though – sounds like I teach yoga on the side.  Other considerations are:  Code Sage, Code Shaman, Code Illusionist, Code Whisperer, Code Soothsayer or Code Clairvoyant.  Whatever you call it, I never, not in a million years, suspected I would be in this position.  If you would have asked me when I was 22 if would ever want to do this day in and out, I am sure I would have said no way.  But that is a dumb kid talking, one who doesn’t have twenty years of experience and doesn’t see the inherent value in staying out of trouble.

Intern meets Partner

Picture it. The year: 1995. The place: the lunchroom. A new summer intern sits eating his bag lunch in silence. I will save you the suspense and tell you it was me. It was May and I hadn't met a lot of people yet. There were a lot of people on vacation, in fact, I recall that I started the the week that Gregg Scott (the partner I was ultimately to work for) had gone on his honeymoon. I had met only the people to whom I had been assigned to work that week - we were building a very detailed model with several people in the office. I had yet to meet any of the partners, other than maybe on my initial office tour, but that would have been very briefly.

Bob Patrick came out of his office at the bottom of the stairs that day and sat down at the table adjacent to me. He pulled out his sack lunch and revealed his bologna sandwich. I would see him pull out that exact same sandwich every single day at lunch, no exceptions.

Bob Patrick - note the sack lunch to his right in the picture.

I had no idea yet as to how the office worked. I knew Bob was a partner and I think I realized he wrote those very thick, typed books I had seen. But I really didn’t know anything else about him or any of the partners yet. After we ate in silence for a few moments, he acknowledged me sitting across from him and said, "So, you go to Penn State, huh?" I didn’t know if he knew me specifically from any of the other interns or not. There were four of us and we all went to Penn State, and I guess he knew that. I said that I did go to Penn State, and failing to think of anything else intelligent to say in reply I asked, "Where did you go to school?"

Bob in his office.

"I didn’t!", he replied gruffly. I about soiled myself. I certainly didn’t mean to insult anyone, least of all a partner. Here I had just started and I had ticked off someone whose name was on the letterhead. I had failed to consider that there were other means to becoming an architect, one of which took alternative methods of learning into account and did not require a college degree of any kind. Then he said, "I did it the old fashioned way, by working." He went on to explain, in a somewhat less intimidating fashion, that he had experience in the Armed Forces in an engineering battalion along with the time he spent working in civilian life that counted toward the 13 years the registration board required for someone to take the exams.

Bob's retirement party in 1996.  He would continue to work with us for several years.

That was my first experience with Bob or any other partner in the office for that matter. Bob retired about a year later but continued to work part time on a variety of projects for quite some time. I worked directly with him on several occasions, and eventually learned that I could talk to him as a colleague. From that first conversation we had in the lunchroom, he always seemed just a little bit scary to me. That fear may have a very small part in the esteem I had for Bob, but mostly it was just respect for the man and his work ethic. He was as consistent with his work as he was with his bologna sandwich.

Bob's lunch.

The Non-traditional Route

Being an architect, I have a lot of architect friends.  I don’t think this is atypical.  My wife and I went through architecture school together in the same class.  In fact, in our class of 22 graduates, there are 3 couples who got married.  25% of the people in our class married other people in our class.  And they/we are all still married!  And, except for my wife and me, both of the other couples have an architecture business with their spouse.  The relationship percentage from our class is even more perverse if you counted all the relationships that started between classmates that didn't end in marriage - but that is a totally different story (and one that has to be much more delicately told).

Where luckier kids than us now go to architecture school at PSU.

But then I started to think about all of my former classmates, co-workers and colleagues who finished their degree and either immediately or eventually left the profession.  Or those who still practice architecture but have a significant foothold in other professions.  Again, from my class of 22, I could immediately think of more than a handful of people who now make a living doing something other than architecture.  When I think about the investment we all made to graduate from architecture school, and some of us the further investment to pass the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) tests (9 of them when I took them), I began to wonder if it was the profession itself that spurned recent graduates and forced them to consider other professions.  Or is that architecture school has the ability to produce people who are capable of doing more than just architecture?

I am sure that all professions have their share of ‘defectors’, but I would think they are the exception rather than a full third of a graduating class as was the case in ours.  And it has nothing to do with gender, really.  As much as the architectural profession laments about attracting women to the profession, the genders in our class were split nearly 50/50.  Of the eight people that I can count from my original graduating class who have left architecture, only 3 are women, so from my graduating class, there are more women still in the profession than men.

So where do these people go and why did they leave?  Do they do something related to architecture or completely unrelated?

I looked to my classmates, friends and former co-workers for answers.  Of the people I surveyed, two are in the film industry (one in visual effects and one in set design – no adult film stars that I know of, sorry).  One worked as a product designer for a major ceiling product manufacturer. Two work for the federal government.  One works for a large retirement community and helps new residents layout their new homes and sell their existing ones.  One is a jewelry designer and sculptor who sells her merchandise in museum gift shops and craft shows all over the country.  One person now engineers and builds millwork and cabinetry.  One classmate owns and operates a needlework business.  Last but not least, one colleague now runs a catering business and gourmet shop.  Notice there is no stay at home mom or dad listed.  While some may have also done this job IN ADDITION to their other job, it isn't as if these people have picked up their ball and gone home.  They are contributing to the work place in other ways, some related to architecture, some not so much.

I thought about this and asked each person I know in this position to answer a fourteen question survey.  As to be expected, some surveys took a very long time to get back (architects are notorious procrastinators).  Some I am still waiting on.  I hold no ill will, but they are off the Christmas Card list for sure.  Actually we are so bad at getting Christmas Cards out, we have changed them to New Year’s Cards.  Also, I do none of the work on the holiday card front for my own family.

I tried to get an idea of why each person in the focus group went into the study of architecture, when he/she felt like they might want to change professions, how architecture school may have prepared him/her for other endeavors and if he/she would do it differently or what suggestions might be useful to those pondering the profession.

In terms of when the decision was made to enter architecture school, most of the respondents indicated fairly late in high school.  I don’t know if that is unusual.  My own answer to this question is 7^th grade or so. One person indicated a very young age (before 10 years old), and two actually made that decision after college orientation or after a full year of college.  Our class had a high percentage of students that were older, from 20 to 30 years old, rather than 17 or 18 like the rest of us.  I am not sure of the reason for this but it didn't really matter other than when it came to buy beer.  I would guess that the dropout rate for the traditional freshmen was about the same as those entering architecture school with a few years under their belt.

When asked if there was any point that they felt entering architecture school was the wrong one, answers were all over the board.  Some had doubts in school (of course we all did in some way due to the pressures of studio).  One person actually left a message for their adviser in order to start the process of switching majors.  The adviser never called back and he ended up sticking it out (see above for ‘procrastination’).  One woman kept a pink ‘Change of Major’ slip pinned in their work space every year.  Another indicates that every semester was plagued with doubts.  Several respondents settled into the program as we all did, perhaps after the first couple of years of indoctrination.  And lastly, one man didn't have doubts until he received his first paycheck and saw the amount of overtime he was working.

When asked if they intended to seek employment outside of the profession immediately following college, most responded that they sought traditional work for architectural graduates.  Only one intended to pursue work in a related field (architectural preservation).  Many found traditional work.  Only one person I polled fell into another profession while looking for traditional work; the video gaming industry.  In fact when he started in the gaming job, he states five of the six people on his team were either architecture school graduates or licensed architects.

Only one of the respondents is currently a licensed architect.  He left the traditional office job based on having positive relationships with those in the government he worked with while completing projects with or for them.  As a result, he left the private sector to work for the government agencies he had worked with in the past, more in an Owner’s representative position for construction projects.

Another former coworker also got a job with a government agency in a field directly related to architecture.  But when it became clear that a transfer from his current city was eminent, he found work in another department looking for someone in graphics and web design.

My classmate Jake has a very unique resume.  After graduating with us in architecture, he ended up traveling around a bit, trying to decide where to work.  In doing so, he passed through San Francisco and thought how cool it would be to work somewhere like Pixar.  When traditional jobs did not immediately pan out, he found himself working in the video gaming industry, contributing on several games in the Star Wars series for Lucas Arts and Marvel Nemesis for Nihilistic.  Eventually he made his way to the other side of the planet, working for Weta Digital as a Layout Technical Director on films like Avatar, X-Men: First Class, and the Hobbit trilogy.  Jake attributes his current skills like spatial layout, 3-D problem solving, art history and managing stressful deadlines to his architectural training.

In perhaps one of the most unique results of my survey, one respondent actually came back to work at an architectural office:  the one I work for.  Jim had worked for us a little over ten years ago and eventually found employment with a major manufacturer of ceiling products, where his wife also worked at the time.  He worked in several positions over about a decade from research and development of ceiling products, to working with architects and designers to produce specific solutions for their design needs.  While his positions were maybe more traditionally filled by industrial engineers, the problem solving aspects of working in buildings perhaps benefited him during his time there.  It happened that when I contacted Jim to answer my survey and catch up for lunch; I gave him a tour of our new office space.  A few weeks later and Jim rejoined us.  Yes our office is that cool.

My friend Melissa runs a business creating handmade jewelry and other objects made from industrial and recycled materials, see:  StubbornStiles.  She worked in an office for about ten years before making that move.  And if there were anyone I would have expected to do something outside of architecture, it was Mel.  Not to say she wasn't talented and couldn't have excelled in an office, but I expected her more than anyone else I knew from college to create her own professional path.  I visited her once in San Francisco many years ago where she was working in a firm, and it was very strange for me to see her step out of the office where I met her, dressed the part in every way.  What she does now totally fits her.  (She was the one with change of major slip at her desk in college).

My wife worked for a very small architectural firm doing mostly residential work for a short time, but left to work for a nationally known home building company.  She liked the residential aspect of the work and she needed to pay off student loans, and this job was better than where she was.  She went on to move to where I was living in Lancaster, PA (and we still live there today) and worked for two different regional home builders.  She went part time after our first child and eventually quite all together after our second.  She never fully intended to leave the work force, and continued to work on some drafting work freelance.  Eventually, an opportunity arose to work through one of her freelance clients to become what is termed the Transition Specialist for a very large retirement community.  She meets with clients who will be moving into the retirement community, measures their furnishings that will be going with them, and lays out the furniture plan for them in their new apartment plan.  She also provides tips for selling the home they are leaving.  It is still a profession very related to architecture.

I know or know of others that have gone into designing and building furniture, culinary and catering endeavors, and even a needlework shop and business.  It is clear that all of these changes in profession have one thing in common:  there is still an aspect of design and/or art relating to them all.  When asked how their architectural education benefited them in their non-traditional professional field, the answer returned was unanimous from the focus group:  the ability to problem solve.  It is a different kind of problem solving than the engineer or mathematician.  The problems presented to architects and even to students in school are open-ended and never only have one answer.  We are taught to think in terms of options.  Which solution is best for Client A is almost certainly not the best solution for Client B.

The architect must work between what the client thinks they need, what the codes require and what the engineers need to do.  I have always thought that being an architect requires, almost above all others, the ability to compromise.  The best solutions can answer questions that weren't even asked.  Architecture school teaches creative thinking to spatial problems as well as time management skills.   It also teaches how to take criticism.  Does it ever…

Most of the people in my limited survey also know others in their fields who studied architecture or were architects.  The last couple of decades have seen a few deep recessions.  Architecture was one of those majors everyone was warned against very recently, see:  Degrees to Avoid.  Getting a job in architecture has been difficult at several times over the course of the last 20 years, which can influence some to abandon the traditional route and go into something else.  There are also several famous folks who at least started an architectural education before going off to become famous for other things.  See:  Career Paths. Some actually got their degrees and practiced before going into acting, singing, even royalty…good work if you can find it.

Several respondents suggested they didn't know what they were getting into.  There are a lot of programs today targeting high school students that didn't exist when I considered a college major.  I actually have volunteered for the program at Penn State.  See:  Career Advice.  This would have been extremely helpful to me as a college freshman and would have provided for a good transition from high school to studio.  It turns out there are dozens of these programs over the summer from one week to six weeks.  See:  Summer Programs.  I would tend to think that incoming students at least have the opportunity to know what they are getting into.

Most of the people I polled believe that the education of an architect, while certainly not completed with a degree, can provide one with a set of skills that is transferable to other undertakings.  Of course to be licensed, there is the Architectural Registration Exam to contend with, along with the NCARB internship requirements.  But that is a discussion for another time.  Architecture school is not for everyone, considering my year barely graduated 25% of the original first year class.  Even my colleagues who are in fields that have college programs tailored specifically to them (like animation and stage set design) discover aspects of the architectural program that inform their work.  Needless to say, a Bachelor of Architecture or Masters of Architecture is the most direct path to becoming a practicing architect.  But an architectural course of study is able to translate to a wide variety of career pursuits.

Dish Soap Leadership

My grandfather, without fail, did the dishes after family dinners.  It was his way of contributing to the household chores.  To his generation, kitchen duty was not generally considered as manly work, but he dove in until his fingers pruned.  Thankfully for us, he never decided to chip in on the cooking.  Us kids were often reminded of the story about the time he was in charge of providing dinner for his three young daughters.  One night and he served them raw onion sandwiches.  The youngest girl's sandwich ended up stuffed into the sugar jar while my grandfather had stepped away from the table.

No one is too good to wash the dishes.

My point (and there is one here) is that by watching my grandfather actions, I came to realize that there is no task that is too menial for anyone.  Just as it would not seem off-putting to me when I was asked to help out in the sink after dinner, I try to demonstrate that there aren't tasks that I won't do because of my level of experience or my so-called seniority.  Having worked in this office for eighteen years, I have certainly done my share of menial tasks.  But I have also seen my superiors do their share of less-than-glamorous tasks, whether it be tracing background drawings, coloring in floor plans or quick cadd sketches.  Psychologically, it seems so much easier to help out someone who you know has either been in your position, or better yet, continues to perform the same kinds of tasks you are being asked to do.

Some tasks will always stink.

I have fond memories (pre-Photoshop) of working late into the evenings side by side with an entire team, from senior partners to the fresh faced intern, coloring, tracing and lettering in order to finish up some rendering boards prior to a meeting.  It sounds a bit Utopian, but on those evenings long ago, even as a summer intern, I truly felt like a full-fledged member of the team.