A “Guide” to ApprenticeshipSeminar 01:

Ar. Ronald Dalmacio

You could bring out a piece of paper and a pen

Congratulations for finishing BS Architecture!

YOUYOU

Let me assure you one important thing

Apprenticeship (and in fact life outside school) is never about getting there first,

it’s rather about the mileage.

Let me assure you one important thing

It’s the quality of your apprenticeship that matters in this whole 2 years.

Not how much you earn, not what kind of position you are in, and NEVER what kind of projects your dealing

with.

Apprenticeship is not Employment

Let’s compare apprenticeship to employment

APPRENTICESHIP EMPLOYMENT

• Zero “SKILLSET”

• Unregulated Wage

• NO Benefits

• Contract is OPTIONAL

• YOU’RE EXPECTED TO HAVE EXPERIENCE (LEARNING CURVE)

• STARTS WITH MIN. WAGE

• IN CASE ABOVE MINIMUM WAGE: Mandatory Benefits, Company Benefits

• Contract is OBLIGATORY

SOME Employers in our industry misunderstood this dichotomy and

misunderstood apprentices as readily trained employees, thus

leading to a series of underdevelopment, incompetence,

and at worse, “office bullying”.

“You should’ve learned that from SCHOOL.”

- Employer

But the question is, how can you balance quality apprenticeship while making a living?

Apprenticeship “Arch”

Apprenticeship “Arch”

DRAFTING LINEWEIGHTS

For god’s sake, never leave your school without learning basic lineweights of pts 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 (minimum reqt)!

Apprenticeship “Arch”

DRAFTING LINEWEIGHTS

BASIC ACCOUNTING

SKILLS

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets

BOARD EXAM REVIEW WILL COST YOU P30,000.00 ALL-IN (EST)ONLY WAY TO SAVE AND BE SELF-SUFFICIENT IS CONTROL EXPENSES

Apprenticeship “Arch”

DRAFTING LINEWEIGHTS

BASIC ACCOUNTING

SKILLS

SOFTWARE SKILLSET

Software in-demand to Architectural FirmsMANDATORY• AutoCADD• Sketchup • Revit• Lumion• Adobe Photoshop• MS Word• MS Powerpoint• MS Excel

OPTIONAL (But highly recommended)• Rhino + Grasshopper• ArchiCAD• Adobe Illustrator

VRAYThere’s more to life than being good in rendering.

Apprenticeship “Arch”

DRAFTING LINEWEIGHTS

BASIC ACCOUNTING

SKILLS

SOFTWARE SKILLSET

PUNCHLIST/ SITE

SURVEYING

Apprenticeship “Arch”

DRAFTING LINEWEIGHTS

BASIC ACCOUNTING

SKILLS

SOFTWARE SKILLSET

PUNCHLIST/ SITE

SURVEYING

WORKING DRAWING CONTRACT DOCUMENTS

Apprenticeship “Arch”

DRAFTING LINEWEIGHTS

BASIC ACCOUNTING

SKILLS

SOFTWARE SKILLSET

PUNCHLIST/ SITE

SURVEYING

WORKING DRAWING CONTRACT DOCUMENTS

“NOVITIATE”

The end goal of apprenticeship is to find your

The end goal of apprenticeship is to find your

purpose.

I know it’s a cliché but

It’s a sustainable way of answering the question

“Why am I doing this for the next two years?”

How to find your purpose?

How to find your purpose?How to strategize your apprenticeship.

Look at apprenticeship as a “game”• RUSH gamer

• MIDDLE gamer

• “END” gamer

Rush Gamer

as represented by the Zerg Swarm and the Burning Legion

Rush Gamer• They are usually the type of students who acquired the “Novice”

skillsets before they even graduate,

• Tends to work abroad immediately after graduation

• Stay to work abroad before board exam

Rush GamerPros:- Earns MUCH more- International Practice- International Exposure

Cons:- Lack of LOCAL projects (projects situated abroad does

not count in LOGBOOKS)- Overwork- Far from Family- “Mabisyo”

Two Kinds to RUSH Gamers• “Pencionados”

• “Mayayabang”

RUSH gamer role models• Pencionado Architects of the early 20th Century (Juan Nakpil, Arellano,

Zaragoza, etc)

MID gamers

as represented by the Protoss Templars

MID Gamer• They are the exceptional students who WANT A

STABLE job from the get go

• Have the tendency to get the BEST EMPLOYERS locally

• They would probably get back to these employers after they pass the Architecture Board Exam

MID gamerPros:- Stable workplace- Local projects (Logbook)- Diversified experience (in theory)- Solid work experienceCons: - Overwork - Underpay (from the start)- ROUTINE lifestyle- Monday to Saturday (even Sunday), 9AM to 9PM

Two Kinds of MID gamers• “Leader”

• “Kiss Ass”, Follower

Dr. Travis Bradberry• Leadership is the art of persuasion—the act of motivating people to

do more than they ever thought possible in pursuit of a greater good.• It has nothing to do with your title.• It has nothing to do with authority or seniority.

You’re not a leader just because you have people reporting to you. And you don’t suddenly become a leader once you reach

a certain pay grade.

A true leader influences others to be their best. Leadership is about social influence, not positional power.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. —John Quincy Adams

MID gamer role models

Coscolluela Architects

Albert S. Yu (ASYA)

END gamersas represented by the Terran Confederancy

END Gamer• Hinged on INSECURITY (lack of SKILLSET)

• Try to fill-up the gaps in their “Apprenticeship Arch” by taking their time to acquire it on different sources

• Different employers in a span of a few years (locally or abroad)

END gamerPros:- Local projects (Logbook)- Diversified experience (in theory)- CONTROL over skillsets- CONTROL over time (your on your own phase)Cons: - Underpay- Insecurity from RUSH gamers (ignore them)

Who are END gamer role models?

Starchitects

What you need to think about at this moment?• Try to re-check your SKILLSETS from your “ARCH”

• Write your insecurities and what plan how to fill them up

• Establish your “Spreadsheet” to plan your board exam review expenses in 2 years

If you need advice/ insight or strategyronaldjohndalmacio@gmail.com

Ronald John Dalmacio

Just give the damn paper before I leave.

(Not yet the last slide)

ABOUT INTERVIEWS• “Tell me something about yourself.”

• “What do you want to be in 5 years/ 10 years?”

• “Why do you want to work here?”

ABOUT EMPLOYERS• It is IMPORTANT to point out that as an apprentice your employers

SHOULD TRAIN you (specially if he/ she is an architect) and give your ample amount of time (learning curve) to get their operations,

• Because it’s part of their OATH

• If they didn’t train you that counts as “office bullying”.

ABOUT EMPLOYERS• SMALL FIRM

• MEDIUM FIRM

• BIG FIRM

ULTIMATELY THE GOAL OF APPRENTICESHIP IS TO• Practical Level: To figure out your SPECIALIZATION

HOSPITAL DESIGNHERITAGE CONSERVATIONTROPICAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREURBAN PLANNINGURBAN DESIGNFORENSIC ARCHITECTUREARCHITECTURAL INTERIORSCONTRACTOR (most profitable, most stressful)ARCHITECT-OF-RECORDETC

ULTIMATELY THE GOAL OF APPRENTICESHIP IS TO• Existential Level: To figure out your PURPOSE

I would like to end this with quotationsAnd always remember this when you feel like;

• Burning out from work• You got “office bullied” due to incompetence• Impatient

“What looks like failure at one point in your life can later look like a

wonderful success.”

“Piss lightning and shit success.”

“Do what satisfies you. If that isn't an option, then do what will sustain you until you can do what satisfies

you.”

Never miss an opportunity“When life gives you lemons, break some silly laws, bend your consciousness (by whatever means necessary) and realize that if a bear shits in the woods and you weren't there to see it, it

might as well not have shit, according to you.”

Hope you find your Purpose.