IGNORANCE IS

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Author Message Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 1017 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 06:45 am:    09-0715 IGNORANCE IS.....BLISS err, NO-- DANGEROUS AND RISKY by Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI Cincinnati, OH You’ve made it through college, and the Architects’ Intern Development Program [IDP]; you are working in an office and just passed you’re A.R.E., and you are awaiting your state registration number; you’ve checking prices on seals and letterheads. How dangerous are you? How much of a risk are you to yourself-- and your community? You already realize that you are not fully prepared having had little construction-related instruction in school, and mere snippets of such information in the IDP. You’ve done very inconsequential tasks within the IDP program [just enough to meet the need] and have “seen” working drawings and specifications-- but mainly you do as you’re told converting sketches from Project Architects to CAD drawings for project use. How dangerous are you? [Think of the old adage of, “A little bit of knowledge is dangerous”]. In times past, people worked in professional offices and “worked their way up” from mere office go-for to drafter to Project Lead, etc. From that experience they were able, degree or not, to become registered-- and indeed were fully ready to do “any project”-- from experience! We don’t have that luxury these days, but at the same time we do not have real definitive programs for getting the basic knowledge needed. The registration seal has merit and certainly is a credit to the person’s tenacity and a testimony to their expertise at that moment. We just have a time defining what that moment” contains in the way of knowledge for design and construction documenting, contract documents, detailing, specifying, and overseeing a project. The A.R.E. measurement attests somewhat to the past and what was brought forward-- it’s a beginning, NOT a place to stop! The personal measurement is knowing what you don’t know! This is not to suggest that yet another layer of education is required. Rather there is need for opportunities to be offered to “emerging professionals" [as well defined in CSI parlance] to find their way to new and expanded experience, information and understanding. Many firms have recognized the need [and subsequent value of] for in-house training, “lunch and learns”, close mentoring and better preparing new hires in their professional tasks and direction. Private providers offer some such instruction, but care must be taken to assure quality, true education/learning and in-depth information and not superficial and watered down content. If experienced architects and engineers are required to meet continuing education parameters, how about newly registered professionals-- what should be offered to them to augment their “seals” and increase their knowledge base, construction knowledge, required skills, skill levels , and understanding of their profession overall? Continuing education has come late to the design professions. Once tested in the past one stood no further testing professionally. But now perhaps the on-set has been the obvious and severe technical shortcomings of the academics and IDP, but certainly technical document and construction knowledge training needs to be mandated in every office, by experienced staffers, not at the cost of production time, but as a way to upgrade the staff, and produce higher quality instruments. CSI should, can, and must have a part in augmenting and supporting such efforts.