Or how to use all the benefits of being architectural college student!
Just imagine: you’re studying Architecture, Interior/Landscape Design, Engineering or Construction Management, but feeling frustrated about your level of BIM software experience and your career perspectives. Sounds too familiar? Well you are not alone: many students feel the same! And we decided to create material that will help you to boost your knowledge, find work opportunities and ... get paid while you are studying!
In this article we will explain how to get all perks from the Campus REP program developed by one of the best BIM-software developers – GRAPHISOFT.
❓ What is the Campus REP program? It is a GRAPHISOFT initiative that helps students showcase their work, start their careers and guide them into the world of Building Information Modeling technologies. The program not only educates students, but helps them to learn more through leading a group of their peers on campus.
We talked with one of the students, who is taking a part in GRAPHISOFT Campus REP Program currently. Her Name is Lana Sadeldeen, she is 21 and she is studying architecture at Arizona State University at the Herberger Design School located in Tempe Arizona.
She wanted to become an architect from a young age: she loved designing her doll houses both physically and digitally. She is a second generation of architects in her family – her father is an architect and fueled her love for design all her life.
Tell us about your university education. What kind of projects do you design? Do you study BIM at the university?
– We have designed many spaces. Most notably was a multi housing and recently we finished a library space of the future.
Unfortunately, we do not study Archicad in college. In the beginning we were taught AutoCAD and Rhino, but as we progressed in our studies we were able to choose the BIM software of our choosing. Most of the students relied on independently learning BIM with help from instructors if necessary.
All Macbook owners use Archicad and my instructor recommended me to try it because he was an avid user of Archicad. At first sight I thought the graphics were better than my colleagues that used Revit. My colleagues can attest to this opinion as well.
How did you know about Campus REP?
– Actually, it was accidentally. I had called to BIM6x by chance to ask a question about Archicad and Chris (BIM6x Archicad Solutions Director) has told me that GRAPHISOFT has launched this program. So I decided to participate.
What are your expectations from the Campus REP Program? And have some of your expectations been met?
– I have many expectations! First of all, I want to continue progressing and learning new skills that I can use in Archicad now during my college projects. I want to always be one step ahead of the skill set that most students my age possess. Another expectation I have is to find an internship around my area in Phoenix, AZ, that I can use to gain experience before graduation. I am still looking, but having this position on my resume has helped me set up many interviews already. And I definitely enjoy the extra money on hand, especially because this position is my first job that I have had and I am enjoying it very much.
❓Campus REP is a program where you need to accomplish tasks and learn through it. So what kind of tasks are there? Basically, all tasks are about education and self-development: take a course, attend the workshop or webinar, participate an architectural competition, host a workshop or presentation on campus, share info about student version of Archicad or your edu projects on the social media and things like that. All participants are paid for tasks accomplishments.
Can you explain what tasks did you do already?
– I have had the opportunity to watch the Skill Set videos (usually this course costs $5,994, but free for Campus REPs). From this course I gained a better understanding of the Archicad as BIM software: this has saved me so much time during the creation of my own projects! I have not been able to find an internship at this moment – this one is still in process. Also, I have tutored some classmates during the semester.
I have received payment for completing assignments and I used it to go out and invite some friends to a nice dinner at Postinos about five minutes away from my Tempe college campus.
According to the Learning Pyramid, Retention rate is higher if you are sharing your knowledge with others. Do you think that education of your fellow students helped you to learn more about Archicad and BIM?
– My colleagues in my studio course ask me when they have any questions regarding Archicad. So I have been able to learn more through the help to my colleagues. It is always nice to be in a group where we are constantly growing and learning from each other to complete the projects at hand.
Is it hard to be a Campus REP participant?
– It is not hard whatsoever. Although I am a full time college student, I have not felt that this position is hard because it has been created with my life as a student in mind. For example, I can choose how much time I have to complete tasks this week. When it is my finals week I tend to have less time to complete tasks, but all throughout the semester I have the time to complete as many tasks as I please.
The reason I find it helpful, rather than hard, is because the tasks I complete tend to help me on my current college assignments.
What can you advise to the other young architects? How to start to act?
My advice to other young architects is to do what makes you happy as cliche as it sounds. If you grew up designing doll houses, on “Sims” games, on “Minecraft” games, then you have the drive and will have so much fun in the long run. You must start to act like the architect you aspire to be which entails going above and beyond in your studies in the studio that will be your driving force in securing work that will get you excited in the future.
💡 Ready to become a BIM rock star? We know exactly what to do: enroll the Campus REP program!
With Campus REP you will:
Build a Rock-star Resume
Find an Internship
Earn extra spending money!
Get Industry Recognition!
To become a REP, you’ll need to:
Have an active Archicad license (Educational Version) available here
Be currently studying Architecture, Interior/Landscape Design, Engineering or Construction Management at a College or University
Reside in North America or Canada
Be active on social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
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