Professional Career Interview Name: Chris Dawson Title: Design Architect Company: CDA Company address: 223 South

Third Street, Harrisburg, A, !"!#! Company phone: $"!"% &#'('#)# Q: How did you become interested in this career? A: *hen + was ,ery young, + would ride my bi-e to soccer practice. /n the way, + always saw this unusual synagogue, which was designed by the dean at Syracuse 0ni,ersity at that time, and + was ama1ed by it. + wanted to learn to design buildings that would ha,e a similar e22ect on others. Q: What are the aspects of this career that you like? A: Designing. + lo,e designing something to sol,e a client3s problem, and + stri,e to always e4ceed my client3s e4pectations. Q: What are the aspects of this career that you dislike? A: 5conomic crises can ma-e the 6ob mar-et unpredictable. 7uilding and remodeling plans can be put on hold until conditions impro,e. Q: Which classes or training did you take in college? A: To obtain any -ind o2 architecture 6ob, you need at least a 7achelor3s o2 Architecture, -nown as a 7. Arch. This is di22erent than a 7achelor3s o2 Art or Science degree. A 7. Arch re8uires 2i,e years o2 study as opposed to the traditional 2our(year degree. +n addition, aspiring architects need to complete a three(year apprenticeship period. To succeed, students need plenty o2 e4perience to become recogni1ed in the 2ield and to help them stand out against sti22 competition. Q: Is there opportunity for advancement in this career field? A: There are many opportunities 2or ad,ancement but these opportunities come with e4perience. 9or e4ample, it too- me !' years wor-ing with ,arious architecture 2irms to 2inally come to a point where + was able to start my own 2irm. Q: Can you describe your daily work?

A: There is no such thing as a normal day 2or architects. /ne o2 the great things about architecture is that e,ery day is di22erent because each is dependent on the types o2 pro6ect you3re wor-ing on and at what stage o2 de,elopment they are at. Architects3 daily responsibilities entail leading construction pro6ects, mar-eting themsel,es to land pro6ects, understanding the pro6ect sites and re8uirements, and de,eloping a conceptual design solution with the owner. /nce this has been decided, the architect is constantly coordinating with other parties to see a design through. Q: Which skill do you think is the most important to perform for this ob? A: A success2ul architect needs passion 2or his cra2t. +2 you want to be a design architect, you need to be creati,ely strong, persistent, patient, and a strong leader. Q: How many hours do you work a day? How many days a week? A: The amount o2 hours ,aries depending on the particular 6ob. /n a,erage, a design architect will put in :# hours per wee- when wor-ing on a pro6ect. Q: If you were hiring a person for this ob! what would you look for? A: + would loo- 2or people with the 8ualities + stated earlier. They must be creati,ely strong, persistent, patient, and a strong leader. Q: Was it difficult to find your first ob in this field? A: ;es. This career is e4tremely competiti,e. Due to the le,el o2 competition and the many years o2 wor- that go into earning a degree, architecture is a 2ield that ta-es patience to brea- into. +t is a challenging pro2ession. 5,en when + was in school, my 2reshman class started at about !2#, and by the time + graduated, there were about 3# o2 us. Q: What is your advice for someone who is interested in this field? A: <ain e4perience where,er you can. + did internships 2or pro2essors and pro2essionals at home o,er the summer when + could get them. + wor-ed in se,eral architecture 2irms and a22iliated mysel2 with a number o2 architecture organi1ations. + also wor-ed as the president and board member o2 the Central ennsyl,ania American +nstitute o2 Architects $A+A% Chapter.