The Art to allow oneself to learn as much as possible in a certain field is to enter it with the mindset of knowing absolutely nothing about anything. A clean slate, new habits, a curious youngster was thrown into the world of the unknown, and crisp might even be taken as a naive ambition to change the world. However, if we take the aforementioned as the YANG, we are bound to have to elaborate on the YIN as well. The YIN would be the fairly understandable ways of an adolescent, that is about to enter a new environment-architecture school to be exact. We have all been through that, so no shame is thrown over the way adolescence wraps us in its bubble of delusional invincibility, emotional rollercoaster, struggling with decision making, and the undeniable question mark about everything and everyone. Albeit commonly argumentative, this Yin and Yang help one evolve as a person, they are also the reason why one will enforce the amount of effort he/she has intended to succeed in their profession.
I am fairly positive, myself, and as many of you can attest, when at first entering the world of Architecture, have had an image of future self as a famous architect. The first year of school tests the limits of the fresh faces is one up on the task for the next five or so years, as well as the life-long calling afterward, or one is not up for it and changes the first-chosen course. Take Architecture College as a motorcycle club, and first-years are the prospects. After the first-year, the motion of functioning in “the club” gradually changes. One learns and indulges slowly oneself in the true meaning behind the profession, and with that the mind-set changes. I guess we understand that not everyone can become famous, but it doesn’t even matter, because there are greater things at stake.
One would be appreciative of oneself and its abilities if their professional calling was a “disaster relief architect” //architects that design temporary architectural structures on sites struck by natural disasters, such as floods, tornados, earthquakes, etc.//. However, the same amount of self-respect would go to the other, which would be a celebrity architect that designed a house with extraordinary space and an amazing façade. I hold no bias for either one of the aforementioned paths in the same profession; I am stating a single example of the obvious deviation architecture school offers. We all have an individual representation of what our future self should do, maybe not in the clearest picture, but enough to know which path one wants to take. In that manner, the fair presumption is that we all strive for making a difference, in our way, in school and after it. And the state of the fact is we all learn and are schooled about the same technical skills.
In my educated guess, I would say we all have our favorites and of course, the not so much favored. The technical skills which one learns in Architecture College are the roots of one’s knowledge of what aspects one excels at and the knowledge of how to proceed in the choosing of his/her career path. The truth to be told, in my case, the crucial skills I learned about, are not all the presumable skills that the curriculum offered. Sure, the AutoCAD, a certain 3D program by the choosing of the legislative of the college, a certain introduction of Adobe programs, but nothing of grand knowledgeable value, until you sit down, figure out what you need to do the project right and learn whatever you can about the programs that can help you achieve that. And let me tell you, the grandeur of devoting yourself to learn as hard as you can about certain programs, presentable skills, and well-argument advocacy to present the project is the knowledge that will remain as your base because you spent countless hours learning how to do it by yourself and that will determine your skill set for future.
But the technical skills are not just the programs, the media that help you bring to light whatever your imagination comes up with. The skills are also getting to know about oneself. The knowledge about whether one is more of a team player or a solo initiator. The skill to increase creativity flow, and imaginative and visionary conduct of ideas. The people skill; how to converse, act, plan and organize, lead, follow, communicate, adapt, and overcome certain situations. It is all part of the skillset, and in my defense, I cannot pinpoint which one of these I am apt to do, not to, or I am in the progress of adding them up on my able list, not with certainty, but I guess we all learn something every-day, till the last day.
The value in the knowledge you acquire sets your record of “can do” and “I will learn to do” straight. Although Plato and Descartes would probably argue for th e benefit of the doctrine of Innatism //that the mind is born with ideas and primal knowledge//, for the sake of the argument we will indulge them not and adhere that nobody was born knowing anything. We all learn each day something new, whether it is a professional ground skill, a self-reflective narrative, a common skill, whatever. So believe me when I tell you, there is nothing one cannot learn if one sets their mind to learn it. I acknowledge the juxtaposition of the mind-set we students are accustomed to: one must be astute to learn; rather than one must learn to be astute. There is sole adequacy in the way a single mind can learn more if tries more, as opposed to the mind that already believes has learned all and tries none. Learn, question what you have learned, then learn some more, take your knowledge and share it, thus repeat.
