Someone rightly said that architecture is a world in itself.
When we first step into this realm of design, we are clueless, naive students with absolutely no idea about what these five years hold for us. We, as amateur professionals, discover styles, cultures, and stories which may or may not concern the built. The field of design not only allows a person to tap his/her creative side but also gives a platform to showcase one’s imaginative mind. The profession offers an array of options for the architect to diversify in, be it writing, painting, photography, or the very essence of it, designing. Hence, it would not be wrong to say that architecture is not just any course but a lifetime of an experience in itself: an encounter with buildings, ideas, design philosophies, terms that we were unaware of, and loads of stationery items that we would have otherwise never used.
Most of us dream of becoming astronauts, pilots, doctors, actors, but I am yet to come across somebody who had planned on becoming an architect ever since their childhood. The journey for almost every architecture student generally begins with being asked, “Why architecture?” and not to my surprise, there are only a few who have an answer to it. We spend five years and sometimes more, seeking how we ended up here. We put in efforts to make people understand what our job is. We experience the true meaning of the idiom, burning the midnight oil. We also cannot emphasize enough on the fact that we are not architecture but architects. Yet, the journey for the majority of us still comes to an end with the same question, “Why architecture?” It is funny to think that something which earlier used to stress us, now brings a smile on our face and reminds us of the countless memories we have made and the many people we have met while figuring out an answer to a simple question.
First-year, without any doubt, is the most adventurous one out of all the five years. We introduce ourselves and get to know people who we end up calling our batchmates. We match frequencies with strangers who eventually become our friends. We establish our identity in college, which in the long run, is way more than merely being somebody’s junior or senior. Amidst all this, we are also supposed to make decisions which a regular eighteen-year-old would never have made. By decisions I mean, choosing batchmates proficient in all spheres of architecture for countless group projects we are required to undertake during these five years of architecture. The entire approach towards such assignments almost has a warlike feel to it. It is a quest to come up with the brightest of concepts and the most innovative ways of presenting those. And who is the opponent? Well, your classmates with an equally strong team. All this would seem highly immature to somebody who is not associated with our field, but to us, these are the things that keep us going.
Second-year comes with the additional responsibility of being the immediate seniors to freshers. Suddenly we feel grown-up and start talking in the language of architecture with ease and confidence. We develop our interests, our inclinations, and a liking towards attending college. With an experience of one year, we also act wiser when it comes to handling the deadlines. Things are no longer limited to academics, with competitions and festivals becoming an integral part of our lives. We, nonetheless, leave no chance in cursing our fate on all the nights we have stayed up to get over with the infinite submissions, endless requirements for juries, and redos beyond our comprehension. But, in the end, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing all your hard work come to life in the form of models for the final design jury. It is a perfect end to the grueling hours spent in college, sites, and at times even home.
Things start getting serious by the time we reach the third year. We start worrying about our portfolios, securing an internship, and applying for exchange programs. Our conversations revolve around the names of the architects we want to work with, firms we want to learn from, and cities we want to travel. We are more than happy reviewing each other’s work, receiving criticism, and even sharing the list of firms and their contact details with a few special ones. We are no longer so competitive, and a feeling of mutual growth and learning takes over. Irrespective of all this, we still guard the precious list of design studios with utmost secrecy, which only an architecture student would know. One not only imbibes a feeling of pride for their college by now but, they also learn to live with the fact that most people do not know the difference between the profession and the field, the difference between an architect and architecture.
Fourth-year is all about internships for the majority of students. It is a stepping stone for us in this grim and fierce professional world with a feeling comparable to that of the first day in college. We have the same level of excitement, nervousness, and zeal. We are eager to meet new people, learn a host of things, and put ourselves out there in real life.
It is also the time when most of us earn our first income, which helps instill a feeling of accomplishment and pride. Attending office makes you happy, having your workstation is a different feeling altogether, and being treated like a professional makes one question all the years you have spent in college, pretending to be beginners. It also gives you a reality check that the secured environment of the college is indeed beautiful. The only things you have to worry about are the attendance, assignments, deadlines, something new available in the canteen, and the fact that there are limited working hours of the printing shop. Yet, all of this seems irrelevant when we sit and ponder that we would be graduating in about one year.
Fifth-year, or as they say, the final year passes by in the blink of the eye. Despite being on the verge of completion of college, we to date are unsure about: why architecture. We still have not managed to get a perfect ten pointer, and we are left to determine what the future holds for us. Yet, we like to call ourselves professionals, with a thesis in one hand and a degree in the other, waiting to get registered with the Council. We are a bunch of intellectual heads who know about numerous subjects, ranging from landscape, construction materials, joinery details, architecture styles to pottery, art, culture, and cinema. It would not be wrong to say that we can easily substitute as a human encyclopedia.
The journey of an architect is not limited to these five years. Architects continue to learn and grow throughout their lives, with countless incidents that shape their ideologies, beliefs, and thoughts. It is one of those few professions that gives one the flexibility to experiment with their way of living, working, and even change their perspective towards the world. The beauty of architecture lies in the smallest of details, allowing one to create a difference without making much of a difference.
