Should You Quit Your Day Job or Change Jobs To Study For Your ARE Exams?
Are you currently working at an architect firm and beginning to consider studying for your first ARE Exam??
Or maybe you have already passed two ARE Exams and you are continuing to work while preparing for your next exam?
Maybe you currently work 30 hours a week and have some extra downtime after work to start prepping your mind for what is ahead with your 6 tests. What can you do in your hour downtime at work to start prepping for your ARE exams for licensure?
We have heard that some architects “advise quitting your day job and taking some time off work to study for these exams.” We strongly disagree with this suggestion for several important reasons!
In our opinion, it is best to continue working and getting a study paycheck while you take these exams.
One reason for this… is because it relieves alot of stress knowing that you have a steady monthly paycheck coming in while you are studying on the side. And less stress leads to a better testing experience and a more focused mindset.
HOWEVER, if you have a day job at an architect firm that calls for 55 hour weeks and high stress coming from the demands of clients and your boss, this is definitely a different situation. If this is the scenario you find yourself in, then we suggest finding a more relaxed day job where your work hours and stress levels are much lower, at least for a year, while you complete the majority of your ARE NCARB exams.
Another reason we disagree with this suggestion of quitting your day job is because then all of your marbles are in one bag. If all your marbles are in one bag, then you have everything riding on passing your ARE exams quickly the first time around, which can lead to putting too much pressure on yourself…
Now SOME people thrive off self-imposed pressure, however I think this is the minority of people. For most people, it is nice to have a day job to fall back on during the week if you happen to fail one or two exams. It gives you the chance to reset your brain and focus on something else for a few weeks or months in-between exams. If you fail an exam while unemployed, it may force you into a downward spiral since this is the only thing on your plate. Of course you can always get yourself out of a downward spiral, so it’s not a huge deal.
Another very important reason for not quitting your day job to study, is that alot of architect and design firms will help pay for you to take your ARE licensure exams. Most firms help to pay for these tests because they want their employees to be licensed. The more of their employees that are licensed, the more knowledgeable and respected the firm becomes and… Blah dah dah. Firms like having licensed architects, let us just leave it at that.
If you are unemployed you obviously won’t have an employer that is willing to do that for you. And the fees for each of these exams are not minor, in fact they are quite expensive. Employers want you to succeed in your exams. I have heard that alot of them will cover the cost of the exam if you pass, but will not cover the exam fees if you don’t pass. This makes sense honestly. It would get quite expensive to have 5 employees failing exams continuously because there is no personal consequence for failing often.
One final (and potentially the most important) reason for not quitting your day job to study for the ARE Exams is because your day job will likely teach you knowledge that will help you to pass your exams. For Practice Management, Project Management and Construction & Evaluation this does not really apply, since these exams are highly focused on AIA contracts and legal terms that you likely don’t work with on a daily basis. However for the Programming & Analysis, Project Dev. & Documentation and Project Planning & Design exams, you will often learn things in the field that can benefit you tremendously.
To further aid in this knowledge, ask your employer if you can work on something new that you haven’t worked on yet, like maybe completing life safety sheets, or drawing more roof/parapet details, or refining the partition type sheets. This type of knowledge is always beneficial for the PDD and PPD exams.
There are a multitude of things within the drawings and details that likely need to be adjusted or cleaned up on any project. Start analyzing them more closely and ask a knowledgeable architect in the firm if something doesn’t make sense to you.
However, when asking questions at a firm, it is always best to find out what you can online or in older project details first. I have found that older architects appreciate you being resourceful and proactive when it comes to finding answers, instead of just going to them with 10 questions right away. Older architects can be extremely knowledgeable but not all are willing to teach. Find the people at the firm that enjoy teaching, rather than the ones who dread it. There are definitely architects at firms that dread teaching younger architects, it is just human nature. And then there are some that truly enjoy it. Go to them!
In summary, do not quit your day job to study for your ARE NCARB exams!
BUT if you happen to have a very busy and stressful job, then maybe considering changing day jobs and going to work at a less demanding firm while you are studying for your 6 ARE Architecture Exams throughout your evenings and weekends.
_____________
Written: Study Warrior Staff