The Day In The Life Of An Architecture Intern

Guest Post

*[Editor’s Note – 2025 Update: While work-life balance conversations have evolved significantly in the architecture industry, the core challenges and learning experiences described here remain surprisingly relevant. The industry continues to grapple with demanding schedules, though many firms are now implementing better practices around intern welfare and professional development.

This year marks my fourth required internship- I have been working at high-end luxurious interior design focused firm. The hours are tedious. Most of you will argue, “you should have seen this coming being in the design field!” But when I say tedious, I mean pain strikingly 18 hour work days. Maybe it’s just me and some of you will scoff and argue, “that’s nothing; you still got 6 hours to sleep!”

From Redlines to Real Design: The Unexpected Leap

I had been doing very intern-like tasks like correcting mark ups, photo shopping renderings, and ordering samples but suddenly the past two weeks I went from fixing mundane redlines to designing an entire space, (albeit a closet), it was still design!

*[2025 Update: The transition from grunt work to actual design responsibility often happens without warning in architecture firms. While this can feel overwhelming, it’s actually how most successful architects learn to handle real project pressure.]

It is very unlike school work where maybe if the staircase I planned hadn’t been figured out before my presentation – I’d fake it (until I make it). But here, I reminded myself frequently (because check it before you wreck it) that this was WORK, this would be BUILT, and then it will be USED (so maybe that missing step on that staircase could be catastrophic).

Here’s what nobody tells you about this transition: the fear is actually productive. In school, we’re taught to be creative risk-takers, but professional practice teaches you that some risks aren’t worth taking. This tension between creativity and responsibility is where real architectural thinking begins.

The Hidden Value of Exhaustion: Why Burnout Might be Building Character

I have been learning a lot- but I’ve also lost a lot of hair, gained a few wrinkles, and developed deep bags under my eyes. These experiences in the real workforce in combination with an equally tough education makes for a great designer in the making.

*[Editor’s Note: While the author frames exhaustion as character-building, it’s worth noting that sustainable practice methods have become increasingly important in the industry. Many firms now recognize that well-rested designers produce better work.

It’s important from time to time to reflect on if what I’m doing is worth doing. These days I am working 9am to 11pm at my internship but when I get home, I do something other than drawing on the computer, and that’s writing for this blog! It’s important to differentiate experiences and while both jobs seem so different, both are helping my skills in being a successful designer.

The unexpected truth?

Some of the most valuable lessons come not from the 14 hours spent at your desk, but from the 2 hours you spend doing something completely different. Writing, cooking, even scrolling through social media—these activities often provide the mental breaks that lead to breakthrough design solutions the next day.

All in all I am laying the groundwork to becoming the seemingly always exhausted but creatively-ingenious designer that we all strived to be when we were all still wide-eyed freshmen starting our first day of design school.

Until then, you want me to get those papers photocopied? Those redlines fixed? Those finish samples ordered? Sure! I am the intern.

*[Final Note – 2025: The author’s willingness to embrace the grunt work while maintaining perspective on larger goals remains one of the most practical approaches to internship success. The architecture industry still rewards those who can see the bigger picture while handling the details.]