rjk enterprises

 

I remember being able to see things three-dimensionally when I was only seven years old. I clearly imagined the roof plan of my own house while looking at it from a friend’s yard across the street. (Most adults can’t even imagine a roof plan!) I didn’t know that talent was useful in architecture, however, until I took a drafting class in high school.

I’ve basically been an architect since then, when I won a scholarship from the Nevada Home Builders Association for one of my house designs. I took that scholarship to USC, earning my Bachelor of Science in Architecture. SC’s program was more theoretical than practical, which meant I still had to learn how architects work in the real world.

Luckily, I got that experience in my first job working with an architect in West LA, starting in my second year of college. When I first started, there was one other draftsman, a secretary, and Merle, the boss. By the time I’d left his office to work at another firm seven years later, I had moved up to Lead Project Manager, working directly with Merle, overseeing six other draftsmen and teaching the newcomers how to draw. I had also started taking on my own clients after hours, mainly because it was Merle's office, and he did all the designing.

After a few more years, I’d worked in a couple other offices, gaining a lot of experience with commercial buildings, tracts and high-end residential projects. Some of those are still in my portfolio, because they show the level of detail that I can produce, and they show how that detailing really completes the building.

I was ready to go for my state license in 1985. The exam took two days; the first day had hundreds of multiple choice questions on structure, business & law, and energy issues, and the second day had just one that lasted 12 hours.

We had to read the requirements for a building (in my case, it was a city administration building), and then produce drawings for our design; site plan, floor plan, elevations, details. It was pretty intense. Imagine a hundred people in an auditorium, all hunched over their portable drafting tables littered with circle templates, sketch paper, coffee cups and eraser crumbs. I took two bathroom breaks, but otherwise, I never left the drawing table that whole day.

I had looked at a book with previous solutions to get an idea about the test, so it was very satisfying to see my solution as one of the top twelve published in the next year’s book, now helping other future architects.

I passed that test, and then passed the oral interview to qualify for my license. (Yes, they actually interviewed and judged everyone that made it through that grueling 2-day process.)

Shortly after my son was born in 1988, I opened my own practice. It was the best thing I ever did (in business, at least)!