I’ve been meaning to mention my view on deciding which exam to take, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) exam or the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE). In writing I came to realize I really don’t know what LEED is and I’ve been meaning to stay ignorant about it.
I’m close to serious. At some point in my career I may learn more about LEED. I have no pressing need for it now, so I’m concentrating on the ARE.
This might sound like I’m discouraging staying on the cutting edge of our field or discouraging being prepared for the future of our profession. I don’t know. All I know is, I’m getting my license first.
To me, the fact, that some interns can take their architectural licensing exams concurrent with experience, is a good reason to focus on attaining the legal rights of our profession. Of course our profession is notorious for not financially rewarding licensed architects. In a future post, I will make a casual economic case about why LEED accredited professionals may get a pay reward and licensed architects may not.
I encourage those of you deciding which exam to take, in addition to considering a possible pay raise, do not weigh the exams equally and factor time. Time spent on one exam is lost for the other exam. I hope this helps, if only a little, in prioritizing these exams.
PPI
Sketchbook Project
Also keep in mind that the LEED and ARE are really apples and onions… Anyone can become LEED accredited by taking the exam. NOT everyone can take the ARE become a registered/licensed architect. Granted, the new format of the LEED accreditation process is different now, requiring actual experience on a LEED project (beyond the first exam level). But it’s still open to anyone who wants to take it. So it’s not really a choice between the two – if you want to be an architect, you must take the ARE. Building green buildings doesn’t require you to be LEED accredited. In fact, the majority of individuals I know that have their LEED AP have never even worked on a LEED certified building. The few I know that have worked on a LEED certified building are not LEED AP… and know far more than those who are… Personally, I am so burned out from taking exams the last thing on my mind is preparing for another one! I will get that LEED certification somewhere down the road, but one more acronym after my name isn’t really going to mean higher fees. Thems is just my thoughts!
Forgot to make this statement – getting your license as an architect is far more important than being LEED accredited. Concentrate on that first. You can still work on LEED projects and take that exam when your mind is fresh.
I’ve written something comparing the two a bit further. Trying to look at the two exams at a firm level. But I make a lot of assumptions about firms and LEED, so I haven’t posted it yet.
I think some of your thoughts are common. I don’t know anyone with LEED accreditation who has worked on a LEED project. Here is a good article I got from a Canadian Architect newsletter describing the changes to LEED. http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/may2009/id20090518_634907.htm?campaign_id=rss_innovate