Celebrating 40 years in Architecture
This year I am celebrating my architectural registration for 40 years. It is a bit difficult to say that but this is a fact. In the summer of 1982, I subjected myself to the Texas Architectural Registration Exams. In that day, you took the tests in two phases. There was a design test where you started at 7am on a design problem with about 9 hours to complete a small set of plans. You actually worked on a drafting table with another 200 applicants working all around you in the Tarrant County Convention Center. It was a bit like some of those old Frank Lloyd Wright era pictures of a sea of draftsman all working in a large room.
‘I passed that phase the first time. .”
The second phase was a “fill in the answer with multiple choices” style test on technical subjects that lasted two days. This one was in an Austin civic building. It also had about 200 applicants working all around me. Amazingly I passed all of these tests the first time also. So, in September of 1982, I found myself a Registered Architect in Texas. At a moment like that you think “well what now?”. The “now” turned out to be a journey of job experiences which included architectural design, construction management, house building, land development, bank design-build and finally starting my own architecture firm. I am living my child hood dream.
Terry R. Cuningham -Registered Texas Architect. Mentoring daily.
