I’ve been blessed this summer with a full time job, working 40 hours a week, and hopefully additional overtime later this summer. I’ve been working at Luckett and Farley, the largest Architecture/Engineering firm in the state. So far, I’m absolutely loving my summer job. I wake up in the morning and am eager to get to work, to learn something new or work on a job.

I have been paired with a senior project manager, Jeff, who is a licensed architect, and I’m acting as his second shadow. Where he goes, I go. He also was awarded his LEED Accredited status, which I hope to obtain later this summer. I have a copy of the LEED for New Construction version 2.2 Reference Guide, and a technical workshop book, and some materials that I found on the internet that include flashcards and recommended tips from other test takers. L&F is hosting Saturday morning LEED AP Test Study Sessions, where current LEED AP members give up 3 hours of their day off from work to come and give presentations on various LEED AP categories, and provide custom handouts that will help with a personal study guide. Two weeks ago, I helped Jeff give a presentation about three Material and Resources Credits, MR 5, MR 6, and MR 7. I may share some of the presentation later in another post.

We’ve been working on three big projects so far, and I’ve learned different things from each of them in the past 3 weeks. One job is a vegetated green roof for a client within the city of Louisville, who is also planning on a rain garden and permeable paving.  The second is monitoring a construction project, watching it develop and learning about building problems that arise during construction, and the last is a pro bono project, building accessible bathrooms for a public location that doesn’t have any code compliant bathrooms.

During my spare time, I’m learning new computer software - Autodesk Revit 2009 - as well as studying to take the LEED New Construction exam at the end of June or the start of July.  It’s been helpful to work on small projects, making complex Powerpoints to explain LEED to painters and sealant companies, as well as landscape architects, to be able to understand LEED well.  There also might be a monetary bonus if I pass the exam before the end of July!

More to come later on my summer job…