For Emerging Professionals & Students

Take your first steps
into Real Practice.

capX connects you with California architecture firms for paid internships, job shadowing, and virtual mentoring — regardless of where you are in your education or your path. Your journey into the profession starts here.
Get Started

Join the capX community.

Now open year-around.
Enroll once and update your profile and availability as needed.

  • → Open to all: high school students through graduate and experience-only
  • → Paid internships at or above California minimum wage
  • →
     Access to the capX resource library and annual community MeetUps
  • → Supported by donations to CAF *

  • * Suggested annual donation: $25 EP/Student | $125 Architects/ Firms

capX is a Community

This community
is yours.

capX is a community, not just a program. Everyone here, from the students just exploring architecture for the first time to licensed architects and firms opening their doors, are building something together. You belong in this conversation.
Your feedback shapes how capX evolves. If something isn't working, if there's a resource you wish existed, or if you simply want to share how your experience went, please reach out--we want to hear about it!
"What I found most helpful about the capX program was its accessibility and the support it provides. The guidance on making the most of internship and shadowing opportunities was invaluable, especially since these experiences can feel brief and fast-paced. I also appreciated the program’s commitment to continuous improvement, with opportunities for participants to give feedback."
Keiko Watanabe — 2025 capX Participant 
“Although I graduated from UC Berkeley, I didn’t learn about many of the available resources for recent grads until a year after finishing my degree. The search for an internship, job, or even job shadowing opportunities has been incredibly difficult—I’ve truly exhausted my options. Only recently did I learn about capX. While I was in school, I didn’t fully understand how internships worked. Due to being a low-income student with family responsibilities, I wasn’t in a position to apply for many of them at the time. I appreciate the effort the AIA and its programs make in trying to bridge these gaps..”
— Sharon Lopez | 2024 capX Participant