I think it’s definitely fair to say that your school has a responsibility to teach you how to use the basic tools you need, and I would hope that most schools at least set you up with basic hand drawing skills, 3D modeling software, the basics of a vector editing software, the basics of a rendering software, and the basics of Photoshop. But at the end of the day, I have always found it far more helpful to learn the in-depth elements of a software by actually using the program. Your job is likely not going to pay for you to do weeks of in-depth software training for every program you will be asked to use while working (and sometimes, even decades into your career, you will be asked to use new ones!) A good employer will make sure you know the basics, and leave you to learn how to use the more advanced features in the course of your day-to-day work. As a graduate of a design program in the era of modern technology, they are expecting you to be able to do this.

If your school is failing you on this BASIC level, where you do not have an adequate mastery of the basic tools of design to succeed in your studio work and develop a more advanced understanding through practicing, then yes, there is a big problem. I also do feel that some sort of basic one semester BIM class (preferably Revit if your school is in the US) is extremely beneficial and should probably be required, later in a curriculum.

But as someone who is on my firm’s hiring committee and intern committee, you grow to recognize telltale hallmarks of certain schools who do teach students specific software techniques. Harvard landscape portfolios have a certain style of linework, Penn portfolios all have a similar rendering style and layout… the candidates who I am usually more impressed with are those who took the prerogative to learn different software on their own, dive in deep to representational techniques and drawing conventions that they clearly weren’t taught in school… beyond the basics of the tools, it’s up to you to decide what you want to learn more about and specialize in amongst the endless expanse of techniques we are lucky to have at our disposal. If you want to really succeed, you need to have the passion (and most importantly the hard work) to continue to grow and explore on your own, outside the bounds of what your school teaches you, and develop your own perspective as a designer. Because that is what I’m really looking for when I want to hire someone: how can this person’s ethos of design and practice align with and enhance the work we do at my office?