Architecture as a Future Career 

Recently I gave a presentation at a junior school on architecture as a future career. There were about 400 people there, looking at me. It was my biggest audience yet, and it was a little bit scary! 

Even more nerve-wracking was the fact that my daughter was in the audience. I was helping out with an assembly about what parents do for work and future careers. 

I prepared a few slides with the basics of my job distilled into simple words and phrases. I found it really helpful to do, as it forced me to think about what I do in a really clear and concise way. 

Some of the children really enjoyed getting involved with the props I had brought with me, like the laser tape to measure the hall, getting wrapped in a duvet [insulation layer that keeps buildings warm] + wearing rigger steel toe capped boots and hardhat. There was also a genuine interest in what I had to say, and there were lots of questions. 

I was really pleased when one girl came up to me at the end and asked if she needed to be really good at maths if she wanted to be an architect in the future. I told her that you do need to pass your exams, but you don’t necessarily need to get the best marks. A lot of it is about hard work, having the right attitude, and not giving up.  

I hope that my presentation helped and possibly inspired her and some of the other children. Since giving the presentation I’ve heard that several children want to work in architecture which is great to hear. 

If you want to download and/or view the entire presentation please click here !