An architect is a professional, so one must be professional and think like a professional in order to be successful (or employed no less) as an architect.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve observed that these critical traits go beyond school and can benefit all of us in life \u2013 as an architect.<\/p>\n
Be self-motivated \u2013<\/strong> One of the best things we can teach our children is to care for their responsibilities without being told. I\u2019m aware our culture has generated \u2018helicopter parents\u2019 who do everything for their kids and sadly many kids grow up with miserable family experiences with no parental support. However, if one wishes to be a professional, or even succeed in a professional university program, one needs to be able to get out of bed on their own.<\/p>\n Be pro-active \u2013<\/strong> One cannot survive long on the \u201ctell me what to do next\u201d attitude in a profession. There\u2019s certainly an aspect of not knowing what to do and needing to be trained and guided. It doesn\u2019t take one long to find answers if they begin to know what they don\u2019t know by simply asking questions. Be polite and respectful \u2013<\/strong> I\u2019m old fashioned, but to me there\u2019s something timeless (or above our cultural norms) about addressing someone by Mr. or Ms. the first time one contacts them. Once one makes contact, the responding party typically responds with the manner they prefer.<\/p>\n NEVER start an email with \u201chey\u201d or with NO salutation. No excuse. One can never go wrong with Dear Mr. Calisti or even Mr. Calisti. I\u2019m not one for formality, but if you don\u2019t know me, don\u2019t treat our first encounter like we\u2019re old friends. I credit my Mum for teaching me how to properly address adults.<\/p>\n Be aware \u2013<\/strong> Regardless of where one is on their journey, there is no excuse in today\u2019s technological age for not knowing about the profession of architecture (or whatever profession one is pursuing). I admit Google can lead one astray, but with all of the other traits noted in this post, one can find reasonable answers. Be a risk taker \u2013<\/strong> Whether it\u2019s in one\u2019s personality or not, architecture demands risk in order to advance it as a profession or to advance a project beyond simply building. This means being exposed, it means being critiqued (or criticized) and it means making mistakes. Just for the record, mistakes do not equal failure. Be curious \u2013<\/strong> If you are interested in being an architect, the question to ask is not why, but \u201cwhy not.\u201d The other question is \u201cwhat if.\u201d I\u2019ve been around long enough and worked on many types of projects. Even the most mundane or seemingly simple projects deserved someone asking \u201cwhat if.\u201d It\u2019s why people hire architects. Any technician can solve basic construction issues and can perform drafting tasks. Curiosity will elevate even the most mundane project. The answer might be no, but the question ought to be asked. Search, wonder and pursue. This is one of the most important character traits of an architect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An architect is a professional, so one must be professional and think like a professional in order to be successful (or employed no less) as an architect. I\u2019ve observed that these critical traits go beyond school and can benefit all of us in life \u2013 as an architect. Be self-motivated \u2013 One of the best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","rating_form_position":"","rating_results_position":"","mr_structured_data_type":""},"categories":[112,16],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nOne of the first questions I ask someone who reaches out to me with advice is \u201cwhat have YOU done to prepare yourself for this moment?\u201d To be honest, I\u2019ve been disappointed in the answers most of the time. How will you move your project forward when the boss or supervisor is not there? Take initiative even if it\u2019s not \u201cyour job\u201d to do so.<\/p>\n
\nTwo questions I ask most young men and women who come to me with an interest in architecture are 1) Can you name an architect \u2013 any architect living or dead? 2) Is there a particular building you find exciting or interesting? Too often I get blank stares.<\/p>\n
\nBe adventurous \u2013 In other words, experiment. Perhaps there is risk associated with this, but it\u2019s much more. One has to explore many options, variances, alternatives and ways of looking at a problem in order to find good solutions. There is no formula for solving an architectural problem. Look around at our mediocre building environment and it will be obvious that formulas don\u2019t work. As soon as we stop asking questions, we fall back on what we know and architecture stagnates. Try something, try anything, and keep looking at ways to develop solutions.<\/p>\n