"With another academic year over, there are thousands more young people struggling to find an architecture practice"

For people graduating from architecture school to have a better experience of navigating the job market, change is required at all levels, writes Sana Tabassum.

No matter who you speak to in the architecture profession – established architects, people who have switched careers, graduates who finished their education just before the pandemic – they all have the same take on the job market: it's awful. For those now entering the field, the situation looks tougher than ever.

Practices are increasingly asking for experience even for the most entry-level roles, leaving graduates in an impossible position. The only chance of getting said experience is hoping that a director or practice takes a chance on you. That makes things even harder for people of colour or from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are less likely to have industry contacts to draw on.

Most have received almost no guidance on how to put together a portfolio

With another academic year over, there are now thousands more young people in the UK struggling to find the practice for them. Most have received almost no guidance on how to put together a portfolio or write a cover letter, and there are few useful established networks for them to look to for advice.

Early in my career I spent a year trying to find (and finally settling for) my first job in architecture, only to realise the job wasn't what I had thought at all. With no background or mentor figures to look up to, feeling like I didn't fit into the studio culture and struggling to keep up with the vast amount of information I had to learn, I was a little out of my depth.

After having 10 interviews over the course of the year with still no job in sight, I figured it was time to invest in myself and learn how to write a blog, design my own website and create content. To my surprise, sharing my design insights and productivity methods garnered quite a lot of attention online, and making content became a ritual.

Since completing my master's, I've deliberately avoided the nine-to-five and opted to freelance in various industries and roles from marketing to content strategy, community facilitation, architectural design and, more recently, communications.

Then, after completing my master's degree in 2023 I returned to the architecture fray again feeling confident. I had been commended for my university work. I had previous experience. I even had a strong personal brand.

But, once again, I struggled to find a job. It can feel like you're doing all the right things, taking in all the vague advice and updating your portfolio once again, but the result is often the same. The lesson is that it is always hard, and it takes a bit of luck, the right timing, and going the extra mile to get noticed.

For things to really change, we'll need more than grassroots initiatives

Truthfully, I was being a little bit pickier, as are a lot of younger professionals. We're valuing life/work balance, flexibility, and aren't afraid to switch to the public sector or client side if faced with low-pay and slow career growth. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that there's less competition for jobs in architecture practices.

Can anything be done? Although there has been plentiful discourse on the job market post-pandemic, from debates to panel events, there seems to be a trend of simply speaking about the issue rather than actively trying to solve it – with some notable exceptions, such as start-up programmes like Build The Way, Beyond The Box and Karakusevic Carson Architects' Key to Architecture programme.

But for things to really change, we'll need more than grassroots initiatives. We require unified disruption from all
parties.

While the Royal Institute of British Architects splurges on its latest refurbishment, it could be a good time to equally invest time and attention into the student community. The body's current offerings are outdated and generalistic at best, so using its reach and reputation would come in handy to unite and platform existing organisations and initiatives or bring them under the same roof.

For their part, practices need to be a lot more open to collaborating with students without the fear of short-term investment.

Much of the issue lies in the job advert itself. When it's unclear what exactly a "competitive salary" means, it can be disheartening for those who make it past hundreds of applications, through multiple interviews, only to be presented with a lowball figure.

It's surprising that less than a handful of universities are driving to instil change

Many practices use benchmark salary guides as an excuse to continue fostering an underpaid profession. Transparency in pay should be an industry standard rather than some kind of unicorn appearance.

With the apprenticeship programme also taking a hit recently, schools of architecture should be revisiting their teaching models to integrate professional learning earlier in the course. Notable courses that do this already are the London School of Architecture and Bath with their placement programmes, and Leicester, which has an integrated curriculum, teaching first years about planning.

It's surprising that less than a handful of universities are driving to instil change. The catch-22 of the general design industry is rooted in the discrepancy between the skills demanded by prospective employers and the teaching that happens at university – a mismatch that only becomes apparent once you leave.

With cuts coming to many major universities, it's also worrying to hear from students who are already concerned with the quality of teaching and supposedly rationed contact time. Bigger changes in architectural education should start with engaging current students to not just understand their opinions and needs but to gauge where interests lie.

On the flip side, some initiative can also be taken by students early on. Yes, the architecture course can be stressful and demanding, but getting ahead of the curve requires a bit of planning ahead.

I regularly encourage students to think about building their personal brand, both digitally and in person. The architecture industry, especially in cities like London, can feel like a tight-knit community where everyone knows each other, which has its pros and cons.

Young people are leaning into the things they love

The number of people who find jobs based on referrals is higher than you think. Networking isn't just an old-school boys' club, it can be a great way to find like-minded individuals and potential workplaces that have aligning values.

In her book Don't Get A Job, Make A Job, Gem Barton describes education as an "active endeavour", where learning doesn't necessarily stop after graduation. In that vein, young people are leaning into the things they love, using higher education as a place to learn, grow and experiment.

As a result, the architecture course becomes more of a stepping stone than the final goal. The profession is no longer a linear career path and we shouldn't be treating it that way.

Sana Tabassum is a multi-disciplinary designer and creative director. She is the founder of To Scale, an online platform sharing productivity and healthy-working advice for architects and designers.

The photo is by Sincerely Media via Unsplash.

Dezeen In Depth
If you enjoy reading Dezeen's interviews, opinions and features, subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines.

The post "With another academic year over, there are thousands more young people struggling to find an architecture practice" appeared first on Dezeen.