Becoming An Architect

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Adventures, Challenges and Success

Part 1: From Accross The Pond

Becoming an architect has always been one of my dreams. Like many of us in the industry (and those who have sought greener pastures elsewhere), you don’t realise how challenging it is to navigate your way to qualification until you start.

I fell in love with architecture because of the endless possibilities of design around how people resonate with their environment – and the best part is watching that come to life.

Earning my Bachelor’s and Honours degrees from Wits University was no easy feat. Packing my bags (and my hopes) for a different kind of challenge, I was lured by Britain’s promise of a top-class Post-graduate programme. This piqued my interest in just how alternative the architectural education system could be elsewhere.

As a takeaway, I learned that adjusting is never as easy as it sounds. It wasn’t just about learning new design principles or intensifying one’s ability to develop a design. The experience exposes you to different perspectives: reading wider than just what your concept dictates and learning to appreciate the variety of tools that help develop designs and their theoretical application.

Part 2: Reality Check

When Part 3 came knocking, it demanded more late nights, countless readings of policy and regulation articles, and an intimate relationship with the office printer. This journey wasn’t just academic; it was a cultural and oh-so-humbling experience to grasp how much more there is to architecture beyond the perfect visuals we stare at on a screen all day.

If you thought that was it, brace yourself. Let’s talk about the real hurdle: making my South African qualifications align with the UK system. If you’ve ever tried to describe a song to someone when you can’t remember the title, you have some idea of how complicated this process can be.

Application forms, matrix evaluations, proof-of-study certificates – it really felt like a full-time job, all to prove that architecture is, in fact, the same as architecture. With persistence, a few strategic mental breakdowns, and a series of self-inflicted emotional rollercoaster rides, I navigated this administrative labyrinth and emerged with my Part 1 qualification, defeating this gatekeeping system on my second attempt.

Part 3: Thirteen

If patience is a virtue, I ought to be sainted. From the moment I enrolled in my Bachelor’s to the day I received my RIBA membership confirmation, this journey spanned more years than I care to count.

Thirteen, actually...

Along the way, I studied, worked, built buildings, and absorbed so much more than I ever imagined architecture entailed. At times, it felt like an endless cycle of “one more step” – one more portfolio, one more review, one more exam. All of which I wish could somehow be reimbursed for, then again, don't we all.

Part 4: Noddy Badge

Since qualifying, I now have an excellent excuse to update my LinkedIn profile and half-subtly remind my friends and this wonderful community that I am, in fact, an RIBA Chartered Architect. It’s been a while since I’ve had evenings and weekends to spend as I wish, and this qualification serves as a badge of honour, a testament to years of hard work, and a gateway to breaking through that glass ceiling that always felt so near.

Part 5: What next?

In rediscovering hobbies and indulging in long-overdue Netflix binges, I’ve even taken the time to reflect on the journey that inspired this article. I’m looking to draw on perspectives about peripheral topics that influence architecture, blending the creative inspirations of my Pan-African background into the day-to-day conversations we all tend to have.

Whether it’s discussing how to design thoughtful interventions or offering words of motivation to the next aspiring Architect, I look forward to engaging with others who have a story to tell about the environment we inhabit.

Concluding my reflections on this journey, I’m reminded of the cliché that good things take time. All the struggles, delays, and obstacles have had their day – and now, at last, I can have mine.

To anyone out there grinding out the result, keep going! The feeling of accomplishment is absolutely priceless.