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It's just, not knowing what's next after graduation.
Being 21…22 and not having - I mean - sometimes it’s good not to have a plan.
22 years ago, Maleick’s parents were celebrating his birth and I was where he is now, about
to graduate architecture school.
I’m a big dreamer and I'm a big thinker, like, I just don't want to be average, you
know?
I don't and I really don't want to get stuck in the wheel like everybody else.
His words, were mine.
We don't have to do what we used to do to make a living and be happy.
His anxieties, his dreams, all mine.
And maybe, they're yours too.
I get so many questions this time of year as students are graduating and planning to
head into professional practice or to grad school in a few months all asking what they
can do to prepare.
And, of course, I want to help.
But, rather than tell you what I've done and what's worked for me, what kind of portfolio
you should make, or how to ace a job interview, I wanted to offer a different perspective.
The profession I stepped into 22 years ago no longer exists and I hope you find this
notion liberating.
The practice of architecture today is anything you choose.
Your job as a graduate is to figure out what you want that to look like.
You decide who it involves, how many or few, whether it's macro or micro, virtual or real,
whether you educate, or build, or farm, whether you're an author, design products, or offer
services, or both.
Seek out the voids your work can fill.
What's missing?
Although I'm slightly jealous that I'm not 22 with a chance to try it all over again,
I know exactly what you're feeling.
I started my business just a few years ago, stepping out on your own is uncertain.
But, it forces you to optimize for results rather than perfection.
People have to buy what you're selling and that also means that they may choose not to
and that's good too, in a different way.
Listen more than you talk; people will tell you what they want.
Make it your work to meet that demand.
List the tasks in your ideal day and make time for those things each day.
I borrowed ideas from other professions, other businesses, entrepreneurs, photographers,
filmmakers, marketers.
I watched what they were doing and made my own version by applying the skills of creativity
were all taught in architecture school.
Begin building your authority by publishing your work and ideas online, start with a website
and your Instagram.
Show us your process, educate others, help others.
The work you do is the work you'll get.
So, start building the kind of work you want to do - self-fund it if you have to.
And, use it as a chance to connect with others doing work you find interesting.
It takes relentless drive to design a future that works for you and you don't have to wait
until graduation day to turn your side hustle into your full-time gig you can start now.
Good luck to you Maleick, and all of you facing uncertainty, embrace it and dig in, that's
where all the magic happens.
Smash that like button below and tell me in the comments: how can I help?
We'll see you again next time, cheers my friends!