By Jhoran Peter Dolot
Life wasn’t easy as an architecture student. The long hours, attention to detail, and shortage of creativity made me think twice if I wanted to pursue this field. It was much harder when the pandemic put the entire world to a halt. It was impossible to continue the classes. To submit requirements for graduation. I spent a great time pondering about the 2-year apprenticeship I still have to finish. I honestly didn’t expect to get an internship for at least a few months after graduation, which was delayed significantly.
It was rough being an architecture intern, partly because it is not statutory for us to be compensated for the work done being an intern. But we were still in the middle of pandemic and everyone was desperate to get jobs. I was lucky to get hired by an architect who paid me for every single work I finish. It was enough for me because I considered the experience I gathered as a large part of my compensation. Here I got introduced to what life really is as an architect. I saw that the work of an architect is generally classified into two, the office work and the site work (which I liked more.) It was fascinating to see a structure from the paper to the ground up. Then I realized, we really are, in some aspects, making dreams come true.
This continued until one day, my good friend from college suggested that I apply to the company where he worked at that time. I was reluctant at first since I didn’t have the faintest of what it’s like to work for a company based overseas. I don’t have any idea what skills of mine would be tested. The whole interview process was intimidating and the pressure was heavy as I was basically inexperienced for them. Much thanks to my superiors and extreme luck I landed the job. In spite of the fact that I took a long time to adjust, the team showed continuous support and understanding. This has been the most exciting part of my career so far. It is amazing to see outrageous designs made possible and I it really helped me aspire more in this field I’m currently pursuing. Designing for the different needs of different clients has made me a more versatile designer. I also got to see how foreign firms operate. I hope to encounter harder tasks to evolve further as an aspiring architect.
