Paving the Way to a Successful Architecture Career is a short series by Chaim Lieder, a recent job-seeking Bachelor’s graduate based in Melbourne. Chaim launched this initiative to re-frame his own challenges into an opportunity to help others in the same position.

Interview 5: Amy Muir

Amy Muir is the Director of MUIR Architecture, Immediate Past Victorian President of the Australian Institute of Architects, lectures at RMIT.

What are the most important skills for students, graduates, and emerging architects to develop as they embark on their careers?

Challenging yourself

We can all be complacent when it comes to learning new skills and undertaking challenging endeavours. Being open to new challenges plays a very important role in the development of your career. Life is not linear but evolves through a series of unpredictable trajectories that should be travelled with curiosity and passion.

Asking for opportunities

As you become more engaged within practice, seek out opportunities by asking to be involved in different aspects of the practice. Demonstrating initiative is an extremely valuable skill. Different scaled practices provide different opportunities and insights into the profession so do consider opportunities that will enable you to broaden your knowledge and skill base. In saying that, don’t just jump around from practice to practice, that is counterproductive to career growth. Bear in mind that longevity + engagement = opportunities.

What are some unconventional ways students, graduates, and emerging architects can elevate their careers?

Students often disregard any extracurricular activities/jobs that they once had or are currently involved in if it is not explicitly related to architecture. Architecture touches just about everything. The interpersonal, communication and leadership skills acquired by working at a supermarket, volunteering in your community or coaching a junior basketball team can be directly translated into the architecture profession and can contribute to a meaningful career.

What do you see as a challenge and opportunity facing the next generation of architects and how can they approach it?

Time

Time is a precious commodity, and it is constantly being taken and stripped from contracts. We have seen the detrimental impacts this has had on the quality of projects and the health and wellbeing of employees. As a profession, we need to be addressing these issues collectively in order to make incremental and holistic improvements industry-wide.

Technology

Technology is advancing rapidly and has enabled us to seamlessly work from home during COVID19. We simply wouldn’t have been able to do this 10 years ago. Understanding the power of technology and the evolution of the tools we design with is an opportunity that should be embraced and pushed.

What is a mistake one should avoid as they progress through their architecture career?

Holding back when an opportunity arises. See an opportunity – pursue it.

What was a transformational moment in your career?

University was transformational for me as it was the first time that things really started to open up and provided expanded opportunities, a broader understanding of the world at large.

Partway through studying Interior Design at RMIT University I was keen to go on exchange for a semester in the UK. It was in the early days of exchange programs and so a little more ad hoc and self-directed to organise. After 6 months of failed attempts to arrange a placement within an interior design school I was encouraged to study architecture for a semester. Two weeks later I was on a flight to the UK with a placement at Oxford Brookes University. I ended up staying on for a year and a half. It is an opportunity that I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t open and receptive to new ideas.

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

Question everything

Remember to always question in order to understand.

Speak up

Early in your career, you can feel timid and unsure of your place in the ecosystem of practice and the industry at large. However, it is important to speak up and find ways to be involved in areas that you feel passionate about. Advocacy is an incredibly important part of life and the professions we choose to be part of. Find ways to support your peers as they will be by your side for the remainder of your career. These friendships are very special and incredibly important.

Did you catch the previous article in this interview series, with Paul Buljevic? Read it here.

If you like hearing about the career paths of others, check out the 2020 Emerging Architects Forum Replay.