Job Responsibilities
Concept design- 1 day pw, client presentation/pitches to win new
business- 1 day pw, design development - 2 days pw, material &
product research- 0.5 days pw, project management- 1 day pw,
technical documentation/drafting 0.5 days pw
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Job Requirements
Bachelor or Interior Architecture & Design (4 yrs), required
an 'A' (80%) minimum average at high school level to be accepted.
The classes were full-time attendance (9-5pm) as opposed to
lectures 12 hrs pw. This method of training meant we condensed a
5yr course into 4 years, and we were also marked on our
attendance. A 90% attendance rate was required in addition to
exam marks to pass each year. We were also required to put in an
additional 20hrs pw of work from home, on assignments etc.
The majority of professors still worked in the industry, and
taught part-time. So their knowledge was current and relevant.
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Uppers
I love the creativity, and the fact that no day is ever the same as the next. I
also enjoy presenting my ideas to a group, and the excitement of winning a pitch.
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Downers
There are always tight deadlines, and this requires long hours in
the office. It is also a veru subjective business, where no one
answer is ever right. It all comes down to personal opinion so
can be very soul-destroying when your ideas are not well received.
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Lifestyle
8am-7pm, sometimes 7am-12midnight.
With my previous job I have had an enormous amount of travel, due to working for
a global event management company. We worked on major international sporting
events like the Olympic Games, Rugby & Football World Cups and more. My role was
to deign the hospitality venues for the main sponsors (Cocoa Cola, Samsung, Visa)
at these events. So I was based onsite for 6 mths prior to each event overseeing
the construction.
I believe to be successful in this role you needed to be able to communicate
well with many different cultures and adapt quickly to new environments. To be
extremely resourceful when required, and prepared to put in lots of time and
energy.
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Compensation
As this is quite a niche part of the architectural market I was
most recently on a salary of A$140k
However, I did start initially from university on A$30k.
The perks are of course many free tickets to the world's top
events, functions, attending top restaurants etc.
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Advice to Jobseekers
I think it is a very exciting field to work in, however you have
to be prepared to be away for a lot of the time with work. I
personally think there is scope to earn a far greater salary than
simply working for an architectural practice. The other aspect
that appealed to me is the length of projects is shorter than
average so the work is highly varied and always interesting.
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