In Ten Years Time

In all honesty I'm not sure exactly where I picture myself in ten years. I could be in Charleston, married, and working for an architecture firm designing houses with more classical styles, or I could be in Chicago or New York, single, and working for a large firm aiding in the designs of commercial skyscrapers around the world. Either of these options, as well as many other possibilities, seem not only viable, but also entirely likely. This uncertainty most certainly stems from my current indecision on exactly where I want to be or what I want to be doing in ten years time. Although my hopes regarding my future are still in development, there are a few details I prefer to think will be realities over the course of my next ten years.



First, I will most likely be living in a large city. Chicago, New York, Charleston (though perhaps not a true metropolitan archetype), Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, or any other of a host of large cities around the nation are, at least at this point, entirely possible. The largest reason for this is that architectural careers just are not found in small towns. In order to find the best jobs in the architectural field, one must live highly populated areas where there is a true need for architectural development. My auxiliary reason for living in a large city is, for lack of a better way to say it, because I want to. I grew up in Gaffney, SC which is not exactly a place of many people and many things to do. After living there for sixteen years and spending four years in small town Clemson (as much as I love it), I feel I need to be in a larger place with more to it on a day to day basis. This coincides with two, week long architecture trips Junior and Senior years to New York City and Chicago, as well as eight months, including a full semester's studies, in Charleston Junior year. These gave me some incredible experiences as well as an urge to live in any one of these cities.



Secondly, I want to hold a position which allows me to not only design structures, whether they are residential or commercial, but also have the opportunity to involve myself in some aspect of their building and construction also. This would be ideal, though I would be happy even if the construction aspect only extended to building furniture and/or models. The semester I studied in Charleston, I was part of a design/build studio, an introduction to craft (ITC) class, a building arts class, an internship with school credit, and a construction science and management class. I also had the opportunity to hold the position of shop czar in the woodshop which is located in the bottom floor of the old jail in Charleston. My studio, ITC, and building arts classes were all based on not only design, but building and working in the world of materials. I did work with Lexan (similar to plexiglass) and wood in studio, I built a large mahogany and maple toolbox as well as a couple of mahogany exit doors for the old jail in ITC, and I gained experience in iron working, stone carving, and masonry in my building arts class. I even had the privilege of helping build a timberframed structure as part of an interior design project I was working on for an art gallery during the Spoletto festival that summer. Each of these awesome opportunities furthered my desire for building and construction rather than merely design. Add to this the fact building models has always been my favorite part of my studio projects, and this leaves me with no other alternative than to work in a position where building, in some capacity, is a part of my job.

Over the next few years after I graduate, I plan to work for a year or two (most likely in Charleston), attend grad school (not sure where, though Clemson or the Illinois Institute of Technology are possibilities), and then get a job in most likely Chicago or New York City (though they are not the only possiblilities) for at least a couple of years. After that I really do not have any idea other than the two aforementioned details. Either way, I look forward to discovering just what my next ten years have in store.