We recently spoke with Julia Jack, city architect for Hartford, Connecticut, about her experiences on the path to licensure. Learn more about her journey navigating the profession and overcoming challenges as she worked to balance motherhood and returning to practice following a three-year break.

What inspired you to pursue a career in architecture?

When I was in school, getting into architecture was not a romantic or inwardly driven process. There was no attraction to the field, nor did I have an “I always wanted to be an architect” story. I went into architecture blind.

There’s this thing that happens when you get near the end of your junior year in high school. Everyone starts to ask you what you want to be for the rest of your life. But all that most students at that time were focused on was whether someone would ask them to the junior prom, why they even needed to take the SAT, and whether there was a way to get out of it. Somehow, we are expected to answer that one question that most adults are still trying to solidify, “What do I want to do for the rest of my life?!” So, as I searched to answer that question, there were two things that I did know: I loved math and was good at it, and I loved art but did not have the hand of an artist. So, with the help of my parents, we put those two things together, and they suggested that I consider becoming an architect.

Now, all I wanted to be when I was younger was a ballet dancer, but again, by junior year in high school, the dance studio started to tell us, plainly in no uncertain terms, whether you are or are not cut out for that art. They tried to direct me to other dance forms, but I wanted to be a ballerina. So, after being told several times that my body wasn’t right for that type of dance, I stopped dancing and decided to focus on my future as an architect—having no idea what that meant and no dream or vision to back it up.

Tell us about your path to licensure—did you face any unique challenges or circumstances that shaped your progress?

Leaving work after my first three years in the profession was a challenge because, upon returning, even though I was upfront that I was out of the industry for a few years, it was assumed that I was as advanced as my coworkers who had not taken that time off. I spent a lot of time feeling insecure as I tried to catch up, unsure if I should tell anyone that I wasn’t totally up to speed.

Before I left work to take care of my growing family, I didn’t get much experience in some areas of practice, so I came back handicapped in my practice of architecture and with the stress of being a newly divorced single mother, unsure of how I would be able to juggle it all.

How did you stay motivated while working to earn your license?

I took a couple of versions of the exam early in my career. But due to the rolling clock, I gave up because I failed a couple of times and knew there was no way I would finish them all in time and was not willing to start the whole series again.

Everything changed in 2017, 25 years after graduating from my program. My father suddenly passed away at 79 years old, and six months later, I turned 50. It was then I realized profoundly how short life was, and if I was blessed to live as long as he did, I only had 29 more years to go, and those first 50 went by like a FLASH.

So, knowing that my life at that time was stalled in so many ways.  Frustrated with the flat level of my career, I decided to make myself look at everything differently. I decided to figure out what I was on this planet for. After some months of searching, I figured it out and realized what a blessing it was to be able to be in the field of work I was in, so I stopped trying to get out of it and realized that I was in a position where I could help others get to do what I was doing. But how could I help others be empowered to be architects if I was not (officially) one myself? So, I decided to study and pass the tests. This time, not for money or for ego’s sake, but with the hope of inspiring others. So, a year later, I studied, finished my exams, applied to the state for my license, and became a (capital A) Architect!

Tell us about your current role—what does a typical day look like for you? Are there any projects you’re especially proud of?

I am currently the city architect for Connecticut’s capital city. My role focuses on program management—hiring architects, engineers, and construction companies for our various projects, small to large, while the team I manage oversees their work. We take on projects from ball fields to school renovations.

I am most proud of the two women we were able to bring into the office, one of whom is an up-and-coming architect currently studying for the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®).

As I mentioned above, when I decided to become an architect, I had no idea who I was and what I was getting into. You see, what I know now that I did not know then is that I love the people more than I love the projects. The best part of my job is seeing my employees, co-workers, and bosses succeed and being part of a team that improves environments for people in the hopes of making a life better.

What advice do you have for emerging professionals?

Here are the things I wish I knew starting out:

  1. Figure out who you are and not who you are supposed to be. You will find your place in this industry, which will not always look like other people’s “place.” Practice architecture, but be you. (This is a key in all you choose to do going forward.)
  2. Know your why. Answer this question regularly. “Why am I choosing to do what I am doing?
  3. Be relentless. Run to the challenge. Don’t quit when it gets hard. Learn what the hard stuff is teaching you and let that guide your next steps.
  4. Take the exam. Take each division when you are ready, not when everyone else does—when it works for you.  
    • Keep taking the exams until you pass—period (because eventually you will pass)
    • Don’t adopt a new puppy or take on any other involved personal project while you are taking the exam. The ARE requires focus, time, and energy.
    • And, on the other hand, not to come up with excuses why you can’t do it now. There will never be a perfect time because life will continue to throw you curve balls.
  5. Continue to learn and ask a lot of questions. Learning doesn’t stop after school. Find out about what you don’t know about, learn things outside your industry, and network to learn from people in that field.
  6. Have a hobby. It is never worth it to sacrifice all other areas of your life. And your hobby might just enhance and inform your design and professional career; whether it’s dancing, painting or rock climbing, etc.
  7. Profession is not your person. People are what will be there for you when your business fails, you get laid off, or you retire. Do not neglect them in pursuit of your profession. Remember your relationships. Give attention to your “person,” that could be your spouse, your child, a parent, your best friend, your favorite neighbor, your church sister/brother, etc.
  8. You are not all supposed to be the lead. There are benefits to not being the head. Sometimes the tail is actually the better position; it can be more fulfilling and even hold more power. So, understand what you actually want out of your career and take the position that correlates with that. (And that goes back to number one – “Figure out who you are and not who you are supposed to be.”)
  9. If you really hate it or find your health suffering. It’s okay to pivot and do something else. What’s best for you, is best for you. No matter how long or how short you have been in the profession, you can choose to move on.

Want more insights on the path to licensure in the U.S.? Check out the rest of NCARB's Architect Spotlight series.