From practicing architecture in Washington, DC, to using her expertise as a manager at the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), Melissa Gobrecht, AIA, NCARB, CAE, shares pieces of wisdom earned from over a decade of experience in the architecture world.
As a Latina and a first-generation college graduate, my network has been crucial to informing my professional development and career, especially in my early years when I felt like there was so much I didn’t know with regard to starting a career and getting licensed. My architecture career spanned about 13 years with mostly small firms in high-end residential projects with some commercial projects (small businesses, restaurants, multi-use residential, car dealerships, and a veterinary clinic) and some experience at a medium-sized firm working on projects for the Architect of the Capitol and the Smithsonian.
I got licensed at around 10 years of experience, when I realized I knew what I was doing and wanted more credibility. I let a few life circumstances get in the way while I was testing, but I committed to getting back on track and finishing my exams. I learned how important it was to have the right people and company to support and encourage you along the way.
I moved into the association world when I realized my project manager skills were transferable and gave me opportunities to have a bigger impact on emerging professionals and shifting the culture in the design world. I now use my voice to advocate for clarity and awareness of NCARB's work for licensure candidates, especially those who have extra barriers to overcome.
Of all the things I’ve learned over the years, these six lessons have made the greatest impact on my career and kept me motivated despite the roadblocks I faced along the way.
1. Join a local affinity group/ learn from your network.
I have benefited in so many ways from various forums and professional networking groups. I joined a forum when I studied for the Architect Registration Examination® (ARE®) and got helpful tips on study materials and from frequently asked questions. More recently, I joined a study group when I was studying for my Certified Association Executive (CAE) exam, which was great for diving deeper into content that was a little gray for me.
Virtual meetings have also made it possible to connect with anyone across the country and made connection a lot easier in general. I’m now involved in a Mothers in Architecture Facebook page and try to help coach folks through Architectural Experience Program® (AXP®) concerns. There’s a lot of great support from the other moms there, and I always appreciate the kindness and humor. It’s such a low-lift way to stay connected.
I’ve also seen the strong bonds and connections that are made when folks volunteer on professional committees. While this type of engagement does have more of a time requirement (and sometimes employers support it), I’ve seen firsthand how involvement leads to future job opportunities or professional recognition.
2. Find a mentor.
And not just one, but many. In my previous employment, I helped organize a national mentorship program and encouraged members to change mentors every six months or so to get people to expand their network and learn from as many people as possible. I’ve learned something from every supervisor I’ve ever had, which has informed aspects of my career. I’ve also had colleagues who have mentored and encouraged me along the way.
Additionally, I think it’s helpful to remember the “micro-mentor” opportunities where you learn something from someone but the relationship isn’t ongoing. I’ve had several of these and can think of the contractors and consultants who were patient with me and taught me something industry-related.
We have great opportunities for mentorship and coaching through NCARB’s Architect Licensing Advisor network as well. Several folks out there want to help encourage you on your path to licensure and help clarify the path for you.
Just ask to set up a regular check-in with one of them to discuss your licensure goals and opportunities.
3. Prioritize your mental health.
Architecture can be a stressful business. Sometimes, we’re hoping clients pay on time (or at all), or a project schedule keeps moving because of various reasons, so we’re all concerned about keeping work flowing, paying salaries, and meeting deadlines.
Then, as women (and other minorities), some of us still deal with biases and mistreatment from others. I’ve had clients, contractors, and other colleagues call me inappropriate things and ask mindless but offensive questions. I had to learn really early in my career to prioritize mental health, seek support from therapists and friends or trusted colleagues, and ask for help if project deadlines and personal things were about to collide. I’ve found more and more that my supervisors have appreciated my communication and anticipation of collisions as a positive as it’s something that can be addressed, as opposed to waiting to find out that I’m missing the deadline or the mark and not communicating to anyone. I know this isn’t always seen as a positive, and there’s pressure to seem like you have everything under control––but ask yourself if you’re working in an environment that prioritizes your wellness, and if not, you may need to change where you work.
When I studied for the ARE, I was super anxious from sitting so much during work and studies. I found a friend who would go walking with me for a little bit every other day and a long walk on the weekends to help me get some exercise and move that energy through me. She also was a great listener and gave good feedback.
I also had to process failing three of my exams and overcome each one. Failure is a great teacher, and I used each one to inform how I needed to change my studying and testing approach. Resilience is an important muscle to flex in this career. I’m working on teaching this to my son and love reading the book Bubble Gum Brain by Julia Cook with him.
4. Learn time management and project management.
If you’re prioritizing tasks at work and scheduling out when you’re going to complete project phases, you’re already learning time management. I like to encourage people to take these skills and apply them to their personal time. We have to set up our personal goals this way for success, too.
When you go to schedule that exam, schedule the personal things you have to make time for and schedule out how you’re going to study for that next test each day and weekend. Schedule in the breaks, too. There has to be room for some fun to keep your light glowing, but know when you’re going to get back to studying. And give yourself a little fudge factor, too, in case something you can’t avoid comes up, like getting sick or a family emergency. I have a printed calendar that I still mark up with a highlighter to keep track of everything I have going on personally, and I check that against my work calendar all the time. It helps me visually to have more space to write out my thoughts and get organized, which I can’t do with the little three-word blurbs I see on my Outlook calendar.
Also, figure out what you can hack and outsource in your personal time if your “free time” is slim. If you are taking care of a dependent, that free time is hard to find. I needed my community for support and regular mental health support to get through my CAE exam. I also had a really supportive partner who cleaned and cooked most meals! Which brings me to: tell your community what’s going on and build a plan.
When going for the ARE, tell your family, friends, and trusted colleagues that this is what you’re doing and how you can use their support. Let them know how they can make room for you and support you. The good ones stick around for it.
I know people don’t want to tell work that they’re testing because they don’t want to have to share if they’ve failed a test, but you can ask your supervisor for confidentiality. If you don’t tell them, they won’t know how to plan around your testing schedule, and you risk your deadlines and test schedules colliding!
5. Get back to the basics.
For anyone starting out, I like to encourage them to regularly access Graphic Standards, Francis Ching’s Architectural Graphics, the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, your local zoning code, SMACNA’s Architectural Sheet Metal Manual, and the International Building Code (IBC)/ International Residential Code (IRC). Learn your basic accessible commercial bathroom layout, how to elevate an accessible kitchen, basic stair details, and how to set up a wall-section of any kind. I know digital versions of these resources can be viewed, but I learned so much by leafing through the pages, pushing my learning beyond the immediate necessity. Anytime my first boss found a mistake in my drawings, he would bring out one of these books and walk me through how I could apply these resources to my drawings.
Also, it’s important to always have that title block on your work and to know how to take great notes with action items. If your company doesn’t have a good meeting notes template, find one and make it yours. Keep your notes in a shared location so the team can find them and hold people accountable. I love using AI notetakers now. Even though they don’t always get the acronyms right, there’s a record of the meeting and a list of action items, and they’re easy to edit.
Early career professionals aren’t always sure what knowledge or skills they need to be successful, and the Alliance organizations are trying to figure out how to address that gap. There’s a steep learning curve in those early years. I was fortunate to have a really good foundation when I started working, and I want to help the people who feel like they don’t have that support.
6. Know your worth.
Know where your salary should be, based on your experience and the skills you have to offer, and be brave in pursuing that. I know more women talk about this than ever before, but discussing your salary is never a time to be shy.
You should be having regular performance reviews and should advocate for yourself and your career. I learned recently from a coworker about keeping a “shine folder” in my email for every praise I get from someone for something I did. You can go back to that folder and notes from check-ins with your supervisor and go over all of your wins and challenges you have addressed, document all of them, and bring those things into your reviews and salary discussions. Supervisors are busy and may forget some of the wins you’ve had––they may even be bogged down by their own reviews.
If you’re asking for a reasonable salary increase, check the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Compensation & Benefits Report and Glassdoor. If you can prove your worth and are not being met in the negotiations, you can take that feedback and use it to make your next move. Maybe you can accept not getting that increase for now if you feel the company is offering you other benefits, or maybe you start looking around for a place where you can continue to grow and be paid what you are worth.
If you’re a licensure candidate looking for more resources to support your career path, check out this Candidate Guide, designed to help licensure candidates find employers that actively support their licensure goals.
