As part of HSSP’s education programme to support the next generation along the architectural career pathway, in 2022 Rashmi and Yaroslava joined us for their Part 1 year out placements. The months have been whizzing by in a flurry of work, assessments and mentoring support, so we thought we would put pen to paper and get their reflections to date.

Rashmi commented that “University does not prepare you for work – it’s a massive culture shock. It’s good to be working though and being able to talk co-workers, and it is very useful to be sitting next to my mentor. It has been a learning curve, but I am enjoying understanding how everything works and the projects I have worked on.

“It is interesting to see how clients’ tastes vary so much from each other and what their personalities and styles are, and how they influence our designs. I am excited to see what the next chapter of my career brings.”

Yaroslava followed on by saying “The client interaction I am having has been invaluable as this is not something that we get to practice at university where we are always designing for imaginary clients. Working at HSSP and being involved with our projects brings the jobs to life. I have done drawings, gone to site and seen how the two relate to each other. I am no longer drawing for the sake of it and it’s a nice feeling.

“I did think going into practice would be scary, but it has not been and it has been a positive experience. I thought I would be given the menial jobs and just bits and pieces of work, but I have not, so I feel very involved. I do struggle with repetitiveness, so I am so pleased working at HSSP is not like that.”

It is great to hear their perceptions and what they have found useful in the way we integrate our Part 1’s so they have the best experience possible. We look forward to continuing to support them on their journey.

By HSSP Architects