I Am an Architect, Now What? What followed my college graduation was a straightforward answer: Get a job and focus on obtaining your license. I completed my degree in 2017, wrapping up a sixyear journey with a master’s in architecture from the University of Idaho. During my final year, I worked at CSHQA in Boise, where the idea of obtaining my license was always on my mind. Thankfully, my work encouraged me to pursue licensure, making it possible for me to truly call myself an architect. In October 2020, I completed my last exam — feeling a wave of relief, excitement and happiness after reading the “likely to pass” sentence. I had achieved my goal. The day was spent celebrating and relaxing. However, similar to the day after graduation, the next morning brought the recurring thought: Now what? This time, everything seemed like an endless list of potential paths. Should I stay here? What kind of architecture should I focus on? Do I have the necessary knowledge? If not, what else should I educate myself in? Having held my license for about four years, I still feel I’m not where I want to be. Yet, I continue educating myself, growing my network, and asking questions. I hope this article resonates with others facing similar questions. I am grateful to have interviewed Ian Hoffman, Laura Davidson and Jonathan Gallup — architects who generously shared their experiences, career paths and advice with me. Here are the top takeaways I found helpful. Jorge Basluto is the Young Architects representative for the state of Idaho, and he works as an Architect at CSHQA. He contributes his expertise on a diverse portfolio of projects across different market sectors. Applying his knowledge of design and expressing his creativity in visual graphics daily is what is most exciting to him. BY JORGE BASULTO, AIA AIA IDAHO YOUNG ARCHITECT FORUM REPRESENTATIVE 12 IDAHO ARCHITECTURE | 2024 | aiaidaho.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODQxMjUw