Little did
I know 5 years ago when I went to university, like all the other kids my age,
that it wouldn’t be the beginning of a joyful easy life. You know when you’re
little and everyone asks you what you want to be when you grow up? Well I
wanted to be an architect. Not necessarily the kind that draws houses or
buildings, but the kind that works to make the world a better place with
intelligent urban planning. 5 years of university were not easy. It took a
great lot of patience, long nights and a lot of $$.
In July of
2012 I gave in my master’s thesis and now I was ready to take over the world!
What nobody had anticipated was that the world didn’t need me. Or any other of
my colleagues for that matter. “The economy is in the dumps” was the most heard
justification from all the architect offices I applied too. They were letting
off staff not contracting. And those who were, wouldn’t pay you. I tried that.
Working for no pay or an amount that didn’t even cover your expenses. I didn’t
enjoy it, it was a bitch to get up every morning, spend the day in an office
(that didn’t even have natural lighting) and leave at the end of the evening
with not a single penny in my back account. It wasn’t for me. Call me what you
want.
What to do?
I set a
limit date. If, until the end of the year 2012, and if the Mayans predictions
didn’t go as they thought, I would have to leave my home, the love of my life,
my family and my adorable puppies. It was something that I didn’t want to think
about but well… Guess where I am now?
On an air
plane, heading to London. The city I grew up in.
SO, this
lovely blog will be pretty much about that. Want to find out how one comes to
find a job in architecture in a city “slightly” bigger than the biggest city in
my country? I’ll see what I can help you out with. Also, there will be .gifs…
But first
and foremost, there are two things that you can’t go without: courage (all of
it) and a mighty big box of Kleenex.
Here we go.