What My Education Has Taught Me

By Kayla Fuller

During this past Thanksgiving, I was discussing with my family about what my plans are after graduation. Although this question is frequently asked, I am never satisfied with my response. I have lived in the Midwest my entire life, so I have been hopeful that upon completing my masters there would be an opportunity to travel west.  Recently I got engaged to my fiancé, as exciting as this is, it is also extremely terrifying. The choices I make not only effect my future by his as well.  My biggest fear is that my lack of experience and will greatly hinder my success.

As students we spend countless hours learning the importance of form and function and how the spaces we create effect those that occupy it. We are also taught the technical side, this has been extremely valuable because we understand how a building must connect and how to create more realistic designs. The one element that I have struggled with during school is renderings. With all the improvements of technology, I am constantly learning new programs but never completely understanding their capabilities. Sometimes my fear of not knowing what to expect and the possibility of failure has caused me to overlook certain programs. As a designer, you cannot let your fear restrict you, because you won’t fail if you try your hardest to succeed.

My classmates are my biggest competitors for a successful future and for a while I never wanted to share my ideas because I knew I could do better or I didn’t want someone to use them. In fact my classmates are the most beneficial part of school because we push each other to strive for our best and lend a helping hand when we are confused. Everyone needs a little influence to spark their design ideas and if no one is willing to share then there will be no improvement.

I will never give up on my dreams and never allow others to tear me down. As long as I have goals and try my hardest to achieve them I will always succeed. We tend to allow others to limit our success by not being ourselves. You can’t find yourself if you allow others to control you.

How do I take everything I have been taught these past five years and use them to become a successful architect?

First you must prove to yourself that you can follow your dreams. Next you must have confidence in your decisions, if you cannot explain why you chose to do something then you haven’t fully considered your options. No firm will employ you if you do not thoroughly think through your actions because the choices we make effect the lives of others.  My goal to be successful in life is to believe in myself and prove my confidence through my designs.