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Following on from the excess of the holiday season, welcoming the New Year usually signifies a time to reset, refresh and start anew. For many people, a reset simply means less boozing and more moving — for a few weeks at least. However, when January pops around again each year, millions of people choose to set resolutions and goals in an effort to refocus and recenter. While these resolutions often target personal growth and development, the beginning of a new calendar year can also be a great time to take stock of our past achievements and consider our career journeys. It can be beneficial to take time to think about what we are proud of from the previous year and what we would like to achieve in the year ahead.
However, setting career goals is tough, especially when you only give yourself one year to achieve them. In reality, career development takes time, thought and a clear strategy. While that’s not to say that setting goals and resolutions is a bad idea, it’s wise to be mindful not to put unnecessary pressure on yourself. Being realistic about what you can do without hugely compromising on a work-life balance that suits you and maintaining a quality of output you are happy with is a valuable lesson in avoiding burnout or becoming overwhelmed.
With that in mind, we’ve outlined a few realistic career goals that architects or designers might want to consider for developing their careers in 2023.
1. Say Yes
Willis Tower by EQ Office and Gensler, Chicago, IL, United States | Popular Choice Winner, 10th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Workspace
Once we become settled and confident in our careers, it can be easy to become comfortable or set in our ways, a feeling that can quickly turn to boredom. We may lose focus, and that drive for achievement we had at the beginning of our careers can quickly dispel, leaving our enthusiasm to dwindle. One way to help alleviate these feelings is to start saying “yes.” Remember when you started a new job and you said yes to everything? After work team building? “Yes.” CPD lunch and learn? “Yes.” Site visit? “Yes.” Coffee with someone new? “Yes.”
It can be easy to become wrapped up in our day-to-day, saying no to adding extra events to our calendars. Of course, our time is precious, and we all have personal lives. Nevertheless, saying “Yes” to a few more things a month or a year fills our life with new experiences. It doesn’t matter how many site reviews you’ve done; each will be different in some way; you will always meet new people, and more likely than not, you’ll learn something. In the end, every yes brings something different to your week, so when it comes to tackling the mundane, that’s a great place to start.
2. Say No
Willis Tower by EQ Office and Gensler, Chicago, IL, United States | Popular Choice Winner, 10th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Workspace
On the flip side, a new year can also be a great time to make a conscious effort to start saying “No.” Many architects and designers, particularly the self-employed or business owners among us, find it incredibly difficult to say “No.” Fear of losing our jobs or clients or not signing more work can often make us say yes to things we know aren’t good for us. This can happen in many ways, such as saying yes to taking on more tasks when you know you’re already overstretched and overworked. Saying yes to clients whose demands you know are unreasonable or taking advantage of you. Accepting breaches of contract because you hope to maintain a particular relationship and working for reduced rates because a potential client says they can’t afford you. Working unpaid overtime because a boss has under-resourced a project or shifted deadlines can be crushing to your morale.
In each of these scenarios, there are exceptions where you may genuinely believe it is in your best interest to accept and adapt. However, in most cases, only one person is negatively impacted by agreeing to these behaviors, and that person is you. So when bosses, clients or even colleagues start to overstep their boundaries and expect you to adapt to suit them, maybe 2023 is the time to start saying “No.” Whether you believe it or not, at the end of it all, there will always be another client, another job or another boss, and chances are you’ll know what to watch out for and will like them a lot more anyway.
3. Learn Something
Willis Tower by EQ Office and Gensler, Chicago, IL, United States | Popular Choice Winner, 10th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Workspace
Over the length of our careers, things inevitably change. The rules we follow, the software we use, and the styles and techniques we practice each develop as the needs of society evolve. In a world where technology reigns supreme, it can be incredibly challenging to stay well-informed and to perform and produce at the level which is universally expected.
Therefore it can be a great idea to endeavor to teach ourselves something new each year as a way to develop our skills and enable us to provide a better and more rounded service for our clients and to ensure we don’t fall too far behind our peers and colleagues. It’s much easier to learn one skill every year than five in one year. What and how you learn will be different for everyone. Maybe it is a program you’ve been meaning to understand or a language to help you communicate with your clients more effectively. It could be taking part in a leadership course to help you to be a better mentor for your staff. Whatever it is and whether it takes one year or five, learning a new skill can help both in and outside your career — it’s never too late to learn.
4. Teach Something
Willis Tower by EQ Office and Gensler, Chicago, IL, United States | Popular Choice Winner, 10th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Workspace
Learning something new is a great way to increase our value as a creator. However, passing on our knowledge and teaching others is also incredibly rewarding for both mentor and mentee. Mentoring is a rewarding, enjoyable way to support the next generation of architects. Mentoring provides an excellent platform for career self-reflection, the honing of leadership skills, and cross-fertilizing ideas between generations. The younger generation often bring a variety of issues for discussion that typically wouldn’t come up in everyday practice, and being exposed to new ways of thinking or alternative opinions can help us develop as designers and, ultimately, as people.
Whether it’s a colleague with less experience or the following year’s group of students, being a mentor and sharing knowledge is a rewarding resolution to adopt for 2023.
5. Switch it Up
Willis Tower by EQ Office and Gensler, Chicago, IL, United States | Popular Choice Winner, 10th Annual A+Awards, Architecture +Workspace
Not to call a spoon a spoon here, but if you’re setting a new year’s resolution because you feel you need to make a change, then the best thing you can do is make the change. Truthfully, only you can know what you truly want to achieve in your career. Only you know if you are happy in your job or what it is you need to bring happiness. Most of the time, the best thing you can do for yourself is to trust your instinct and go for it — make the change, whatever that may be, and if it doesn’t work out, well, at least you tried.
Architizer's new image-heavy daily newsletter, The Plug, is easy on the eyes, giving readers a quick jolt of inspiration to supercharge their days. Plug in to the latest design discussions by subscribing.
