I Got Hired: Architectural Technical Graduate at CALA & Legal and General Homes

Posted on: 22 November 2023 by Richard Finch in Graduate stories

Aishlin-Cait McGowan is a Class of 2022 Architecture graduate, now working as an Architectural Technical Graduate at CALA & Legal and General Homes.

I had been following several developers in my area for a while and saw that CALA had a graduate scheme through posts on LinkedIn.      

Prior to studying my degree in Architecture, I did work experience for a new build developer and really enjoyed my time there.

Throughout my degree it was encouraged that after graduating we would start working within a practice, however, this didn't really appeal to me! I have always had an interest in construction and wanted a more hands on role than just a design role. Applying for graduate schemes within new build developer companies, I was able to move away from a practice-based role and gain more experience within the construction industry.

My favourite part of my graduate job is learning new things! Within my role I'm constantly learning and pushing myself to achieve the best of my ability. Every day is different and it means I'm getting out of my comfort zone and growing!                

The construction industry and working within it, is totally different to the theories I've learnt through my degree. My degree gave me so much knowledge on how we design and create, however, within the industry this doesn't always go to plan and I've had to learn how to overcome these issues and come up with alternate solutions; that I may not have learnt through my degree. As well as this, the construction industry is predominantly male and to begin with I had to get used to this and deal with confidence issues working within an industry.        

My advice to current students:

Don't stress too much, as what you graduate with doesn't necessarily dictate how well you'll do. Don't always follow the trends; look for alternate jobs/industries where your degree may be beneficial and enjoy the university time whilst you can.