Already a member?

Click here to login

Welcome to Brazen Careerist!

Amanda Christianson is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Amanda Christianson and other professionals just like you. Learn more.

About Me

Architects need to be masters of many things, as we each operate as the hub for incoming and outgoing information across a team of multi-disciplinary professionals. Managing the coordination between all of our technical and design consultants, contractors, developers or clients, permitting agencies, and more requires wielding control over massive amounts of information while also being able to focus on the details at the same time. Without losing sight of the end goal - the construction of a building consistent with the owner's needs and the architect's design intent - we relish in our ability to inhabit the physical results of our exceptional creative problem solving skills.

I enjoy the practice of architecture very much. It is rewarding in both the architecture that is built and the relationships that are fostered during these huge undertakings. Recently, I've been wrapped up in the conversation over the disconnect between the business of architecture and emphasis on conceptual design and theory in higher education. With 1 in 5 architects self-employed in the United States, architecture school generally leaves students under-prepared for the business of architecture. Furthermore, most firms in our industry consist of 10 people or less, where business plans, strategies, HR, marketing, and more are either non-existent or picked up by the architectural professionals.

Theory, design, critique, and aesthetics play a powerful and important role in my industry. Without which we would have a bland, uninspiring, and ineffective built environment in which to live. But this is only half of the equation to a successful architectural practice.