Midst July after hosting a room on Clubhouse I was invited to join Michael Riscica on his podcast to talk about life, the Architecture Industry and building the Architecture Social. 

Here is the description from the episode:

Some people take a long and winding route to realize that architecture is the field for them. Stephen Drew is not one of them. He always knew that he wanted to be an architect. He did temporarily entertain the idea of becoming a doctor, but his love for drawing and designing won out. Even his friends always assumed that he would become an architect. 

Stephen was passionate about graphic design and geography, which is an unusual combination. He went to the University of Westminster – that was his first time in London. He graduated into the global economic crisis and was worried about finding a job. Encouraged by a friend (who is now a famous You Tuber), he sent out a large number of CVs and ended up landing a job in a top firm as his first job.

In today’s episode, Stephen talks about his experience working in recruiting for architecture firms. He explains what architects need to understand about recruiters and also talks about the ins and outs of finding a job as an architect. 

Stephen also discusses the project that he started during the pandemic, Architecture Social. He explains what it is, how it started, and why it’s interesting to young architects. Listen in to hear Stephen’s thoughts on the word community, what he thinks about the Clubhouse app, and his advice for architects applying for jobs. 

What You’ll Hear on This Episode: 

• What inspired Stephen to pursue a career in architecture
• Where Stephen went to architecture school
• What happened after architecture school
• What Stephen is doing today
• What the recruitment process looks like for Stephen
• How Stephen feels about doing recruitment work
• Architecture Social
• What Stephen thinks about Clubhouse
• The use of the word community
• Stephen’s advice for aspiring architects
• What Stephen knows now that he didn’t know then
• The book that changed everything for Stephen
• Stephen’s favorite resource, product, or gadget
• Stephen’s best time saving trick
• How listeners can find Stephen

Top Three Takeaways from This Episode:

1. It’s important to understand the recruiter’s role.
2. Understand what community really means.
3. Become a better version of yourself.

Stephen’s Advice for Aspiring Architects:

“It always changes over time, but the things that I think are constant is that don’t worry about whatever other people are doing but hold yourself accountable and keep pushing yourself.

Favorite Quotes:

“Don’t doubt yourself too much.” – What Stephen knows now that he didn’t know then.

“A book that’s been really helpful is How to Win Friends and Influence People.” –The book that changed everything for Stephen 

“I would love to say it’s not a mobile phone, but the mobile phone is both a blessing and a curse.” –Stephen on his favorite resource, product, or gadget

“I’m not a list person, OK? So bizarrely, that frees up all my time because I’m not listening to a lis.”  –Stephen on his best time-saving trick

Resources Mentioned on the Show:

Stephen Drew

Stephen on LinkedIn

Architecture Social

📐 The Architecture Social is an online platform packed with content to help you find new jobs, stand out from the crowd and take your career in Architecture to the next level

💻 Find out more at https://www.architecturesocial.com