-: So for me,
I know Ball State College of Architecture and Planning
did an excellent job of kind of giving
me a well-rounded education.
It wasn't specifically super technical
nor was it very over conceptual.
I felt like they really did
a good job of balancing the two.
What I love the most about
College of Architecture and Planning specifically,
is the freedom that I had
to sort of define my own path.
I think you need to just kind
of put yourself out there.
Think outside the box a little bit.
Apply to places that aren't
traditional architecture firms.
I think that there's a lot
of experience that can be gained
at a very traditional architecture firm,
but you can gain that same level
of experience working
for a real estate developer.
In addition to doing internships and things,
I think there are a lot of opportunities
within Ball State to able
to get that experience.
So things like, building better communities,
which I think is called
Building Better Neighborhoods now,
at Ball State.
They do a lot of community-based projects
which are real projects.
You're designing things
for the Muncie community.
Or you're building houses here.
It's a great way to kinda get
your foot in the door,
and get that real world experience
while you're still in school.
Don't be afraid to ask
for an interview.
When I graduated from grad school,
the company that I currently work for,
they were working on a project
that was very similar
to my master's thesis.
And I just sort of out of the blue,
emailed and called them and said,
"Hey, I did something very similar,
"I'd like to share it with you."
I never thought that there would
be a job offer at the end of the tunnel.
I just kind of wanted to collaborate
and let them know
that this is what I was working on,
I know you're doing something similar.
Let's kind of collaborate on this.
And after that conversation,
about a week later they called and said,
"Come work for us."
So it was kind of a great serendipitous thing,
but because I put myself out there
and was just open
to kind of sharing ideas with people,
it led to something more.