Life after graduation: shaping a successful career

Since graduating from Nottingham, Sophie has used her degree to follow her passion and began a successful career at Hopkins Architects as a Part Two Architectural Assistant. 

What attracted you to studying architecture? 

I wanted to study something that allowed me to be creative but that also had a very practical side too. It was architecture that combined both of these things (and a lot more).   

Why did you choose to study at the University of Nottingham? 

When I first came to look around, the campus was something that really stuck with me, it’s beautiful. Although it is a campus university it is also close to the city centre, so you got the best of both worlds. 

The Architecture course offered at Nottingham is also ranked highly with a great reputation, a huge factor in my decision.  

How did your course help shape your career? 

The course was a direct avenue into a career in architecture but moreover it taught me a huge amount of transferable skills that I use every day. This includes all the soft skills that you’d use in every job, not just ones related to my course. 

What advice would you give to current architecture students at Nottingham? 

This is incredibly difficult, but I think the most important thing is to enjoy your time here as much as you can and really make the most of the facilities on offer, particularly the members of staff there to teach and support you. It’s also a great time to explore and pursue what you enjoy and find interesting. Make sure you check out the different societies on offer and try something new. 

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