Removing The Hurdle Early
By Mustapha Williams
Licensed 2021

Hello!

My name is Mustapha Williams. I am an Architect and Associate at Gensler in Chicago, IL. Originally from Nashville, I graduated from The University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2018 with my Professional Bachelor of Architecture. While I was in college, encouraged by a mentor, I held multiple internships, accruing the necessary AXP hours within a year of starting my professional career. I started the exam process in the spring of 2019 and earned my State of Illinois Architecture license in January of 2021. Being licensed was always on my checklist. Completing it as a 25-year-old was definitely due to my colleagues around me encouraging young professionals to get the exams done early in their career. Finishing the exams early is allowing me to focus on growing my professional career without another hurdle in my way. Some say to wait until you have more experience – however, I recommend getting that hurdle out of your way if that is in your professional plan.

Getting Started

My first step, when I decided to start studying, was to reach out to one of my friends and colleagues already going through the process. She had a great starter guide that detailed resources to start with and how to find those resources within our firm database. Ballast, AHPP, and Pluralsight were definitely key resources for every single exam. The availability of resources plus reimbursement for passed exams from Gensler definitely gave me a boost to move forward with taking my exams.

Establishing a Routine

One of the largest struggles I had was being an extrovert in a new city. I started this process less than a year into my professional career and move to Chicago.  Chicago winters helped me stay inside somewhat, but it wasn’t foolproof. On top of the want to explore my new surroundings, work was getting really heavy when I began studying – 50 hour weeks were becoming a constant. I was also trying to enjoy hanging out with new friends in the city. All that said, the triangle of study, work, play was becoming harder and harder to keep balanced. It took until my second exam for me to really get a rhythm together. I aimed to study 2 hours a day either before or after work on weekdays. I usually went to a coffee shop first thing in the morning until lunchtime on the weekends. Yes, the social life took a slight hit, but I quickly worked to ensure I had the mental breaks throughout the week. One cannot completely focus on work and study for too long without a negative impact mentally. I needed to ensure I was still enjoying life and not just studying, going to work, coming home to study, and repeating. Of course, when I did go out on the town, I had to be sure to not stay out too late, and make sure that I had enough rest to focus on my morning study sessions.

As far as when I took my exams, I really found 8am Monday to be the best time slot. I stayed on a 4-week study schedule – so the final week I took practice tests all week long. I would take Friday off from studying, hit a robust practice test Saturday morning, review the answers Saturday afternoon, and look over the final material on Sunday. I made sure to take Sunday nights off – playing video games or watching a movie to relax my brain. That process allowed me to not cram new information before the exam, but review and build on the information I already had.

Accountability

All of the goals and schedules that I had were great. However, if one doesn’t have accountability within oneself or among peers, it becomes a deeper struggle. I was fortunate to be amongst many friends who were also tackling their exams. We were able to feed each other resources, tool guides, and have study sessions to keep each other accountable. The numerous NCARB and NOMA group chats, study groups, and forums are the best way to stay tuned with new information, questions that multiple people have, and to see that you are not the only one struggling. That’s one of the most important aspects to take away – YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THIS PROCESS. Reach out to your colleagues, visit the forums, ask your questions. I guarantee you that hundreds of others are having the same issues you may be having while preparing for an exam. Someone has probably found a solution – so use your village!

Afer Licensure

Since I have been licensed, I have also received a promotion, have led some projects, and have gained more trust amongst my coworkers. Getting licensed is not everyone’s professional goal – and that’s perfectly fine. However, the knowledge that is taught in the study materials is worth knowing, and it will only help you in your professional career.

Thank you for reading my story!

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