The path to becoming a licensed architect is a long road filled with ups and downs, twists and turns, and unforeseen roadblocks along the way. But when you get to the end and look back, those challenges are what make the achievement that much sweeter.
I was lucky enough to start on the path to licensure in 2014 when I joined the local chapter of ACE Mentorship in high school lead by Lawrence Merighi, AIA. Through the two years of weekly meetings, I learned what the possibilities of a career in architecture look like and was hooked.
That desire led me to follow my passion to a degree in architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 2021.
College is known to be a very formative period, and I could not agree more. At RPI, I was taught and mentored by various professionals along the way, each with their own unique area of expertise and set of ideas. I was taught how to think differently, design spaces instead of just rooms, and, most importantly, how to fall down and still get back up. Graduating with a degree in Architecture from RPI was not an easy road, and one that at times I wanted to exit, but looking back, I would not be where I am today without the challenges set before me at RPI.
Upon graduating, I was thrust into the workforce at a small firm in Somers Point, NJ, called William McLees Architecture, where they practice across a broad spectrum of building typologies.
This exposure to all types of construction and phases of a project early in my career has enabled me to develop many skills that staff of a larger firm may not get exposure to until much later. Paired with getting thrown straight into reading
building codes, updating the BIM library, and setting up CEUs while waiting on markups; this firm has shaped me into the professional I am today.
Along with the practice came great mentors, who, in my opinion, are the key to success as a young professional in this field.
I can confidently say I would not be where I am today without William McLees, AIA, and Austin Sochocky, AIA, who took me under their wings and mentored me like their own son. I was given the freedom to create drawing sets and details on my own, knowing that the guardrails were there with a red pen before the work left our office. With that red pen not only came corrective markups but an explanation of why a certain detail or design element wasn’t up to snuff, slowly giving me the foundation and knowledge I have today.
After three and a half years of working and completing all my hours, I was able to sit for the Architectural Registration Exams. I had already read through the study materials during the previous 12 months, giving me a good foundation, but it was time to put the rubber to the road and test my knowledge. The divisions were challenging, and the studying even
harder, but the most difficult part was focusing on one section at a time. That focus paid off six months later when I completed the sixth exam, earning the title of Architect!
It truly does take an army of people to achieve a goal such as architectural licensure, and that is precisely what I had. The mentorship of Lawrence Merighi, AIA; William McLees, AIA; and Austin Sochocky, AIA, along with the support of my family and friends, is what propelled me to the finish line, and I will be forever grateful. If you are on your path to licensure, I encourage you to find your fan club, the supporters who will be there each step, because it is a long road, but the view from the end is great.
William Spenser Zaleskiewicz, AIA
Staff Architect, William McLees Architecture