by Sophia Cao

Being an architect is no easy job, which is something Jana Simison knows firsthand. You may be thinking what is an architect? What’s the big deal? Let me explain it to you.

An architect is a person who designs buildings. There are many different types of architects. Some of the main types of architects are landscape architects and building architects. Building architects design and make the construction documents or drawings so the construction workers can use them to build the structure. The architects also have to help design the inside of the building. Architects don’t only have to worry about how the buildings look, they also have to worry about the safety of the buildings in the event of disaster! Architects focus on how best to safely get people out of a building that is impacted. As you can see, being an architect is a very important job. Maybe after reading this, you might consider being an architect when you grow up!

Jana Simison works as an Architect at BCRA Design. BCRA is a firm made up of “architects, engineers, interior designers, land use planners and graphic designers that work in teams” says Jana. She commonly works nine to ten hours a day, sometimes more around deadlines. Jana says her job is like being a professional kindergartener because in a day she draws, colors, cuts, pastes, builds, shares and plays nicely with others. Her normal schedule includes meetings with other engineers or they’re teams, working on designs and drawing on the computer, researching building materials, writing meeting notes or agendas and working on project schedules, and looking at building budgets.

She works on public spaces, like the YMCA and other community centers and schools. She says that these building help our community by giving people a place to learn and grow in a healthy way.

Being an architect takes lots of time, but it is a very fun job too. Jana Simison’s first job was teaching swim lessons. After that, she worked at a movie theater and helped at a daycare. She knew she wanted to be an architect since high school. In sixth grade, she took a test that told her what job fit her most. She got architect. At the time, she did not think that the job fit her, because she did not like math. But as she grew older, she started liking math more and decided the job fit her. Jana notes that you don’t have to be great at math to be a great architect.

Most buildings are designed by some sort of architects, except for single family homes. That’s a lot of architects! “Being an architect is amazing. I get to play with buildings and feel like a kindergartener again every day.” Says Jana. Even though her job is hard, it’s a very fun job too!