If I have to do one more portable project, I'm going to lose my mind!

 This was part of a story an early mentor of mine told me. It was the end of my first year right out of school and we were meeting for my performance review. I had just finished working on my third masterplan for a local school district and expressed how I wanted to do other projects, but was afraid I'd get stuck doing another masterplan.

She told me how, earlier in her career, there was a season where she felt stuck doing portable layouts. One day, during a pin-up with the design principal, she couldn't take it anymore and snapped (for lack of a better word), hence the quote above. She said the principal was very understanding, explaining how the firm had a lot of portable projects, and she was doing a good job, so they had her continue working on them. But, because she spoke up, and the leadership saw that it was time for her to move on, she soon transitioned to something new.

Don't mistake boredom with practice

Her point was that all I needed to do was express my desire to try something different, that boredom was often a sign that it was time to move on. But another crucial part of the lesson was that I shouldn't look at tasks that seem monotonous or "boring" as such. That often, it's the seemingly boring things that enable us to perform well on things that are more "exciting."

This reminded me of my first ever internship when I was a third-year student in architecture school. For the first month I had to trace ADA details in AutoCAD for the studio's archive. This was a two-person operation, and I did this every day for the two days I'd go there each week. Needless to say, I wasn't jumping up and down with excitement. My boss at the time, Mitchell Sawasy, AIA, FIIDA, told me, "I know this isn't the most exciting work, but it's important for an architect to understand ADA," he said. "After you're done with this, you will know it well. Don't just copy; read and understand everything you're drawing."

That really helped me see the work I was doing in a different way. I did what Mitch said, but it still wasn't fun. However, a few years later, when I was working full time as a junior designer, recognizing ADA issues in floor plans, details, and in design meetings was like second nature. That early work that seemed "boring" was actually an essential practice for my future aptitude and success.

Look for the long term benefit of the seemingly boring

Whether it's drawing the same kind of detail, working on the same project type, or getting stuck in a certain phase of work, try to look at your current situation as an opportunity rather than an irritation. Pay attention to every detail, become a master at casework details, be the go-to team member for code analysis, whatever it is, embracing the monotony will equip you to be a formidable architect in your future. 

At the same time, be sure to speak up when you've sensed it's time for you to move on. We aren't saying to stay in one place forever, but merely to see the opportunities in your current situation as you work to move on to a new one.