When Maddison checked her phone, she was so ecstatic she forgot what she was doing. “I was about to walk my dog and locked myself out because I was so excited,” she says. “I had to quickly ground myself because nobody was around. It was three hours before someone could let me back in.” She had just won the Outstanding Graduate Prize for Diploma of Design and Architecture.
Regular walks with Mandog, her 14-year-old mixed-breed dog (who ‘looks like a miniature schnauzer except that’s probably the only breed that isn’t in him’) first pointed Maddison towards architecture. She says, “During the COVID lockdown I was walking every day, looking at all the amazing houses in my neighbourhood. That’s when I thought, ‘I want to do that. I think I can do that.’ And I understood what I’d be signing up for. My partner is an engineer, so he works directly with architects. We talked through what it would really be like.”
Going full throttle
Before the pandemic, Maddison had worked in hospitality for more than ten years. “It took being out of work – not being submerged in crazy, chaotic workplaces – for me to think about what I like,” she says. “Changing career was a big commitment, but I’m pretty much a dive-right-in sort of person. And once I’ve dived in, I go full throttle. There’s no holding back.” She adds, “The first thing was just seeing where I could get a place. When I graduated high school in 2015, I wasn’t very focused on study. I didn’t get the marks I wanted back then and that shattered my confidence a bit. But while I was looking at courses, UTS College had reached out saying ‘you can do this pathway to university, and we’ll accept you.’ It just started snowballing from there.”
When it comes to big career changes, Maddison had the perfect role model in her mum. “She changed her whole career at 40 – went back to study and did several courses over five years. And she was a single mum looking after three kids. I’ve seen her do it all and succeed and thrive from it. Now she’s work-fluid and loves picking up new skills. She’s gone from aviation to community development to being a cinematographer. And now she’s filming all the grads at UTS. When work went down during the pandemic, she became a drone pilot for surf live saving. She’s had a thousand careers.”
Small classes and hands-on learning
Maddison enrolled in the Diploma of Design and Architecture and hit the ground running. “I remember loving our history classes – doing case studies and research – and I was like ‘I can’t believe we actually get to sit here and study this!’ I’d be going on walks every night just pointing out buildings and going, ‘I know the origin of this, and I understand why this was put together, and I know what timeframe this is from.’ I was so excited because we were learning about the history of buildings I knew in the city."
After such a long time away from study, Maddison says the nurturing environment at UTS College was perfect for her. “I got to be in small classes and had more intense learning that I don’t think I would have had if I went straight to university. I’m a hands-on learner. If I’m asking questions, it locks in my memory, so the tutorials were a thousand times better than having lectures. The style of learning was good for me. My diploma has given me a good foundation for going to uni, and I feel really solid about starting there soon.”
The style of learning was good for me. My diploma has given me a good foundation for going to uni, and I feel really solid about starting there soon.
Connecting to an internship
Since completing her diploma, Maddison’s been busy with an internship. “It’s with a company called LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture). They’re incredible. They’re working on some of the biggest projects globally right now. UTS College gave me the connection. It was all due to my tutors who saw that I was dedicated and passed my name on. When I finish my six-month internship, I’ll go back to university and take the experience with me.”
A diverse, unique campus
Spending more time on the UTS campus is something Maddison looks forward to. She says, “I love the buildings. I remember we had a short tutorial on the ‘cheese grater’ building, and I loved it. And we did a little walking tour in one of my tutorials through the Chau Chak Wing Building – the Gehry building. It’s stunning. You walk through the campus and all the buildings are so different you don’t even know it’s the same university. It’s not like a uniform. They’re diverse and full of character and I love that.”
You walk through the campus and all the buildings are so different you don’t even know it’s the same university. It’s not like a uniform. They’re diverse and full of character and I love that.
To students at the start of their study journey, Maddison has a few tips. “I think you need to set up your work around your studies as much as you can. If you’re truly committed you might have to sacrifice work for study sometimes, because if you’re bending over backwards to learn and work, it’s important to take it all onboard. Try to get the most out of your learning because that’s going to be your work one day. Also, when your brain stops working and the information isn’t getting in, go to sleep. If you’re not processing, there’s no point staying up. Just get up early the next morning. And caffeinate. A lot.”
Learn more about the Diploma of Design and Architecture