Christopher Hartiss’s architecture career is useful because it is not just a straight line through one type of practice work. The thread is clearer than that: drawings, communication, teaching, mentoring, leadership and understanding how decisions are made.
For students and candidates, that is the lesson. A strong architecture career path is not only about the next title. It is about the evidence you collect and the judgement you build across different settings.
Watch: Christopher Hartiss on architecture careers
Christopher Hartiss joins Architecture Social to discuss drawings, career routes, teaching, mentoring and what he has learned across practice and client-side work.
Listen: Christopher Hartiss career conversation
This is the audio version of the same Architecture Social episode, useful for the full conversation around career decisions and professional growth.
You can also open the related Architecture Social podcast page.
A career built around drawings
The conversation starts with a familiar architectural spark: drawings. Not just finished images, but drawings as a way to explain, test, coordinate and persuade. That is still one of the most valuable skills in architecture.
For candidates, the takeaway is practical. If your portfolio only shows attractive final visuals, it may miss the real professional value. Practices also want to see how you think, organise information and help a project move forward.
Practice, leadership and client-side experience
Christopher’s career includes long practice experience, including Squire and Partners, as well as client-side perspective. That mix matters because it shows both sides of the table: design intent and the reality of briefing, decision-making, budget, programme and stakeholder pressure.
- Practice experience builds design and delivery judgement.
- Client-side work sharpens briefing and decision-making awareness.
- Teaching and mentoring force you to explain ideas clearly.
- Review panels and leadership roles widen your view beyond one project.
- Career changes are easier to explain when you can show the thread.
What candidates can learn from this route
If you are early in your career, you do not need to copy someone else’s path. You do need to learn how to describe your own. What are you becoming known for? What type of work teaches you fastest? What evidence would make the next move believable?
Explore more architecture career support
Use these Architecture Social resources to compare career options, current jobs and practical next steps.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a varied career looks messy without explaining the connecting thread.
- Showing final portfolio images without enough process or responsibility.
- Undervaluing teaching, mentoring or client-side experience.
- Only describing job titles instead of the judgement built in each role.
- Waiting too long to reflect on what the next move should prove.
Architecture Social view
Stephen’s view is that a strong career story is built from evidence. If you can explain what each move taught you and how it improves your judgement, a non-linear path can become a strength.
Map the next step in your career path
Before chasing a title, write down what the next role needs to teach you and what evidence you need to build.
- Choose the skill or responsibility you want to prove next.
- Find roles that expose you to that work.
- Use your CV and portfolio to show the thread clearly.
For related career support, compare the architecture salary guide, browse current architecture jobs, set up architecture job alerts or contact Architecture Social for a recruiter’s view.
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