An Architect's Hammer

“Don’t Be An Architect’s Hammer”

This phrase is perhaps one of the most impactful of my career so far. The importance of knowing and working to your strengths. Circumstances can mean that we end up in places, roles and situations where we are not the best option. Before I explain this, however, you need to know the backstory behind an Architect's Hammer.

It is mid-September 2018, and I have just started my degree in industrial product design at the University of Plymouth. In those first few weeks of such a practical degree, your timetable is mostly taken up with the various essential induction processes for the different workshops and labs that we would gain access to. On this particular morning, my classmates and I were lined up down the corridor of the Brunel Building waiting to be let into the workshop when it opened at 9am for our induction. Eventually, the door to the Arts and Humanities workshop opened, and one of the technicians greeted us. After filing in, stowing our bags and donning our safety goggles, our induction began. Dave, our technician for the morning, began by showing us the tool store, where we would be able to sign our tools and purchase materials. Towards the end of this explanation, Dave picked up a cordless power drill and asked those of us assembled what it was.

Someone answered, “It’s a cordless power drill”

Dave smiled and said something to the effect of , “No, obviously this is an Architect’s Hammer.”

Dave went on to explain that, on multiple occasions, architecture students had been found using the butt of the drill to hammer in nails. For those less familiar with the anatomy of a cordless drill, the butt of the drill is the battery. This had led to the department having to replace multiple damaged drill batteries at no small expense.

This was intended as a lecture on safety and how incorrect use cost a lot to fix, but I would remember this phrase nearly 5 years later in a very different context…

Jump forward to September 2023. The project I had moved to Aberdeen to work on had finished unexpectedly early, but the company had kept me on to work as essentially an in-house content designer.

At the time, I was going through a very difficult bereavement, and I was not in a good place. Add to the fact that I was really not suited to the type of work I was doing. I was functioning as a technical copywriter. This was challenging for several reasons: I have dyslexia, which makes writing any document challenging, and I had no training or background in the subject matter I was expected to evaluate, nor was I interested in it.

After (quite literally) bashing my head against my desk for a couple of months, trying to eek out anything useful, this phrase popped back into my head. “Don’t be an architect’s hammer”.

It was an epiphany. Why was I working so hard at something I was clearly not made to do? The company I worked for was using my expertise the same way the architect used the power drills. The longer I stayed in a role that I was clearly not built for, the more burnt out I was going to become. It was then that my decision to leave became crystal clear. A few months later, I moved back south

P.S. I’m going to add that I have nothing against architects, and I’m sure that by the end of their architecture degree, most architects know what a hammer is ;)

How did I know I was an Architect's Hammer?

I found work that hard and boring, no matter how much I tried to get better or make it more interesting.

Now, hard work isn’t necessarily a problem, but over time it should become easier to do as your skills and expertise better match the task's requirements. If this isn’t happening, then it may be that you are not a good match for the job. For me, my dyslexia means that no matter how many times I proofread a document, there are going to be spelling and grammar mistakes that I just can’t see. That is just how my brain works. Incidentally, the same neurological quirk means I have great spatial awareness and visual pattern recognition ability.

Boredom is another indicator. We all have less interesting aspects of our job (for me, that is anything admin); however, if there is nothing about your role that you find interesting or are passionate about, it could be a sign that you are in the wrong job.

What you decide to do about being in a job you don’t think suits you will depend on your situation. I recommend speaking with your manager if you feel comfortable, and I would also talk with people who know you well and ask them what they see as your strengths. This can be a good place to start.