Architects are the sort of people you should know in life, along with solicitors, mechanics and IT helpdesk personnel.

It’s not surprising then that from the very day I was accepted into university I have had people offering to ‘help me help you’.

My dad has very kindly – and selflessly – offered to let me ‘design’ a porch for my parents’ home and gain hands-on experience filling in all the appropriate applications and paperwork.  Like I said, a truly selfless act on his behalf. 

While I do appreciate the thought of him teaching me the process, the cause is unjust. My dad is wary that the front door may become insecure, but rather than getting a new door or fixing the problem, he wants to build around it… where’s the logic in that? He doesn’t even want to consider removing the existing walls and doorways to boost space and improve circulation.

What do you do if you don’t like a job? Or worse still, you don’t agree with it? Obviously an addition of a porch to my parents’ home is hardly affecting my life sensibilities, but still, could it be the start of a slippery slope? Do I put my foot down now and say ‘no’? Go hard and fast with my work ideologies from the very outset? Yes.  Definitely… were it a worthy cause to be agitated about. But with my dad’s porch? No. I should just do it and learn from the experience.

I have given my parents a lot of advice regarding our family home over the years – even as a young girl; mostly ignored, of course. Now they have ‘their’ ideas of what they should’ve done or what they could do in the future… all very similar ideas to my own, and yet I still don’t hear any recognition to that effect. 

Back to the porch. My dad has handed over the responsibility. I know he doesn’t actually want anything personally designed. He just wants what the neighbours have, and I’m absolutely sure I won’t be holding the reins on the project. 

There are a few people in my life that I know I will have to work extra hard to impress. It’s not that they don’t like what I produce, or trust my knowledge. It’s that they don’t even think to ask for my opinion. This is a massive reason why I came to university – to make people give me the time of day when I have something of value to say.

It’s amazing how differently people treat me now when I’m introduced as an architecture student, compared to my previous role as restaurant manager.

Nadine Dommett is studying a BA in architecture and is in her second year at the University of Plymouth