Samuel Okoh

About me

  • Architectural Assistant in Nigeria
  • Studied: BA (Hons) Architecture, 2018

About my career

My first role was as a Freelance Designer, where I obtained clients through recommendations. I now work as an Architectural Assistant at Urban Innovation Organisation, where I am responsible for concept design, building surveys and documentation.

My top tip for students

Architecture is a unique course so don’t be afraid to ask for more subject specific help with CVs, portfolios and networking.

It is never going to be perfect the first time but give yourself a deadline or goal and make sure you send applications out. I assure you the more times you try, the more you perfect your portfolio. Don’t send the same portfolio to all the firms because some of them have different areas of speciality, which is to say residential or mixed use, computer graphics or hand-drawings and the like. It may just mean adjusting the order of your projects.

As an international student, I found that different aspects of the design process are prioritised in my country for example resolution was prioritised over concept, so visiting the potential employers website is important.

Don’t stop applying and going for interviews even while waiting for an organisation to reply, they’re looking for the best bargain and you should be too.

I’m inspired by

Architecture and the Body module by Dr Stephen Walker. It taught me that Architecture is far more than a subjective expression of one’s artistry but has much deeper social connotations. These socio-economic, psychological and cultural factors affect the way it should be designed and would subsequently be perceived by its inhabitants. This helped me design more contextual buildings and always question their raison d’etre.

Why I love Manchester Met

The openness and diversity of the campus.

Tell your story