Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

I lead a number of different teams to design and deliver interior design, architecture and urban design projects. I manage relationships with four main clients, and am responsible for managing professional fees, resources and risk on the projects I oversee.

A typical day starts at 7am when I read my emails on the train to work. Clients and consultants sometimes work across time zones, so the inbox can get full early in the day. I arrive at the office and brief the project designers on any new developments as well as checking progress. I then spend about half my day working through design solutions with my teams, and the other half communicating with clients, consultants and my directors.

Being able to support people to do their work really well.
When a project works out better than we (or the client) had expected.
Working with a team who value their work as much as I do.
Winning more work because the client loved our last project.

Uncertainty and change management - lots of people want to tinker and sometimes that can be difficult to manage.

I liked the idea of chaos getting resolved slowly into a frozen form.

Communication is the most important skill, and it's important to continue to hone it. Of course, whatever design knowledge and technical expertise I picked up is very useful, but unless you can empathise with the people you're working with or the client you're working for, it can be very difficult to get anything productive done.

I worked in a local company in Sheffield from 2008-2010, during which time i sat my Part 3 exam (not at Sheffield). In 2010 I moved to China and studied Chinese language at Nanjing University. Since 2011 I've been working, first in Guangzhou, then in Shenzhen, most recently in Hong Kong.

I think for the foreseeable future I will be in China, as the market here is so dynamic and continues to grow. I enjoy the role that I currently have, and think that it is something I can continue to grow in. At the moment I have no plans to take further qualifications, though it is quite common here for anyone aspiring to be a director to take an MBA, so that is something I may have to consider.

It's a long and quite arduous course, it's expensive, and (in Europe) it doesn't pay well. It takes a lot of confidence and perseverance, and it's not for everybody.