University of Brighton BA(Hons) Architecture graduate Mariyana Stoyanova is climbing a male-oriented career ladder on what will be one of Europe’s tallest residential towers. Mariyana has been employed as a Construction Graduate on Berkeley Group’s multi-million-pound South Quay Plaza development which includes a 20m swimming pool, spa and gymnasium, in Canary Wharf, London.
Mariyana was awarded a BA(Hons) Architecture at Brighton in 2014 and later an MSc in Construction Project Management and is now on Berkeley’s Graduate Scheme. So far she has worked in Sales and Marketing, Customer Services, Operations and Finance.
She said: “I had always thought I wanted to be an architect – it was my childhood dream – but during my degree I realised I was far more interested in the construction process itself, in terms of how we put things together and more importantly how we manage the process.
“Construction remains a very male-dominated field. Despite that, progressively more women are being employed in the industry. There are still not many well-known female role models in the industry but this did not stop me from pursuing a career in something I am passionate about and enjoy.
“Currently, I am working towards developing my skills and knowledge of the industry further. I am confident in coaching team members and managing colleagues, however I would like to gain more knowledge and experience in managing projects in the construction industry in a disciplined and effective way. My ambitions lie in one day having gained the knowledge and skills required to manage a whole project.
“During my Architecture degree, I found myself predominantly designing residential properties despite the open briefs – this wasn’t intentional, it was just what I found most engaging and interesting. This led me to research and learn more about the industry and the more knowledge I gained, the more interested I became.
“Attending a careers fair at university is an easy and effective way of finding what employers have to offer to those leaving university. Employers tend to attend because they are looking to recruit, providing a great opportunity to secure employment prior to leaving university.”
Mariyana described her Berkeley’s job as: “Exciting, engaging and rewarding, allowing me to work with motivated, passionate and dedicated colleagues.”
And of the company’s graduate scheme, she said: “I feel like the amount of exposure, experience and knowledge I have gained during my short time at Berkeley so far will be undoubtedly very beneficial further down the line. The work I get involved in is so varied and provides numerous learning and development opportunities, which I believe will be essential for my career progression.”
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