Architectural sales is a world unto itself. Had I known that being able to work from home was an option, I’m not sure I would have finished school (stay in school, kids! An education will serve you more than being able to recite the Gettysburg Address and knowing the periodic table).
I get asked a lot if I get stir crazy or miss human interaction. Honestly, if you like to get out of the house and “see and be seen,” working from home is not for you. But for me, I get a lot of human interaction over the phone and via e-mail, and I have a work space set aside for myself to act as a subconscious clue that now it is “work time” instead of “home time.”
I can get so much work done when I’m not being interrupted in an office setting. In my first few weeks it astounded me that tasks which would have taken me a week to complete in an office, I could complete in one morning. Without drop by’s or having to answer the phone, even when I distract myself I am so much more efficient.
Architectural Sales is an incredibly rewarding job. My own hard work dictates my success, not someone else’s opinion of my hard work. You literally reap what you sow in the form of contacts, sales opportunities, and meeting new clients.
On top of all that, architectural hardware is an incredibly important aspect of daily life. I may not be a doctor saving lives or a lawyer creating new policies, but I sell hardware that protects people through fire or life safety codes. I help architects create an object of beauty. I help people solve problems.
And I get to do it all in my pajamas.
