Hey, I’m Sammy and I am an Architectural Graduate in the Planning and Design Team at Cala Homes East of Scotland.
I graduated from the University of Dundee with a master’s degree in 2014 and worked in a small architectural practice, and then I joined Cala’s graduate programme in 2021.
Cala Homes is a prestigious brand and that initially attracted me to the graduate scheme. I wanted to find a role with learning and development opportunities, so I could advance my career while getting good experience. I felt Cala offered a great opportunity, enabling me to work for a major housebuilder where I would be challenged and get to work with multidisciplinary teams.
My day to day at Cala has always been positive. Every day there are always new things to learn and I always feel supported. I feel able to ask the questions I need to, and really benefit from working closely with my experienced colleagues. I also get the opportunity to go on-site visits during construction and to also see our finished products on-site, which is always very inspiring.
The graduate development programme at Cala is helping me to develop a great understanding of the wider business and its structure. I’m learning to build confidence in leadership and team working, and I feel really invested in Cala Homes future.
My goal is to become a qualified architect and I believe working at Cala will provide me with the knowledge and experience to reach my goal. In the long term, I want to be more than just an architect, I want to get more involved in changing and contributing towards Cala’s future plans in terms of improving design and sustainability, and meeting our customer aspirations.
The culture at Cala is excellent, and I work with friendly and experienced people from various backgrounds. I enjoy working in the office alongside my colleagues, it is a very positive environment, but there is also the flexibility to work from home. The work life balance is good, and this allows me to spend time on my hobby which is photography.
