The path to professional fulfillment isn’t always a straight line, and the stories of some of our BWBR team members prove just that. In the latest episode of Side of Design, host Matt Gerstner and three BWBR colleagues share their fascinating journeys of career transformation, revealing how seemingly unrelated experiences can shape unique perspectives and lead to rewarding careers in unexpected places.
Blending Technology and Creativity
Matt kicks off the episode by sharing his own unique path, which began when he earned his associate degree in architectural technologies. He applied his skills as a CAD drafter and BIM technician in the architecture industry, working on highly complex projects and solving intricate technical challenges.
“But throughout my career, there was always another side to me, one that had nothing to do with architecture,” Matt says. Outside of work, Matt had a deep passion for music, playing guitar in bands, recording music, and even running a DJ company with friends. When he noticed a BWBR colleague working on a video animation, he wanted to learn more about AV production. “Slowly, I found ways to assist with video editing projects in the office.”
Today, his role as Senior Communications Specialist blends technical knowledge and creativity—managing in-house AV, editing and distributing internal video content, producing content for social media and BWBR’s website and, of course, hosting and producing Side of Design. “I was able to find a mix of passions in my daily life and build upon skills I already had that brought even more value to what I was doing at BWBR.”
From Stage Dreams to Marketing Success
Danielle Hilmo, BWBR’s Marketing Manager, began her journey with childhood dreams of acting. After a year studying drama at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, “I internally realized maybe acting actually isn’t for me, but it was a total crisis because I never considered doing anything else,” she shares.
She pivoted to anthropology at the University of Minnesota with a minor in Japanese, leading her to teach English in Japan. Her path eventually brought her to a job as an administrative assistant at an architecture firm, where she moved into marketing—a field that merged her interest in understanding human behavior with creative communication.
“I didn’t realize until I was about 40 what acting, anthropology, and marketing all have in common,” Danielle says. “It’s about figuring out what makes people tick… seeing what motivates people, groups of people, cultures.” Her teaching experience also comes into play, as she mentors high school students in a program to promote architecture, construction and engineering. Danielle’s work leading the marketing team involves strategic planning, development of marketing materials to help the firm win work, and always expecting the unexpected while balancing multiple deadlines. We can certainly see how her storytelling skills and dynamic experiences are an asset in this role!
When Architecture Takes a Different Form
Knowledge Manager Kari Shonblom‘s story shows how staying within an industry while changing roles can lead to unexpected fulfillment. Despite starting in architecture school, she found herself questioning her path during her senior year. Rather than pursuing a master’s degree, she ventured into drafting at a construction company, where she first got the opportunity to work on marketing materials.
“My brain tended to like to break things down into smaller problems, and I resonated with the quicker turn of the marketing stuff. There’s a faster result,” Kari says. She shares that in marketing roles, “you learn about the business of architecture. You learn about the strategy. You start to see all the parts and pieces come together.” This experience led her to knowledge management, where she now helps colleagues share information more effectively across the firm.
“Along the way, stemming from architecture school, I was learning how to package ideas and present them,” she shares. “You’re soliciting feedback, you’re understanding the root of the problem, and you’re understanding user experience and user needs and translating that, and I continue to do that with knowledge management.”
From Musical Performance to Performance Design
Another striking transition comes from Rasa Zeltina, who began her career as a saxophone performance major with a second major in Russian. After years of teaching private music lessons and performing, she craved more stability. Her journey took her through various roles, including a position as a sourcing analyst, before landing at BWBR, where she now serves as an administrative coordinator focusing on sustainability efforts.
Along with a love of music, Rasa says she has been passionate about architecture for as long as she can remember. “At one point, I had an internship with the Chicago Architecture Center… I spent a couple of years as a tour coordinator for Preserve Minneapolis. I’ve really always loved historic architecture, old buildings, historic preservation.”
Though her path from music to architecture may not seem to have an obvious connection, Rasa says, “I think if there were one thing, it might be resourcefulness. When you’re a musician and you’re trying to make that lifestyle work, you have to be a little bit scrappy and create opportunities that might not be obvious. And I think a little bit of that mindset may have been helpful in trying to pivot and advocate for myself in making a change.”
Key Lessons for Career Transitions
- Trust Your Interests: All four professionals found fulfillment and success by following their genuine interests, even when they seemed unrelated to their original career paths. Kari suggests paying attention to “what you can sit down and do without realizing that an hour has passed, versus it being a grind.”
- Recognize Transferable Skills: As Rasa advises, “When you do have a non-linear career path, I think it’s important to help people understand what your skills and your potential are, because it’s not going to be obvious by looking at a resume.”
- Take Action: Rather than getting stuck in analysis paralysis, sometimes the best approach is to try something new. In Matt’s case, “what started as a simple curiosity turned into something more,” and taking action to learn a new skill resulted in a transformed career!
Finding Your Flow
Whether it’s Matt’s blended passion of architectural technology and AV, Danielle’s discovery of how her anthropology background enhanced her marketing career, Kari’s realization that she preferred working with data and trends over architectural design, or Rasa’s path from music to sustainability, each found their way by paying attention to what energized them. Sometimes, the most fulfilling careers result from embracing unexpected turns and remaining open to new possibilities.
