Navigating Career Paths and Personal Growth in Construction – Anusha Ramesh
You make a few big decisions in your life that will change everything, sometimes in ways you can predict, sometimes not. That big decision for me was moving to Toronto from Dubai at the age of 17 to study architecture at the Toronto Metropolitan University. This decision, although life-changing, was not fully my own. My parents suggested that I go to a university in Canada, knowing that it would be a good experience and would open up opportunities after graduation. I thought so, too, and after all, it would only be for four years, and then I’d move back home to the Middle East. I had no idea then that I would one day call Toronto my home!
At first, Toronto was new to me in so many ways. The culture, food, lingo, and meeting people from many parts of the world were exciting. Four years passed quickly, and I was ready to graduate and look for jobs. By then, I was determined to stay in Toronto and gravitated towards calling it ‘my home.’ I struggled with this concept, though I realized I was creating a new identity for myself. It was different than I had imagined, and I felt guilty for choosing a place far from my family.
I began to look high and low for an opportunity at an architecture firm, but it was challenging. I had no previous Canadian work experience, so my resume was quick to go to the bottom of the pile – as recently as ten years ago, it was a requirement on many job applications to have Canadian work experience.
After applying to every relevant job posting I could find, and the responses turned up empty, I started looking at opportunities that extended from architecture. I found a position at the Riverdale Hub on Gerrard Street. This non-profit group empowers immigrant women through a social enterprise model, supporting them in their quest for financial and family stability. It was a small, ambitious team, and I helped them as an in-house designer to set up their new co-working space, their gallery space, and a bit of marketing, as well as even how to serve a good coffee!
This wasn’t at first glance relevant to architecture. Still, it gave me some local experience, hands-on design work, some great colleagues to work with who were also starting their careers in Toronto as architects, and insight into the workings of a small business. I then applied to some smaller construction companies and thought, why not? I could start there, and then once I had the Canadian experience everyone was looking for, I could get back into architecture.
That was an impromptu decision that steered me onto the right track. I started by working for a start-up construction company called Build it By Design, which focused on interior fit-outs for restaurants in the city. We were often given a simple interior design package from the client to follow and build to suit, much like a design-build project. Again, this was a small team getting a foothold in the industry, so I learned a lot very quickly. From building out small, passionate businesses such as Té on Ossington to food chains in large malls, everything moved fast as we had to fit out the restaurants within 8-10 weeks and have them ready to open for business. I realized that this suited my style! I also moved quickly and took ownership of learning and staying ahead of any issues. That said, I really missed being a part of design and architecture. I wanted to work on larger, more complex projects that required coordination between multiple disciplines to bring a design vision together. I wanted bigger challenges.
Within a year of the fast-paced restaurant construction, I found another unique opportunity where architecture and construction met. I joined Boszko & Verity (B&V), a construction management firm, in 2016 as a Project Coordinator. Immediately, I was put on the type of project I had dreamed of. It was a complex renovation and restoration of a five-storey historic brick-and-beam industrial building with a three-storey rooftop addition in the heart of Toronto. This project at 180 John Street was with Allied Properties and Gensler Architects and was completed over three years. Again, it was very different from anything I had worked on. I moved from small fit-out projects with a few pages of drawings to a multi-year project with hundreds of drawings and specifications, high-quality design, and challenging site conditions.
It was a completely new curve, and I had to learn fast to keep pace. I took extra time and spent weekends pouring over the drawings, using Google as a friend to learn about complex foundation details or steel connections. I found joy in this process and still do this every time I am on a new project
Me (right) and Julia Knezic (left). Taken at 180 John Street, my first project at B&V, while we were underpinning the building. It was a complex renovation to upgrade a brick-and-beam 100-year-old base building and add three storeys on top. Having a female Project Manager (Julia) on the project definitely showed me that women can make it work in construction. I strongly believe representation is a big factor in bringing more women into the industry.
It was this project that showed me some of the ingredients for success. I found role models in my peers, developed a strong working relationship with my Site Manager, and tried to absorb all the project’s sights, sounds, and smells. I was green in the industry. I knew it, and so I asked lots of questions. I find this is key for those starting in their careers. Stay curious and don’t be embarrassed – and as my bosses used to say, there are never any silly questions.
I also recognized early on that being a woman in construction would be tough. Our office had many women in management and coordinator roles, but we were typically the only women in external meetings. Our trade meetings would often be a 15:2 ratio of men to women. This was at first nerve-wracking, and I watched and learned how to handle these situations from other women. It took a lot of extra effort to gain the trust and respect of the people we worked with. I watched our female project managers push hard to understand the drawings inside and out and work with the trades to understand all the specifics of the work. The stakes were high as one slip-up meant risking this hard-earned acceptance into this masculine industry, where it assumed that women might not be able to handle the pressures of the job and eventually fail. I saw my female colleagues work hard against this prevailing narrative, and the only way was to really know their stuff and have many allies! I was lucky to have a community of allies like this to learn from, and the support of my bosses, site managers, and trades has been key to my growth.
Me (right), carpentry tradesperson (middle), and B&V site member Shea LeBlond (left). The photo was taken on a recent project at 507 King East as I collaborated with the carpentry trade, representing my day-to-day life.
Over the next few years, I built upon everything I had learned in this first project. I found my passion in my work and was excited to keep learning and moving up. I became a Project Manager and started to mentor others in the company including new project coordinators who were beginning their careers like I was a few years back. I took pride in building relationships, especially with the trades. I realized they were key to the success of each project, especially in the design-forward projects we took on. Quality design meant working closely with the trades to create solutions that made sense and could be built. This can only happen if you respect their experience and input, build personal relationships, and occasionally buy coffee and donuts for the crews!
Me (second from right) and our crews from B&V. Taken on a recent project at 507 King East as I collaborated with a multi-disciplinary team, which represents my day-to-day.
I found my passion in my work and was excited to keep learning and moving up, but the construction industry presents an intense work-life that also brings challenges. In 2021, a health setback prompted me to reconsider my priorities. In 2022, I took a bold step—a sabbatical. Negotiating time off in an industry that seldom allows breaks, I focused on resetting my health and reconnecting with my family. This decision, though unconventional, allowed me to recharge and set new goals.
Eight months after rejoining work, I am grateful for what I have and who I have become. It may sound cliché, but I hope my experience shows the importance of hard work, self-care, and occasionally pausing to reflect and recharge.
Biography:
Anusha graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Department of Architectural Science with a specialization in Building Science. Her journey into the construction industry began at a small contractor, focusing on restaurant builds, before joining B&V, a construction management firm, in 2016. Anusha swiftly showcased her passion for managing larger and more intricate building renovations, and her hands-on approach to the field is evident as she actively engages with site crews and collaborates closely with trade partners on the project. Anusha is currently a Chief Project Manager at B&V, oversees the planning and organization of the project teams, and plays a vital role in providing guidance and support for junior members and the rest of the project management team.