A path less travelled
66.56m ÷ ((((109 x 2) x 25) ÷ 𝑥) ÷ 𝑦) = 73,403.08
((((Shaping Environment x Community) x Period) ÷ Key Formative Role) ÷ Education)
- 66.65m[a]Population of the UK in 2019
- 109[b][c][d]Architectural practices in the UK employ more than 31 peopleThese are architectural studios big enough to work on unusually large and complex projects. This is where my career began, exposed to considerable complexity. 109 represents 0.002% of private business in the UK[c]. That puts my experience on a path less travelled from day one of my career.
- x 2People per company employed in a similar role where I beganThe role was developing and managing a team helping customers make sense of the job‑to‑do on complex projects (That's competitive bids worth between £92m and £164m valued at 2021 rates). The choice of 2 is rather arbitrary. I was the only person in the business shaping how it communicated its complex projects to customers. I'm also not sure many competitors employed anyone to do the same for them at the time. I say this having seen a lot of competitor presentations.
- x 25Years of people being hired to do the same thingOver a career of 25 years, say, there will be increasing numbers involved in a similar activity, for similar businesses. They'll carry their experience with them to other jobs, as I have. So assuming a general growth in all industries, it feels reasonable to ignore reduction (via retirement, for example). I sound like I've taken this exercise seriously, don't I?
- 5,450((109 x 2) x 25) = 5,450 people with a similar backgroundThis is the number of people working in the UK, today, who potentially have a background similar to mine. It's a small group by any measure. It's 0.008% of the UK population (2019 estimates).
- ÷𝑥[e] 𝑥 = 3. A third might have the same educationSo 1,817 people in the UK today might have my background, and eduction. It's possible, even probable, the majority of the 5k, historically, are from project management backgrounds, rather than product design (I suspect this is changing). My training was visual communications and Design Thinking focussed, before Design Thinking was a thing – so I'm highly unusual among contemporaries in this calculation.
- ÷𝑦[e] 𝑦 = 2. 'Guesstimating' half have consultancy experienceSo 908 of the 1,817 people with a similar eduction and the same role in the same environment as me, might have also been consultants. The word 'consultant' is a fraught one. It's often attached to sales jobs and recruiters, for example. So it's possible that a large percentage of the 5k would claim to have consultancy experience. Their meaning would be different to mine, though.
- = 1:73k
That was fun: 1 in 73,403 people, here in the UK, may have a combination of expertise and experience similar to mine. Many are likely to be project management focused however, and there's possibly very few who will have visual communication and design thinking skills.
I've been actively seeking people and businesses who do what I do for a few years now… and so far, I've not found them. It's a bit disturbing – I cannot be that unique. If you know anyone, or it's you, please give me a heads‑up, It'd be great to talk.