Friendship, persistence, and a 19-year road to licensure

In 2023, AIA supported the retiring of the “rolling clock” requirement in the architectural licensure process. Data showed that this policy was a potential barrier to licensure, with disproportionate impacts on women and individuals from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Now, we’re highlighting licensed architects whose paths to licensure were shaped by the former five-year requirement. Everyone’s path to licensure looks different, and every licensure success is worth celebrating.

Stephen Martocchio, AIA, is an associate principal at SLAM. After he initially started taking his licensure exams, he had to pause his licensure pursuit, then lost progress due to the rolling clock policy. Nevertheless, he eventually resumed the journey and achieved licensure in July of 2023, nearly 20 years later.

Read on to find out what life was like during the intervening years, the friend who helped him pick his pursuit of licensure back up, and how his career has advanced since.

AIA: What circumstances led to you pausing your licensure pursuit?

Martocchio: Life was happening right when I started taking the exams. I had just gotten engaged, my fiancée (now wife) and I were buying a house, and I had also just landed an opportunity at SLAM. I was trying to get my footing professionally at a new place, and the messaging that I’d received from people who were senior to me was, “You don’t need the license. ... It doesn’t really limit your opportunities.”

I’m a technical architect, and at the time, there was only one principal at the entire firm who had a technical background. I looked at it like, “If it only limits me from becoming a principal, then what’s the big deal? That pathway is not there for me anyway.”

Those were poor assumptions, because in retrospect, I was too young to understand it at the time. But that was how it was. Around 2003, I had reached a spot where I was extremely busy, throwing myself into my work, all while knowing that my rolling clock was quickly approaching. I had one exam left at the time. I took it without much preparation and didn’t pass, and then everything went away. I’d lost eight passed sections.

What was your professional life like during the break you took from pursuing licensure?

It was crazy. Our firm was growing at a rapid rate, and we’d doubled in size. I went from just being a staff architect to a job captain on projects to then becoming a studio tech lead. Then, that role shifted to a studio management lead. At that point, I began to realize that my opportunities for advancement would soon be limited by not having a license.

Matt Slightom, AIA, nudged you to start the licensure process again. Can you talk about your friendship with him?

Matt and I are pretty close in age. We both had been at SLAM for a long time. Matt came to architecture in a different way, not having an accredited degree, but he was always talking about taking the test.

His climb was harder than mine. I could just go to NCARB, register, and start taking the exam. Matt had to jump through many more hoops. He had to get people to write letters for him. He had to prove that he was worthy and that he was an excellent architect, which he was. I was watching this guy fight for the opportunity when the opportunity was just sitting there before me.

We worked on numerous projects together. At some point, during one of our many different conversations, I’d said, “If you ever decide to do it, I’d jump in with you.” Probably a year and a half after I had made that comment, he came walking over to my desk.

As two guys that get into the office on the early side, we were probably the only two people in the studio. He said, “I bought my first seat. I’m going to start taking the test. I’m not saying that you have to do it, but you mentioned you would that one time.” [Buying a seat means securing the opportunity to schedule an exam with NCARB.]

I said, “You’re really going to do it. You know what, I’ll buy one, too. Let's see how it goes.” So, we both signed up for Black Spectacles, which the firm offers for free, and decided that we’d start with the same exam, move our way through, and just constantly touch base.

We scheduled our exams on the same weekends so that we could keep moving along together. It was a huge help to have that partnership with Matt. I don’t know if I ever would have pursued it on my own.

What was it like jumping back in after all that time off from pursuing licensure?

I made a mistake early on. I’m a spring and summer person, so I enjoy being outside. I like to garden and do things with my wife in our yard. When I took my first exam in May, I thought, “That was the dumbest thing.” Learning how to fit all of this into my schedule in a way that would allow me to devote the time—and not be mad that I’d devoted the time—became really important.

Did you notice that receiving your license changed your career?

Shortly after I passed the final test, I was promoted to associate principal. Although licensure wasn’t mandatory, it seemed as though it wasn’t a mistake that those two things coincided and that the door had finally opened for me. It certainly helped the folks who were going to speak on my behalf to be able to say, “Oh, and by the way, he is also a registered architect.”

Do you have any advice for someone who is thinking about pursuing licensure after a long pause?

I didn’t realize how important it was to me until it was completed. I asked myself, “Why didn’t you do this sooner?”

My dad was a licensed electrician for all of my life until he passed away when I was in my 20s. I recall him asking me about the test before he passed, and I gave him the line, “Oh, people tell me it’s not that important.”

He told me, “If you’re in a profession where you can get licensed, you should get licensed.” I think maybe that was the weight that came off as I was able to say, “I finally did it.”

I’m now in a position where I look at resumes and determine whether I’m going to have somebody come in for an interview. I never realized it until I had to judge a person by a piece of paper, but one of the things to look for is if the person is licensed. Similarly, if you’re going to meet clients, it’s advantageous to be able to say that you’re a registered architect. It’s important to them as well.

I think that having licensure carries a weight that you might not recognize until you get through the process. At the end of the day, I’m very glad that Matt pushed me and I’m very, very happy to have it on my resume.

I needed that push. The fact that it came from a good friend and confidant made all the difference. I will forever be grateful to Matt for stopping by my desk that morning in the office.

Danielle Steger is AIA’s senior manager, editorial & publications.