University Challenge

I joined a practice who were all smart Uni grads,
had to fight in order to become one of the lads;
later, I was told that I was brilliant, better they said
than most, I went around like an intellectual ghost.

Accused of taking three months to design a barbecue,
I said, 'You took a year to do a hospital chimney,'  
the compliments and brickbats, aside for future use,
after all of these pitfalls, I managed to hang loose.

I was working in a seaside town, no time to reach,
for holiday pursuits, but then we know life's a beach;
sometimes your lofty perch can be strangely wrecked,
someone said: 'Watch your backs, here comes the architect.

We had some fun didn't we, often laughably peculiar,
a partner picked his cup up one day and said: 'Perks here!'