by: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP
On Saturday, 11.06.2010, I hosted a table for the AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) at the Urban Green Council Emerging Professionals Career Fair and Roundtable with my ENYA Co-chair Venesa Alicea, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP. The event, which was held at the New School, was penned as an opportunity to “connect young professionals and students with esteemed architecture, engineering, construction, real estate, and product firms in the green building industry.” While it was great to see the variety of fields seeking emerging professionals with an interest in sustainability, I found it to be more indicative of how students are using academia to mold their own futures.
Just about every student and young professional I spoke with was completing or had a multi-disciplinary degree combining sustainability with engineering, architecture, and industrial design, or some combination thereof. I got the impression that students are shaping their degrees to their interests, rather than meeting the credit requirements for a predetermined major that does not quite relate to what they want to do with their careers. These individuals were driven and enthusiastic about making a change in the world, and excited about the different opportunities available to them because of their backgrounds. While the architecture profession continues to diversify, it is encouraging to see emerging professionals embrace more than one discipline.