By Kevin Young, Assoc. AIA
Associate Director
Right now is a great time to be an Emerging Professional in the Central Valley! Sacramento is growing and evolving faster than ever, and we get to take part in shaping its future. AIA Central Valley is an active leader in helping us get engaged with our community, guiding us to the next steps in our careers so that we can make a bigger impact.
At our most recent Connect + Create event at HackerLab, we kicked off the night networking with our community and learned about all of the great programs and events that the AIA’s Emerging Professionals have planned for us this year. We also had an impactful presentation from Mason Gizard, director of the local nonprofit Rise Above, about the importance of temporary relief shelters for Sacramento’s homeless youth population. It was a unique opportunity for everyone to learn and hear Mason’s intimate tale of homelessness within our community, and the efforts currently in motion that he is involved with. It is because of efforts of the Chapter that we were able to spark a unique intersection of different paths for Rise Above, HackerLab and the members in attendance to actively engage in our community. I am still feeling the buzz from the energy of the event — and as Mason told me afterwards, “It is difficult to say what becomes of moments like this, but I am convinced that something great is brewing, and I am ready for it!”
Our Emerging Professionals Committee is putting together many opportunities as valuable as the Connect + Create event to help us get involved within the community and to help better position ourselves as future architects and designers so that we, as a community of architects, can be pillars of our community as well.
Here are some examples of what you can expect to see this year:
Professional Development Series
We are re-launching our Professional Development series so that we can better equip our future architects and leaders with the skills they need to advance in their careers. Last year, we had a fantastic panel discussion focusing on equality in the workplace environment, and we have planned three more events focusing on “soft skills” this year.
The first in our series will be “What Are Firm Principals Looking For?”, exploring not only the interview process and resumes, but also growth within a company once you get the job and how Emerging Professionals can picture their future at an office. We will be inviting a panel of Principals from our region for this informative discussion.
AXP Construction Tours
There is no better way to learn about how buildings go together than to be on the construction site hearing directly from the architect about all of the “ins and outs” of the process. Small groups of Emerging Professionals will get to take a tour of an active construction project with the project architect. These construction tours are not only a great learning experience, but they are also a way to get a preview of some of the great projects that are being built within our region. And they are FREE!
ARE Prep Courses
Perhaps the largest barrier that most Emerging Professionals face is taking their exams to become licensed architects. AIA Central Valley has put together a valuable program that teams the AIA ARE Prep / Black Spectacles video series with three local leaders: a “sage” architect; an Emerging Professional who recently passed the exam; and a student currently enrolled in the course to facilitate the sessions. Together they create a supportive, focused study group for those working through their ARE exams. It is a great way to study and to get all of your questions answered, and develop a network within the AIA and your community. The study group breaks up ARE 5.0 into 3 sessions, allowing students to study (and hopefully pass) the ARE within a single year.
This is just a small sample of some of the great programs and events that our Emerging Professionals group is putting together, and there is so much more than what is listed here.
AIA Central Valley is helping our local Emerging Professionals find a way to get involved with their community, gain professional skills and take that next step in their careers. Be a part of it!