Today I spoke to my toughest crowd – a group of 7th graders during a career education class (and my son was in the crowd – yikes).
They were the BEST audience e-v-e-r. I’m not kidding.
Consider it like a career fair, except it was just me in a classroom. Other professionals have spoken to this class over the past semester. I have spoken at our local high school (my Alma mater) yearly now for many years, but today the audience was younger. I posted about a similar experience back in 2011.
During my presentations to students, I speak passionately about the profession of architecture, showing flashy images and explaining how they could get there in years to come. I generally speak more about the profession than myself. It’s far more interesting if they can see possibilities and how architecture around the world is simply fascinating.
Over the past few years the outlook has improved and becoming an architect isn’t the worst thing one could choose (you could be a lumberjack). I still think it’s cool. I get to do what I’ve always wanted to do. To be honest, when I set out to do it, making a living or what my income would be was the last thing on my mind. Now that I’m a parent, I’m more concerned about those things, but my wife and I both have chosen professions that we love. Hopefully our son will come to appreciate that and our sacrifices. Look, there’s no greener grass, but work is much easier if it’s not work to do it. You know the cliche, I won’t even repeat it.
- If you’re an architect, how would you present this profession? Would you tell about your day? Would you talk technical? What would be the tone in your voice – a kid in a candy store or that monotone teacher you disliked greatly in high school?
- If you’re not an architect, what do you think about our profession? Have you ever wanted to be an architect? Do you know what we do?
Well, you won’t get my speech or hear the passion in my voice, but with a little help from my friends, I’ll include a video below of my PP slides.
(p.s. click on the Mr. Glasses picture and watch the video series – careful, several are NSFW)
Related posts from think|architect…I guess I’ve written about this stuff before.
learned in kindergarten (or first year)
it is not enough
secrets to surviving and succeeding in architecture school
career fair?
favorite teachers
make a difference…to one
advice to students and architects
think | architect 
As an educator within an architecture program, I try to focus on the discipline rather the job title; do you want to study architecture or be an architect. If it is the former, you can do much more.
Also, focus on skills to help them determine what they want to “do” not what they want to “be.”
Lee, I couldn’t agree more. I will have to rip you off and talk about it more in those terms. I would however add that when I talk about it as “being” an architect, I am not thinking of it as a title, a “job” or a means to a paycheck, but embodying a way of thinking and a way of acting that comes from their personality, DNA and their rigorous studying. When I say I “am” an architect, I don’t turn it off at 5:00 PM, it is deeply rooted in who I am, how I think and in turn how I act. I say it with pride but mostly with humility and gratitude. Thanks for what you do for us as a profession.
Reblogged this on home iq.