November 5, 2019

The fall 2019 edition of AIAS THRIVE: A Career Prep Program was brought to fruition thanks to our dedicated AIAS members at Washington University in St. Louis. Over 30 students from chapters across the Midwest traveled to St. Louis to learn how to not only prepare for their future but THRIVE in the process. So what were the takeaways you ask? Check them out below:

    1. Everyone has a story: Be open to meeting new people, and be inquisitive. People’s experiences and ideas can offer strong insight and benefits to your life.

    2. …so seek advice from others: Treat others as mentors and seek constructive feedback.

    3. …and give back to those who helped you. Give a little or give a lot, but make sure to return the impact on the tools that benefitted you in the past.

    4. Be active in your community: Gain fulfillment through participation in your community, whether it’s your neighbors, your friends, your colleagues, or others.

    5. …but go outside of your community. Venture out and seek new perspectives for a greater mindset.

    6. Realize your potential: Extend your boundaries and define your capabilities.

    7. …and be unique; celebrate diversity. Define your individual style and consider others’ for more strength in diversity.

    8. Think about what’s next, and then apply it to now. Prepare for your future and the world’s future via observation, learning, and practice.

    9. Design for the people: Architects may lose track of the people they’re designing for; the people impacted by design need to be front and center in all considerations.

    10. ….and design for the future. 1-word statements by the panelists associated with the future of architecture were “Hopeful. Empathetic. Imagination. Resilient. Adaptive. Self-sufficient. Sustainable. Performance. Infrastructural.”