Friday, March 16th, 2012

More than 50 alumni, industry professionals, and architecture students participated in the Architecture Professional Day hosted by LTU’s Office of Career Services and the LTU chapter of AIAS.

The program opened with a panel discussion on the options for architecture graduates in a competitive job market. The panelists were Matt Rossetti, president of Rossetti Associates; Karen Swanson, co-founder of Swanson Meads Architecture; Dean Glen LeRoy of the College of Architecture and Design; Amy Deines, chair of the Department of Art and Design; and Ali Barnard, marketing and support manager of the College of Architecture and Design.

Martin Smith, manager of the intern development program at NCARB, led a two-hour discussion on IDP preparation.

In the afternoon, students had the opportunity to talk in small roundtable groups with professionals who offered advice on a variety of topics:

• “Opportunities for Engagement: How Civic Engagement can Connect You With Your Community and Increase Your Marketability,” John Avdoulos, vice president and director of architecture, HKS Inc.
• “Alternative Industries to Architecture,” Christopher Schmidt, associate AIA director of business development, NORR LLC.
• “Advice I Wish someone had Given Me,” Laura Roberts of SmithGroupJJR.
• “Working in an Internship Outside of Michigan,” Andrew Aulerich, a former intern at Disney World.
• “Changing Courses:  How to Position Yourself When Experience Is Concentrated in Other Areas,” Amy Baker,  senior project architect at NORR LLC.
• “You Have To ‘Know Someone’ To Get A Job:  Using Networking,” Doris Grose  and Stephen Smith, TMP Architects.
• “LEED Certifications and Finding Jobs in ‘Green Industries,’” Chris Heine, SmithGroupJJR.
• “Getting Your Foot In The Door: Getting Started in The Profession,”  Nathan Johnson, intern architect at HKS Inc.
• “Define and Develop Your ‘Cyber Image,’” Ali Barnard, marketing and support manager, Lawrence Tech’s College of Architecture and Design.
• “Creating a Professional Image in a Visual Industry: Business Casual vs. Business Formal. When And How, And What It Says About You,” Jessica Marji, architect at STA Architects and adjunct professor for both architecture and leadership at Lawrence Tech.

The day wrapped with a portfolio development workshop led by Amy Baker, a senior architect at NORR LLC.

Tweet