Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Tuesday evening on 26 Broadway, the Professional Training course hosted the Young Alumni Panel Discussion, bringing back familiar faces to share their stories of the real world. Representing a diversity of backgrounds and industry specializations, the panelists discussed everything from the job search and the ups and downs of the negotiation to the challenges of collaboration and what it’s like to “up-manage” your own boss. As moderator, Visiting Critic Nina Freedman created a safe space for tough topics, allowing some of the panelists to shed light on their experiences as an architectural minority or how they have dealt with conflict in the office.
As a fifth year, the uncertainty of what lies “post-Cornell” is always looming (behind the devilish smile of Thesis), but hearing from alumni, who not too long ago were in the same exact place as me, gave some clarity and insight into the future. If anything, the greatest lesson I took away is the importance of seeking out the opportunity to make your own success. In the words of Chi Chi Lin (B.Arch. ’13):
Do what you love, because the worst thing they can do is say “No.”