Career evolution: Statistical insight on the 2022 YA Award Winners

Career evolution:

Statistical insight on the 2022 Young Architects Award winners

Each year, the AIA recognizes 12 to 24 young architects from across the United States for the Young Architects (YA) Award. The application process follows the structure of AIA Fellows. Applicants share their stories of exceptional leadership and advancing the profession within 10 years of licensure. Reviewing the press release, summaries, and career paths of these incredible young architects revealed several strong trends — yet each architect’s path toward this award was remarkably unique. What set them apart? Is there a secret ingredient for the Young Architects Award?

The Young Architects awardees of 2022 represent a broad range of professionals. They practice across the county and in different sectors. Many are in large firms, but some have started their own practices. Some live in cities, others in smaller towns. Some work in traditional settings, and others leveraged their careers into the adjacent industries of construction, manthese architects transitioned between firms after three or six years. After six years, architects tended to stay and grow within the same firm. Whether they stayed or moved, it was clear they all made remarkable advancements in their early careers. Their leadership and professional advancements fell into two of three categories: professional leadership, academic involvement, or nonprofit volunteering. There was a surprising number of leadership roles outside of architecture. These young architects have stepped into leadership positions within arts councils, nonprofits, and other professional organizations. Their stories invite other young architects to think outside the box of traditional practice as they start their careers.

The Young Architects Award can be the first step toward applying for AIA Fellowship. The fellowship process identifies five categories of professional contributions, and four of those are evident in the 2022 YA awardees:

ufacturing, product companies, and even nonprofits like the Rose Fellowship.

Their career paths also differ. They may have all attained licensure in the past 10 years, but some did so early in their lives, and others attained licensure later in life. One person graduated in 1997, while another graduated as recently as 2016. Some have built their careers by staying within one firm and moving up the traditional ladder at a remarkable pace. Others grew by transitioning between firms. The graph above represents the career paths of each awardee. A horizontal line means they moved to a different firm that year. The incline means they spent another year at the same firm. Blue highlights represent years of teaching or being an adjunct professor, while red highlights represent years of AIA leadership or participation in other non-profit boards.

With these unique career paths, it is nearly impossible to identify just one secret ingredient to their success. Yet certain trends start to appear when looking at the statistics. Many of

1. Design (professional practice — specifically advancements in sustainability)

2. Practice management

3. Leadership in AIA or related organizations

4. Public service, government, industry, or organization

5. The final category of fellowship is an alternative career.

The careers of these young architects haven’t yet fallen into a single lane of practice. Design was present in every narrative because they nearly all recognized sustainability as a key factor of their professional practice. Yet design was never the exclusive focus. Each person also engaged in the categories of practice management and leadership, which easily fit into an architect’s early career.

Through all the differences, the 2022 YA awardees shared stories of engaging and building local communities. Some also created connections abroad, but they always connected with either the local school, professional organizations, or nonprofits. An award can be nice and all, but the stories carry more power and lasting impact than the title. Consider adopting these lessons to improve your professional practice and grow the community around you:

1. Focus outward: These architects don’t make their work about themselves. Their stories enrich the people and communities around them.

2. Engage community: The “Star-chitect” is gone. In this century, collaboration and engagement make greater and more meaningful change.

3. Lead on: When you hear a call for leadership, say yes. Or if there is a void, step up and fill it. Read the press release for the 2022 YA award on the AIA National Website.

Katie Kangas, AIA, NCARB

Kangas founded Pasque Architecture in Minnesota to provide story-centered architecture and design. Kangas worked in other firms but had ideas and interests that didn’t align. She is building a process-centered practice to provide simple functional design that is beautiful and inspires.