I have recently become obsessed with all things sustainable. I went as far as restarting my final year thesis part way through the semester from scratch to investigate the ethics of sustainability. Well that's just a little background about where I'm coming from.
I am now about to graduate with a B Arch and am looking to work for a firm whose core value is sustainability. Unfortunately there is one problem - I only know of one firm in my city that specializes in sustainability, but the commute will be over an hour each way. The city I live in has a terrible public transportation (#2 in the world for car ownership) so I must resort to private transport...
Alternative would be to get a job downtown (where I can car pool/ take public transport/less than 20 min commute) and fold my dreams for 1-2 years before I consider relocating somewhere close to my ideal work. Any suggestions?
Although it may be difficult to find a firm that specializes in sustainable design. I'm sure you could find more than a few firms looking to do more sustainable work, and as a result looking for someone with that knowledge base. Why not look into getting yourself LEED certified, and market yourself accordingly.
why is it not possible for you to relocate so as to be nearer your desired workplace? or at least find a short term rental or share situation until you see if it works out?
I also find it a little hard to believe there is only one firm that does any kind of sustainable design anywhere in your city. are you relying on Google for your information, or have you talked extensively to local firms yet? you may be working yourself up into a moral-dilemma froth needlessly.
These are all fair comments... but to clear up the matter I realise I should be more up front about my situation. My hometown is Auckland, the city of sails (regardless of what Sydney always claims herself to be... we did win the America's cup twice) so the geography of my location might explain the lack of architectural offices that specialize on sustainability. I would gladly jump at the opportunity of becoming a LEED AP, except that it isn't practical in a non-U.S country. Most kiwi experts of sustainability who are also trained in architecture aren't practicing any longer.
I just returned from studying abroad with government funding so I have a mandatory home residency requirement, which basically binds my feet to New Zealand for some time yet. So that cuts out the option of working abroad.
I guess I started on the wrong foot by complaining about the length of commute, when my real question was geared towards the moral, rather than the pragmatic side of working for the sake of working...
Just thinking out loud about whether it would be morally right to work in a place that advocates sustainability while your actions reflect the exact opposite. To be able to walk the talk, where do you draw the line?
The greater good scenario is that if this is the only practice that you can engage in sustainable design, its best that you attend despite any temporary ramifications.
I know that in this city, sustainability has a very limited attention or importance to it. I met a guy 3 months ago with a PhD in sustainable architecture working as a cad monkey with little or no prospects...
Dont get too puritanical. Buy a scooter, car pool, ride a bike...
architecture is a lifelong gig. sounds like you have your values set in place...now just go about making the necessary changes in your life to achieve those your goal of living within the parametes or your values. so what if it takes you 10 or 20 years to achieve some of this stuff, you're figuring to be an architect for the rest of your life right? and that's (hopefully) another 50 years or so anyhow. one thing at time and eventually you'll get there.
Thanks puddles... speaking of a lifelong gig, I do recall saying to Tim Foresman at the Digital Earth summit this year that 'sustainability is a lifelong commitment - you can't divorce yourself out of it!' And after all... if I am married to architecture, I shouldn't be getting a cold feet from such trivialities anyway.
But can you really imagine biking 100km a day for work?! That's almost 2 1/2 marathons!
Anyway I didn't mean to divert everyone's attention from having their daily dose of sanity and being entertained on Archinect so I will keep you guys posted on my final decision....
Don't worry about finding a hard-core 'green' firm for your first job. Look for a happy group of professionals who will show you the ropes and are willing to let you have some input now and then...
Once you've learned your new job (and cruising right along) a few months down the road, start talking about sustainable features for each project- take the initiative and see what sort of response you get. Maybe you can convert the happy group of professional into a happy group of green professionals.
or you can move closer to the 'green' firm. It's not the amount of gas you'd burn driving the hour, it's the amount of your life that you'd burn driving that hour each way... short commute wins every time.
do they sell vespas in NZ? 60 miles to the gallon (sorry, can't convert that into metric). you'd be doing the environment a favor...one less car on the road, one less bus with five people riding it that is blocking traffic and causing cars to waste fossil fuels.
I agree with Treekiller. I say take the downtown job, and once they get more acquainted at the firm, push the 'green issues.' At least in the states, even big corporate firms are riding the Sustainable wave and are head-hunting for just-out-of-school green kids. The ideas are finally going mainstream, so I think it would actually be fun to try to convert a firm to go green.
I've just returned from a handful of walk-in interviews this morning, including one at the sustainable firm that had been the focal point of this thread... to keep the anonymity of all those involved, I will refrain from the name dropping exercise. (which, I know, will tremendously help fellow archinectors to help me make an informed decision)
After talking to the director at this firm for about 45 minutes I'm about 50/50 on whether I ought to head in the direction of the hippy architeculture. You could say that he almost steered me right away from sustainability! Not that I'm so fickle that I believe in every word of everything that is said to me - I'd prefer to say I'm open-minded.
Please excuse the rant, but I truly believe that the first job you land (serious full-time job, not an internship.. no offense to anyone) is the most crucial one you will have in life because it will determine your entire ATTITUDE about architecture. For me, internships had been like a taste testing exercise where you explore the breadths and depths of different firms/people/ideas. So I really have to ask myself where I see myself in the next 10 - 20 -30 years time, whether I would be happy doing what I do, whether I will have the passion for it, whether I will be proud of it, but most importantly, whether I would look back on now, and regret any of this.
So perhaps this is now heading back towards the self. But I ask myself, how can you be selfless if you don't first love yourself for who you are? Who am I to judge anyone, when all that I can see is a mask, and I learn for myself that whatever it claims itself to be, or not to be - as soon as one 'claims' to be anything, is not - a contradiction, a paradox, an antithesis.
Sustainability is only means to an end that seems more conscientious for me, not just an end. I have already knocked up about 150km of mileage just so I could personally deliver my portfolios to prospective employers, but I could have easily stayed home and let the courier handle it more efficiently.
the first job you land...is the most crucial one you will have in life
you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself, hobbitte. i wouldn't stake the next 10-20-30 yrs on this decision. (if i had, my life would be in the can.)
you could also say that the first job you have is when you're still young, relatively free (e.g., family and mortgage), and able to respond quickly to get out of a less-than-ideal situation. you've got the opportunity to try things that may or may not work out. and you can learn as much/develop your future attitudes about architecture as much in a bad job as a good one.
employers look at your resume at the beginning of your career and expect to see some jumping around. my first boss/mentor (part-time, in-school, so not 'real') thought it was downright stupid to park yourself in one place too long at the beginning. you gotta test the waters. as you move on, 10-15 yrs or so, a lot of jumping on your resume starts to be perceived as instability/restlessness. so do it now.
Oct 26, 06 7:33 am ·
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Moral Dilemma: How far will you go?
I have recently become obsessed with all things sustainable. I went as far as restarting my final year thesis part way through the semester from scratch to investigate the ethics of sustainability. Well that's just a little background about where I'm coming from.
I am now about to graduate with a B Arch and am looking to work for a firm whose core value is sustainability. Unfortunately there is one problem - I only know of one firm in my city that specializes in sustainability, but the commute will be over an hour each way. The city I live in has a terrible public transportation (#2 in the world for car ownership) so I must resort to private transport...
Alternative would be to get a job downtown (where I can car pool/ take public transport/less than 20 min commute) and fold my dreams for 1-2 years before I consider relocating somewhere close to my ideal work. Any suggestions?
move to a city that fosters your sustainable desires
Buy a car that gets 60 miles to the gallon.
sounds like I should either move to another country or marry a sugar daddy who can pay off my 25k loan + buy me an h2. got it.
the best way to save the world is to commit suicide immediately...
Saving the world is exactly what fresh-out-of-college people dream of doing, vado...
see which firm will hire you first
Although it may be difficult to find a firm that specializes in sustainable design. I'm sure you could find more than a few firms looking to do more sustainable work, and as a result looking for someone with that knowledge base. Why not look into getting yourself LEED certified, and market yourself accordingly.
but is saving the world an architectural problem?
why is it not possible for you to relocate so as to be nearer your desired workplace? or at least find a short term rental or share situation until you see if it works out?
I also find it a little hard to believe there is only one firm that does any kind of sustainable design anywhere in your city. are you relying on Google for your information, or have you talked extensively to local firms yet? you may be working yourself up into a moral-dilemma froth needlessly.
These are all fair comments... but to clear up the matter I realise I should be more up front about my situation. My hometown is Auckland, the city of sails (regardless of what Sydney always claims herself to be... we did win the America's cup twice) so the geography of my location might explain the lack of architectural offices that specialize on sustainability. I would gladly jump at the opportunity of becoming a LEED AP, except that it isn't practical in a non-U.S country. Most kiwi experts of sustainability who are also trained in architecture aren't practicing any longer.
I just returned from studying abroad with government funding so I have a mandatory home residency requirement, which basically binds my feet to New Zealand for some time yet. So that cuts out the option of working abroad.
I guess I started on the wrong foot by complaining about the length of commute, when my real question was geared towards the moral, rather than the pragmatic side of working for the sake of working...
Just thinking out loud about whether it would be morally right to work in a place that advocates sustainability while your actions reflect the exact opposite. To be able to walk the talk, where do you draw the line?
Hobbitte, I'm in Auckland - whats your commute?
The greater good scenario is that if this is the only practice that you can engage in sustainable design, its best that you attend despite any temporary ramifications.
I know that in this city, sustainability has a very limited attention or importance to it. I met a guy 3 months ago with a PhD in sustainable architecture working as a cad monkey with little or no prospects...
Dont get too puritanical. Buy a scooter, car pool, ride a bike...
Over an hour in AK? Where's the practice? Hamilton?
Commuting from Howick to Massey?
Get the job first, then worry about getting there.
Yes.... back to square uno.
architecture is a lifelong gig. sounds like you have your values set in place...now just go about making the necessary changes in your life to achieve those your goal of living within the parametes or your values. so what if it takes you 10 or 20 years to achieve some of this stuff, you're figuring to be an architect for the rest of your life right? and that's (hopefully) another 50 years or so anyhow. one thing at time and eventually you'll get there.
Well buy a bycicle and solve the problem excercising
Thanks puddles... speaking of a lifelong gig, I do recall saying to Tim Foresman at the Digital Earth summit this year that 'sustainability is a lifelong commitment - you can't divorce yourself out of it!' And after all... if I am married to architecture, I shouldn't be getting a cold feet from such trivialities anyway.
But can you really imagine biking 100km a day for work?! That's almost 2 1/2 marathons!
Anyway I didn't mean to divert everyone's attention from having their daily dose of sanity and being entertained on Archinect so I will keep you guys posted on my final decision....
Hobbitte, in this city, even the greenest sandal-wearing, bearded hippy will find it hard to commute environmentally...
No offence to all the green, sandal-wearing, bearded hippies out there...
none taken
Don't worry about finding a hard-core 'green' firm for your first job. Look for a happy group of professionals who will show you the ropes and are willing to let you have some input now and then...
Once you've learned your new job (and cruising right along) a few months down the road, start talking about sustainable features for each project- take the initiative and see what sort of response you get. Maybe you can convert the happy group of professional into a happy group of green professionals.
or you can move closer to the 'green' firm. It's not the amount of gas you'd burn driving the hour, it's the amount of your life that you'd burn driving that hour each way... short commute wins every time.
do they sell vespas in NZ? 60 miles to the gallon (sorry, can't convert that into metric). you'd be doing the environment a favor...one less car on the road, one less bus with five people riding it that is blocking traffic and causing cars to waste fossil fuels.
no vespas. we ride sheep.
I agree with Treekiller. I say take the downtown job, and once they get more acquainted at the firm, push the 'green issues.' At least in the states, even big corporate firms are riding the Sustainable wave and are head-hunting for just-out-of-school green kids. The ideas are finally going mainstream, so I think it would actually be fun to try to convert a firm to go green.
I've just returned from a handful of walk-in interviews this morning, including one at the sustainable firm that had been the focal point of this thread... to keep the anonymity of all those involved, I will refrain from the name dropping exercise. (which, I know, will tremendously help fellow archinectors to help me make an informed decision)
After talking to the director at this firm for about 45 minutes I'm about 50/50 on whether I ought to head in the direction of the hippy architeculture. You could say that he almost steered me right away from sustainability! Not that I'm so fickle that I believe in every word of everything that is said to me - I'd prefer to say I'm open-minded.
Please excuse the rant, but I truly believe that the first job you land (serious full-time job, not an internship.. no offense to anyone) is the most crucial one you will have in life because it will determine your entire ATTITUDE about architecture. For me, internships had been like a taste testing exercise where you explore the breadths and depths of different firms/people/ideas. So I really have to ask myself where I see myself in the next 10 - 20 -30 years time, whether I would be happy doing what I do, whether I will have the passion for it, whether I will be proud of it, but most importantly, whether I would look back on now, and regret any of this.
So perhaps this is now heading back towards the self. But I ask myself, how can you be selfless if you don't first love yourself for who you are? Who am I to judge anyone, when all that I can see is a mask, and I learn for myself that whatever it claims itself to be, or not to be - as soon as one 'claims' to be anything, is not - a contradiction, a paradox, an antithesis.
Sustainability is only means to an end that seems more conscientious for me, not just an end. I have already knocked up about 150km of mileage just so I could personally deliver my portfolios to prospective employers, but I could have easily stayed home and let the courier handle it more efficiently.
you're putting a lot of pressure on yourself, hobbitte. i wouldn't stake the next 10-20-30 yrs on this decision. (if i had, my life would be in the can.)
you could also say that the first job you have is when you're still young, relatively free (e.g., family and mortgage), and able to respond quickly to get out of a less-than-ideal situation. you've got the opportunity to try things that may or may not work out. and you can learn as much/develop your future attitudes about architecture as much in a bad job as a good one.
employers look at your resume at the beginning of your career and expect to see some jumping around. my first boss/mentor (part-time, in-school, so not 'real') thought it was downright stupid to park yourself in one place too long at the beginning. you gotta test the waters. as you move on, 10-15 yrs or so, a lot of jumping on your resume starts to be perceived as instability/restlessness. so do it now.
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