Link: Archispeak 39 - Srsly Millennials?

As the comments and conversations continue online after an article about Why the Millennial Architect Won't Be Your CAD Monkey and our episode talking about the article, I'm still refining my thinking on this issue.

There are things that stand out to me now that I didn't say during the show. An obvious one is that there is an ever-increasing platform capable of producing a unified voice both for or against an issue. It's called the internet, and people aren't afraid to use it. The people "in charge" that are currently running offices and design studios are less involved online than the younger generations and I do think there are online tools available to accomplish a lot of what Mr. Eck is talking about. Soapboxes are easy to come by nowadays and people are flocking to both sides of the issue. Another thing that stands out is that people no longer have to work their way up for decades in firms to be the ones making the decisions. Newly self-appointed Millennial leaders can fail fast and often and still make a huge impact on the profession which is traditionally one that is very slow at adopting change. They can do as Mr. Eck proposes and not ask for permission as long as they have the guts to do it. They are, after all, in the best position to try. They probably don't have kids, mortgages, credit card debt, or some of the other things that keep some of us from trying things outside of our comfort zone. I bet they do have some crazy-ass student loan bills though. (Yay American dream...)

I find myself on the cusp between the generations in my views and actions. I want major change too, but I want to do it in a much more positive way than the author of the article posited. I also want to learn as much as I can as quickly as possible from my mentors so I can take the torch and run with it. There are lots of Gen-Xer's and Baby Boomers that will do whatever they can to help pave the way for the next generation, just like there are many who are in self-preservation mode trying desperately to hang on to their positions. It's our job to find the former.

You can listen to the episode here and add your comments.