When I moved to Pittsburgh in June of 2016, I knew exactly one person: my soon-to-be wife who had recently started teaching at The University of Pittsburgh. In a bit of a coincidence, she had grown up in Steel City and happened to be offered a job at Pitt Law when she was on the […]
The idea of negotiating a pay raise can be overwhelming, but an intentional approach can yield unexpected benefits for both you and your employer. The relationship with your company is built upon trust that is grown or diminished over time. A transparent conversation about compensation requires honest reflection on this relationship, which can be complex
Negotiating A Pay Raise: Brenna Shaffer Read More »
There are three major ‘C’ words that a young professional should to have integrated into the workflow early in their career; Communication, Collaboration, and Coordination. Understanding the importance of these three terms early in your career will help your understanding of a project and everyone’s role in the team. Taking the time to focus on
Project Coordination Read More »
The goal of this study is to shed light on what is happening in the architectural community for the Pittsburgh region. In addition to looking at compensation it also includes demographics, equity, culture, and licensure. It was inspired by the AIA Compensation Reports (2017 & 2019), Equity By Design (2018 Survey), and Girl Uninterrupted Project
2019 Pittsburgh Equity in Architecture Report Read More »
Julie Brown & Mia Scharphie This week I want to talk about a “Boost Your Confidence to Boost Your Visibility” webinar I attended live on September 18, 2019 with Mia Scharphie and Julie Brown. These are two great women I have discovered over the last six months. Julie Brown is a business development strategist, networking
Boost Your Confidence to Boost Your Visibility – Webinar Read More »
What if you spend your time focusing on your strengths rather than your weaknesses? How far can you go? This focuses your efforts on your strengths and surrounding yourself with others that not only compliment your strengths but help to fill in the gaps.
Starting out in the architecture profession right out of school can be daunting. Even after over 4 years of school and a degree(s) there is still a large learning curve. I have previously described being new in the profession and having to tackle inexperience with the concept of, “you don’t know what you don’t know”.
Cliffs of a Young Professional Read More »
Hello Pittsburgh! This particular post I wanted to focus on my local architectural community of Pittsburgh. I have always been fascinated by data, surveys, and tracking things to gain a better understanding of my surroundings. I attended the AIA Women’s Leadership Institute 2017 in DC, where Rosa Sheng presented the Equity By Design study done
Pittsburgh Community Survey Launch Read More »
In the architectural profession, it is important to learn how to juggle. I don’t mean that literally being able to juggle objects like in a circus, but about juggling tasks and deadlines. It takes practice not only in time management but identifying “balls” to throw up in the air for a time being while handling
Architecture Juggling Read More »
In the architectural profession, the proper work attire can mean many different things. You could be in the office, at a client meeting, giving an important presentation, or going to a job site. Each of these situations means a completely different thing in regard to attire. As discussed in the “Interview” article, your attire makes
Knowing the Proper Work Attire Read More »
I wrote a previous post on why being punctual in important towards your career. But what if you are not good at being on time or one of those friends that is always late to events. There has to be some tips on trying to break this habit so that you can gain all of
Always Late? Break the Habit Read More »
I have been using this phrase to explain my experience starting at an architecture firm for a while now. I can’t remember if I got it from someone, if it is from a movie, or if I made it up. Regardless, this was the best way I could explain my perception of the challenges in
You Don’t Know, What You Don’t Know Read More »
