FRI-C06: Approaches to the Entry Level: Exploring Possibilities for Years 0-5

Friday, November 11, 2022

1:30pm – 3:00pm PT

Location: Moscone Center, Room 205-206

1.50 PDH, LA CES/non-HSW, AICP, FL

Lead Speaker(s)

Jane Lee, Assoc. ASLA

Landscape Designer
Miridae
Sacramento, California

Speaker(s)

Leah Kahler, Assoc. ASLA

Designer
Reed Hilderbrand
Somerville, Massachusetts
Carlin Tacey, ASLA

Landscape Architect
Timmons Group
Richmond, Virginia

What does it mean to be an “entry level” designer today, at an inflection point that calls us to reconsider collective social and ecological responsibilities and modes of working? This session frames years 0-5 as a foundational time for self-advocacy, questioning the breadth of practice, and new forms of mentorship.

Learning Outcomes:

Interrogate assumptions about who constitutes the entry level workforce to expand our understanding of what emerging professionals are able to contribute and what counts as “qualified experience.”
Hear from landscape designers across the entry level spectrum about their expectations, aspirations, and questions during the transition from academic learning to professional design practice (and sometimes back again).
Identify methods for incorporating questions, reflection about shared values and ethics, and self-advocacy from emerging professionals as an integral component of practice, made especially urgent by hybrid work environments.
Explore innovative mentorship models and practices that center relationship-building and consider how various mentorship methods might play a role in adapting to an increasingly diverse entry level workforce.