Comparison of Student and Practitioner Viewpoints Relative to First Employment Opportunities for Architectural Engineering Students

Abstract

Every spring thousands of students graduate from this nation’s colleges and universities and begin full-time employment for the first time. By the time this editorial is published, most companies interested in hiring these soon-to-graduate students will be well into the recruiting and placement process as it relates to entrylevel engineering students. Architectural engineering ~AE! students in these programs have endured years of examinations, semester projects and papers, class lectures, and untold hours of studying. Backed with education, knowledge, excitement, and the energy of youth, they feel ready to become members of the profession. However, these promising AE graduates are faced with yet one more monumental task: the selection of a company with which to begin their careers. The dilemma of employment selection cannot be solved in an hour, a day, or even a week. It requires many hours of careful thought and research. Complicating matters for the student is that employment is a two-way street. The student must “select” the firm, but the firm must be willing and able to hire the student. Although the current job market continues to be excellent for AE graduates, fluctuations in the market from year to year and employer attitudes sometimes provide additional barriers for the students to overcome. There are those individuals and organizations that will not hire entry-level personnel because they say they either can’t afford it or that they don’t have the resources to train them. Some of these same companies will tell you that students should be both fully trained and fully educated when they graduate. A few will even shamelessly state that their work is too important or too complicated to be trusted to an entry-level engineer. When I hear this, I often wonder who gave that person their first job in the industry. Fortunately, the numbers of responsible employers in the industry far outweigh those who have negative attitudes toward engineering graduates looking for their first fulltime employment opportunity. It is true that due to downturns in the industry from time to time, there are years where the search for employment must intensify. It is also true that in other years, the number of job opportunities easily exceed the available number of qualified graduating students. Regardless of the level of opportunity in a particular year, both the student and the employer must study each other carefully if success is to be obtained and maintained. Student and employer alike are looking for a good match relative to employment. The first employment engagement is a big investment for both parties. AE students seek employment in a wide variety of fields, including, but not limited to, architectural and AE firms, consulting engineers, industry trade organizations, contractors, builders, developers, equipment and material manufacturers, facilities groups,