91视频

Retired architect Kacey Jurgens, a former principal at THA Architecture (now Hacker), believes all new architects need a mentor.

鈥淚t’s important for all architects to have someone who’s been in the field for a while,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou don’t learn that at school. But you learn to understand the teamwork it takes to put a building together. Mentors are important, particularly for women, because it has not been a field that has been open to women for many years.鈥�

There are three ways to find a mentor, said Cindi Polychronis, senior vice president and chief administrative officer at consulting firm David Evans and Associates. They are: formal matching, informal matching or simply asking someone.

鈥淚 think all three of those are very effective for a young woman trying to break into an industry, but you can just ask,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ost people, no matter how busy they are, will say that’s a great opportunity to help give and help guide someone through being a successful professional (with insights) that aren’t taught in schools.鈥�

Informal matching is where companies set up a loose structure to encourage mentoring without making it a formal policy of the firm, Polychronis said.

A formal match may not succeed, she noted, if it’s chosen by management only.

鈥淎 forced relationship doesn’t always work and I tend to think informally is better,鈥� she said. 鈥淢aybe some structure and then self-select instead of being matched behind closed doors.鈥�

SERA Architects started its formal mentorship program about two years ago, but no one is forced into a mentorship; matches are made with employees’ consent. Both mentors and mentees fill out interest surveys and have many opportunities to get to know each other, said Suzanne Blair, an associate principal at SERA.

Blair said potential mentorship partners often form natural relationships when working on team projects, but the firm also hosts 鈥渕eet-and-greets鈥� to help employees become acquainted.

鈥淥ur goal was to try and match people who had similar career paths or interests,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e had them fill out a questionnaire 鈥� mentor and mentee 鈥� (about) their life experiences, similar interests and then set them up at more formal events.鈥�

Blair said the mentorship program can be a safety valve for young architects.

鈥淵ou get to know each other and the idea is that if nothing else, you have one more person at the firm you can have a conversation with,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you’re having a rough week you can have a conversation with someone else as a place for venting, as a safe place to talk through different issues.鈥�

That kind of trust is essential to a successful mentorship, said Polychronis, who added that she considers herself lucky to have found a mentor when she was still in law school.

鈥淢entorship can be very successful, but it really comes down to chemistry,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he basis should be whether you would be friends if you didn’t work together.鈥�