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Engineering News-Record Conference: Top Three Takeaways for AEC Young Professionals

I was surrounded by brilliant minds from across the country as Engineering News-Record gathered the AEC industry’s highest-ranking performers at its Top Young Professionals Conference. The energy in the room was unmatched – driven by enthusiastic managers and young professionals connecting, discussing and sharing.

Invest in your people and they will invest back in the company. Excelling in today’s industry requires more knowledge, resources and an all-encompassing skillset. Providing teammates like myself with the opportunity to attend industry-leading conferences provides invaluable results for years to come. Not only is the educational aspect significant, but attendees are able to find a common ground with like-minded individuals who can become valuable advocates and partners on their journeys to become leaders.

I learned an immeasurable amount of information at the conference so I wanted to share key insights that will stick with me. Here are my top three takeaways to build a strong foundation for a successful career.

  1. Know yourself, your company and your strengths. Speak with conviction as to why your team is uniquely qualified. Boost your value by identifying key differentiators. Own the narrative.
  2. Collaboration, communication and consistency will help you become the most valuable young professional on your team. Create a high-performing environment through shared values, principles and tools. Set expectations. Lead with a growth mindset.
  3. Establish trusted relationships. Face-to-face conversations are important now more than ever. Fostering a dialogue and improving relationships can create better outcomes for companies, clients and project teams.

Being a young professional is all about cultivating change. Build strategic mindsets, not just buildings. Being in the same room with young industry leaders and peers gave me a unique opportunity to hear diverse voices, perspectives and outlooks.

It was a wonderful week learning about prominent, industry-leading companies, meeting the many talented individuals who represent them and hearing about impressive community efforts.