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FROM THE FOUNDER
Y ou got that degree. One you worked hard for. It’s either a four- or five-year degree in architecture, or an engineering degree in civil, mechanical, or electrical. Or maybe you are one of the rare birds who graduated from one of the handful of A/E programs we have in this country. Practical career advice for new AEC graduates on landing a great job and accelerating early career success. Advice for architecture or engineering grads
Mark Zweig
Your first task is to find a job. Where? My advice to all students, regardless of discipline, is the same. Decide where you want to live and what type of firm you want to work for and start developing options. I say “where you want to live” because once you start putting down roots and developing local knowledge and a local network it’s hard to reestablish yourself somewhere else. I’m not saying we all can’t change our minds about where we want to live, but give it your best shot early to get there instead of wasting time somewhere you know you don’t want to live. And as far as what type of firm you want to work for, I would check out winners of Zweig Group’s Hot Firm List (rapidly growing firms) and Best Firms To Work For. A rising tide lifts all ships and those deemed
“best places to work” are probably better than those not. Another resource for identifying firms is the Inc. 500/5,000 list of fastest-growing privately- held companies that comes out every year. I think we could all agree that rapidly growing businesses probably create more opportunities for people than stagnant or slow-growth firms. Once you get that first post-graduation job in the location you want and in a firm that seems like it would be a good place to work, here are some of my recommendations. Most of these were written in my 2019 Walton Insights blogpost, “Confessions of an Entrepreneur: What New Graduates Should Do in Their First Job to Be Successful ,” and still hold true today:
See MARK ZWEIG, page 6
THE ZWEIG LETTER JULY 21, 2025, ISSUE 1594
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