Michael Riscica and friend (Young Architect)
BY LUKE AREHART
Portland architect Michael Riscica has become a national phenomenon, helping thousands of emerging architectural professionals take the next step in their careers with Young Architect, an umbrella for classes, videos, blogging and now even a Young Architect Conference, coming to the Rose City from August 23-25 at The Redd. Overcoming a childhood learning disability to achieve architectural registration, he discovered a passion for helping others do the same and founded Young Architect in 2014. I sat down with Riscica to talk about the conference and to take stock of where he's come and where Young Architect is going.
Portland Architecture: How and why did Young Architect come about? Were there frustrations you had that you were providing answers and resources for?
Mike Riscica: I was born and raised in New York. I struggled with school as a kid, but after high school I discovered I wanted to be an architect and put myself through architecture school. I graduated in 2007 [from the New York Institute of Technology], moved to Portland and, after working for firms in New York and Portland, decided I wanted to take the final step of becoming a licensed architect. When I was studying for exams, I was led to believe the exam would be easy and in a worst-case scenario I would be able to complete everything in a year. It ended up taking three years of intense, focused studying to pass the exams, and I realized there was a practical and emotional side to this process that no one was discussing. So I decided to launch the Young Architect blog, dedicated to the next generation of architects (whom I felt were being ignored), to help them achieve success with exams and beyond.
But that blog was just the beginning, right?
Yes. From the success of the blog, I ended up creating a program called the ARE Bootcamp which holds people’s hands and teaches them how to study for the Architectural Registration Exam. We work collaboratively as a group similar to a design-studio group dynamic. Participants find that having a community of people to work off of and learn from helps them absorb challenging content more quickly and builds confidence.
Young Architect has garnered a strong International following. How did you go about building your brand to achieve this type of reach?
Creating blogs or programs alone won’t necessarily amount to a loyal international following. I think the biggest catalyst for the kind of community Young Architect has created is that I’ve been real and authentic in discussing the actual challenges faced by emerging architects. I really care about the community and listen to what they have to say. I think that desire to really show up and serve is what has helped YA grow to 300,000 online followers, subscribers and connections, not to mention a lot of raving fans.
What are some of your favorite ways to connect with your community?
Since 2015, I’ve been running an insanely popular ARE Facebook Group, which has 6,500-plus members. I love connecting with people via this group because it’s a community of people who are all helping each other and working together to reach their goals in achieving licensure.
In 2017, my intuition told me that to take YA to the next level I needed to get out from behind the computer and connect with people face to face. So this began a series of speaking tours across America. One of my favorite parts has been meeting the community — new people, new stories, new cities and making a strong personal connection.
Poster for this month's conference (Young Architect)
What has surprised you as you’ve traveled around the country talking to and teaching not-yet-licensed, emerging professionals and young architects?
One of the things that has surprised me is seeing how the need for structure, mentorship and community is stronger than ever. People express not getting what they need to help them pass exams or be successful in their careers...and the gratitude they express when I take the time to speak to them in their city has been huge.
I think the biggest surprise is with all of the resources and technology we have, emerging professionals describe feeling disconnected and alone. That’s why it’s so important to me that I’m a champion of building community and giving people what they need to be successful, if they’re willing to connect with others and invest their energy and focus toward what they want.
Where do you want to take Young Architect next?
For the past five years, Young Architect has been continually morphing, growing and changing. What I am most excited about right now is having an architecture conference exclusively focused on the success of the next generation of architects.
It’s my answer to what I’ve observed through my own experience, growing Young Architect and meeting with young people in Portland and all over America. Emerging architects often feel unprepared for what’s next, unsupported with licensure and career development, isolated and alone. I’m here to put an end to that!
Advertisements
Comments