I am a registered architect. As an active contributor to one of the most damaging industries to our climate (construction & building systems), I often daydream about pivoting careers into something more productive for the planet. I’m not talking about stuff like green washing or ~LEED accreditation~. Even sustainably-focused jobs are hard to come by and usually pretty regionally specific. Architects have a broad set of skills, and it’s not always clear where I can take those skills and put them to better use.
Any thoughts/insight would be appreciated as I hop into my mid-life crisis before 30.
There’s a real dearth of sustainable architecture jobs. I’d be really tempted to stick with it and talk to people about adopting some of the lower-embedded-carbon steel and concretes that are coming to market, as well as pushing sustainable design. It’s tough, but there continues to be a need for both new buildings and retrofit of existing ones.