IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2014 - 30

The Millennial Factor
The ability to continually broaden one's skill set comes more
naturally to some than others-and perhaps not surprisingly,
age has something to do with it. Durst acknowledges that
more established designers have had a learning curve when
it comes to diversifying their skill set.
"We're kind of immigrants to it," she says, referring to the new
hybrid mentality. "It's a learned skill. We're having to do
it to adapt, it's become a necessity for survival." What's really
exciting to see, Durst says, is how the younger generation
has been able to thrive in this new climate.
"They're wired to be hybrid beings-that's how they
operate," she says. "That's how they've been educated, that's
how they live. And the design profession is taking incredible
advantage of that."

WIRED
A number of studies have been done over the last few years
on the Millennial workforce, most focusing on retention rates
and the younger generation's attitude toward business
practices. But, as a recent report issued by the Kenan-Flager
Business School at The University of North Carolina suggests,
Millennials "crave collaboration, team-based work projects
and an unstructured flow of information at all levels." Firms
are now looking to the younger generation as a conduit for
fresh, creativity-sparking perspectives. Employers value their
questioning nature and novel thought processes-and their
strong experience with technology, namely a range
of software programs and social media.

Millennials were the first to grow up alongside technology. It
has been an everyday constant in their lives for as long as they
can remember. Their ability to incorporate the continuouslychanging landscape of technological programs into their skill
set has provided a huge advantage, but it's not just software
know-how that makes them multi-disciplinary practitioners.
Design programs and universities are increasingly adopting
interdisciplinary curriculums. The University of Oregon offers
a concurrent Master's program in Architecture and Interior
Design. The School of Constructed Environments at Parsons
offers a dual degree combining the Master of Architecture
with Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design, aimed at helping
students develop an awareness of the relationship between
light and design. And Stanford's D School, the brainchild of
IDEO founder David Kelley, integrates business training with
a design education, and has inspired a number of competitors
to start their own similar programs. In 2012, Philadelphia
University rolled out a Strategic Design Executive M.B.A.
program, which it refers to as "the M.B.A. for hybrid thinkers,"
according to the Wall Street Journal. Other hybrid programs
abound, and many more schools are adopting an approach
similar to Harrington's "100% Designer" philosophy, which
focuses on several tangentially related design disciplines
in its coursework to give students a broad knowledge base.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Spring/Summer 2014