Mr. Syken is a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology School of Architecture in Old Westbury, NY. Upon graduating, he entered the construction industry in the capacity of Construction Cost Estimator. In 2002, Mr. Syken published a textbook on the important and oft-neglected subject of Sub-Contractor/Trade Estimating: Principles of Trade Estimating, was published by BNi Building News.

Mr. Syken has extensive teaching experience as a lecturer on technical, sustainable and historical topics relevant to the design/construction industry. At New York University, he was an adjunct professor teaching a course on estimating in a graduate degree program in Construction Management. Since 2004, Mr. Syken has been a visiting lecturer teaching both full and/or partial-day live AIA/CES accredited seminars at local NYC/Long Island colleges. He is a former member of the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE) and the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI).