Is studying architecture worth it? I mean, you know, all the long school years (7- 8 years) and hard work, also the payment is only average if you ever get a job after graduating, furthermore the unemployment rate of architects is so high right now. School is not cheap either. ( about 12,500 pounds per year for non eu/uk citizen) Furthermore, I know architecture is not a job, it's a lifetime passion. Yes, i do love browsing archi websites everytime im online but of course I do know that those are only for entertainment. So How can I know if I really love that field and the ability to become an architect working in the industry? Im so worried that I will make a wrong decision in my life. So to sum it up, my two major worries are I'm afraid that I actually don't enjoy architecture as I think I will. I'm also afraid that I will end up jobless even after 3 or 4 years graduating from uni as I have heard so many people wrote their experience on the web.
When in doubt don't - any doubts - self doubt or any other kind, will cause you to fail in the worst possible way his is like the Marines - a marine who had doubts on the battle field gets killed or maimed - an architect who has doubts fails then goes broke -- t
Jul 2, 12 1:40 pm ·
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Running is healthy. Keeps you trim and great for the cardiovascular system, yo!
You are wise to think this through now, early, before committing. A relatively small selection of folks can't think of doing anything besides architecture, and are probably right to dive in, work hard, and tough it out against the odds.
Everyone else at this time of economic decline would be wise to study something else.
What citizen said: this profession is punishing though occasionally rewarding, and if you aren't fully committed you are done. This advice comes from someone attended two of the schools that people seem to care about, and who runs his own practice which some people think is successful:
Ask yourself why you want to pursue architecture. Like to make stuff? Like to have control of things? Have a vision that you want to realize? Like being respected for your contributions? Like to draw by hand? Looking for a career that balances work and life? In truth, we don't do that much of any of that.
Want to change things? Make the world that people live better, even if it is often in imperceptible increments? Like sitting in front of the computer? Work with people to achieve what's important to them? That is stuff that we do. And if at any point during this process of introspection money comes up, change your major.
Yesterday I went down to Palo Alto to get some sun and there are all these happy shiny people who work at FaceBook + Google who get paid a lot, they can afford to eat at the new upscale eateries that sprung up all of the sudden, drive Teslas and afford the latest bikes. They have great jobs changing the world through communication. Then again, how many will be still working in IT in 5 years? most will be forced out due to rapid obsolescence in IT.
Architecture is more long term - provided you can commit unconditionally to and do what ever it takes irregardless of obstacles. I know a lot of people who now work at LinkedIn and EA, Rockstar,Zynga and Genentech - Good for them
As the real estate economy continues to deleverage, the large imbalances in the architectural professional will continue to correct. That means we're going to see major restructuring in the profession and the large surplus of people with architectural degrees forced into doing something else. The ones who will stay in architecture and succeed at it are the ones at the top quintile of talent and skill. Everyone else, bye-bye. Ultimately, that's a good thing for everyone, but it's going to be painful while it's happening.
So, ask yourself, do you feel lucky, punk? Do you think you can beat those odds and succeed? It's certainly not going to be the path of least resistance for anybody.
The ones who will stay in architecture and succeed at it are the ones at the top quintile of talent and skill
Don't forget money and luck. I know several people with talent and skill who are jobless, and several without any talent or skill who landed great gigs because they had the flexability to move wherever the job was and they have connections from their rich families. Talent and skill should be what gets you ahead.
Also - architecture is a meritocracy - people in this profession treat you with fairness according to your degree of success - people who are average and or struggling are treated with unfairness. Do you want people calling you a BIM Wit or a Cad Monkey? ending up as a flunky is very degrading.
ghwarton: "The ones who will stay in architecture and succeed at it are the ones at the top quintile of talent and skill."
I infer - perhaps incorrectly - that you are expressing an opinion about "design talent and skill". While what you write may become true, another reasonable point-of-view might be that those with the strongest "marketing and business management skills" will be the survivors in this increasingly Darwinian environment.
In the best of all worlds, a strong marriage between "design skills" and "marketing and business management skills" would seem a plausible path to success. However, in our profession those two camps seem increasingly wary of cooperating with each other. It will be interesting to see which camp emerges from this recession in the stronger position.
An it helps to have a flair for self promotion - be able to campaign - network - you need to also be an extrovert, dress and look well in a contemporary way - your hipness factor so to speak
I did not qualify my comment, and won't. I meant skill and talent, full stop. Luck certainly doesn't hurt, and is the deciding factor when you look at the difference between the 99th percentile and the 99.9th percentile, but below that level is totally outweighed by skill and talent combined with a solid work ethic and future time orientation.
As for money, it's completely useless if you haven't got any of the above (you soon won't have it any more if you can't make it on your own), and will come of its own accord if you do.
Also - architecture is a meritocracy - people in this profession treat you with fairness according to your degree of success - people who are average and or struggling are treated with unfairness.
maybe so after a few years in. when you're starting off, and you excel at anything you touch (wait, you can do crazy forms, code 4-5 computer languages and still do sellable layouts, understand social media, real estate terminology, and have a good grasp of the new york building code? impossible! you must be lying!), it's a constant fight not be pigeonholed if you are smarter than the average architect (sorry, not hard. there's a lot of stupid sun-worshippers running around this profession). prior to landing the job i'm currently at (which i actually love, since it's basically "bite as much as you can chew and don't fuck up too badly"), i went to at least two interviews where the interviewers where like "hmmm, we're just looking for someone to draw details", right after it became obvious that i could do that and a whole lot more (than they could).
to the OP, it never hurts to have options. major in something other than architecture and go to grad school for it. you'll be happier if you chose to be an architect later on. waking up and knowing that you're here 100% out of your own volition, and that you could be (read: not have been) something else, makes this job a lot more fun. yeah. fun. i said it. it's fun.
you need to be more optimistic and creative. Although you might not end up being the next Frank Gehry or Zaha, there are tons of work for you to do in this field. I mean, worse comes, you don't have to build architecture, but could just do home renovations etc. Can you imagine the millions of houses around the country you could do that with?
The other side to architecture besides design is those that can get the work done. Often times you will find people with very high design IQ's, but have zero clue as to how to build & execute their design. You have others who are the opposite, and everything in-between. You need a balance of both. A competent technical person who can lead the client & the design team through the process and earn their trust is just as valuable as the lead designer. To some degree, as an architect, you have to have a passion for solving problems and figuring out how to build things. If you only enjoy the fancy exterior renderings, you're in for a disappointment
a high design iq does not inherently exclude someone from having competent management / "building execution" skills. that's just a myth perpetuated by the retards that populate this profession.
If I were 17 again i'd major in computer science, robotics, digital media, or even video production. Even if they all have major downsides, with those professions you don't need a client with a million dollars to create something. You can create something brand new with only your time and some equipment, and then make money off of it. IMO that is what is lacking in architecture.
Architecture....some people think I have a cool job, and it's not bad. But ultimately I do have regrets about going into the industry. I'd definitely recommend majoring in something else then switching to architecture for grad school if you so choose.
Laws of supply and demand, can't escape them. I suggest get an internship in a firm before going to school. See what practice is like, talk to a variety of people in person, folks 2 years out of school, maybe a principal who's been doing this for 25 years.
After doing this, if you have some doubts, write down the qualities you like about architecture, are there related fields which embody these attributes? I bet there might be.
Personally I think one of the exciting things about design is that when you first sit down, you do not know what your solution will be. That's the exploration part. Why would your career path be any different?
Jul 4, 12 8:13 am ·
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Should I major in architecture? I want to but the economy is making me feel like wanting to run away.
Is studying architecture worth it? I mean, you know, all the long school years (7- 8 years) and hard work, also the payment is only average if you ever get a job after graduating, furthermore the unemployment rate of architects is so high right now. School is not cheap either. ( about 12,500 pounds per year for non eu/uk citizen) Furthermore, I know architecture is not a job, it's a lifetime passion. Yes, i do love browsing archi websites everytime im online but of course I do know that those are only for entertainment. So How can I know if I really love that field and the ability to become an architect working in the industry? Im so worried that I will make a wrong decision in my life. So to sum it up, my two major worries are I'm afraid that I actually don't enjoy architecture as I think I will. I'm also afraid that I will end up jobless even after 3 or 4 years graduating from uni as I have heard so many people wrote their experience on the web.
When in doubt don't - any doubts - self doubt or any other kind, will cause you to fail in the worst possible way his is like the Marines - a marine who had doubts on the battle field gets killed or maimed - an architect who has doubts fails then goes broke -- t
Running is healthy. Keeps you trim and great for the cardiovascular system, yo!
You are wise to think this through now, early, before committing. A relatively small selection of folks can't think of doing anything besides architecture, and are probably right to dive in, work hard, and tough it out against the odds.
Everyone else at this time of economic decline would be wise to study something else.
What citizen said: this profession is punishing though occasionally rewarding, and if you aren't fully committed you are done. This advice comes from someone attended two of the schools that people seem to care about, and who runs his own practice which some people think is successful:
Ask yourself why you want to pursue architecture. Like to make stuff? Like to have control of things? Have a vision that you want to realize? Like being respected for your contributions? Like to draw by hand? Looking for a career that balances work and life? In truth, we don't do that much of any of that.
Want to change things? Make the world that people live better, even if it is often in imperceptible increments? Like sitting in front of the computer? Work with people to achieve what's important to them? That is stuff that we do. And if at any point during this process of introspection money comes up, change your major.
Run....away
Yesterday I went down to Palo Alto to get some sun and there are all these happy shiny people who work at FaceBook + Google who get paid a lot, they can afford to eat at the new upscale eateries that sprung up all of the sudden, drive Teslas and afford the latest bikes. They have great jobs changing the world through communication. Then again, how many will be still working in IT in 5 years? most will be forced out due to rapid obsolescence in IT.
Architecture is more long term - provided you can commit unconditionally to and do what ever it takes irregardless of obstacles. I know a lot of people who now work at LinkedIn and EA, Rockstar,Zynga and Genentech - Good for them
As the real estate economy continues to deleverage, the large imbalances in the architectural professional will continue to correct. That means we're going to see major restructuring in the profession and the large surplus of people with architectural degrees forced into doing something else. The ones who will stay in architecture and succeed at it are the ones at the top quintile of talent and skill. Everyone else, bye-bye. Ultimately, that's a good thing for everyone, but it's going to be painful while it's happening.
So, ask yourself, do you feel lucky, punk? Do you think you can beat those odds and succeed? It's certainly not going to be the path of least resistance for anybody.
Go ahead make my day
The ones who will stay in architecture and succeed at it are the ones at the top quintile of talent and skill
Don't forget money and luck. I know several people with talent and skill who are jobless, and several without any talent or skill who landed great gigs because they had the flexability to move wherever the job was and they have connections from their rich families. Talent and skill should be what gets you ahead.
Also - architecture is a meritocracy - people in this profession treat you with fairness according to your degree of success - people who are average and or struggling are treated with unfairness. Do you want people calling you a BIM Wit or a Cad Monkey? ending up as a flunky is very degrading.
ghwarton: "The ones who will stay in architecture and succeed at it are the ones at the top quintile of talent and skill."
I infer - perhaps incorrectly - that you are expressing an opinion about "design talent and skill". While what you write may become true, another reasonable point-of-view might be that those with the strongest "marketing and business management skills" will be the survivors in this increasingly Darwinian environment.
In the best of all worlds, a strong marriage between "design skills" and "marketing and business management skills" would seem a plausible path to success. However, in our profession those two camps seem increasingly wary of cooperating with each other. It will be interesting to see which camp emerges from this recession in the stronger position.
An it helps to have a flair for self promotion - be able to campaign - network - you need to also be an extrovert, dress and look well in a contemporary way - your hipness factor so to speak
I did not qualify my comment, and won't. I meant skill and talent, full stop. Luck certainly doesn't hurt, and is the deciding factor when you look at the difference between the 99th percentile and the 99.9th percentile, but below that level is totally outweighed by skill and talent combined with a solid work ethic and future time orientation.
As for money, it's completely useless if you haven't got any of the above (you soon won't have it any more if you can't make it on your own), and will come of its own accord if you do.
Also - architecture is a meritocracy - people in this profession treat you with fairness according to your degree of success - people who are average and or struggling are treated with unfairness.
maybe so after a few years in. when you're starting off, and you excel at anything you touch (wait, you can do crazy forms, code 4-5 computer languages and still do sellable layouts, understand social media, real estate terminology, and have a good grasp of the new york building code? impossible! you must be lying!), it's a constant fight not be pigeonholed if you are smarter than the average architect (sorry, not hard. there's a lot of stupid sun-worshippers running around this profession). prior to landing the job i'm currently at (which i actually love, since it's basically "bite as much as you can chew and don't fuck up too badly"), i went to at least two interviews where the interviewers where like "hmmm, we're just looking for someone to draw details", right after it became obvious that i could do that and a whole lot more (than they could).
to the OP, it never hurts to have options. major in something other than architecture and go to grad school for it. you'll be happier if you chose to be an architect later on. waking up and knowing that you're here 100% out of your own volition, and that you could be (read: not have been) something else, makes this job a lot more fun. yeah. fun. i said it. it's fun.
btw, i rock ()'s so hard.
oh an yeah, and i'm super arrogant. no news.
you need to be more optimistic and creative. Although you might not end up being the next Frank Gehry or Zaha, there are tons of work for you to do in this field. I mean, worse comes, you don't have to build architecture, but could just do home renovations etc. Can you imagine the millions of houses around the country you could do that with?
The other side to architecture besides design is those that can get the work done. Often times you will find people with very high design IQ's, but have zero clue as to how to build & execute their design. You have others who are the opposite, and everything in-between. You need a balance of both. A competent technical person who can lead the client & the design team through the process and earn their trust is just as valuable as the lead designer. To some degree, as an architect, you have to have a passion for solving problems and figuring out how to build things. If you only enjoy the fancy exterior renderings, you're in for a disappointment
a high design iq does not inherently exclude someone from having competent management / "building execution" skills. that's just a myth perpetuated by the retards that populate this profession.
just thought to further stress that point.
If I were 17 again i'd major in computer science, robotics, digital media, or even video production. Even if they all have major downsides, with those professions you don't need a client with a million dollars to create something. You can create something brand new with only your time and some equipment, and then make money off of it. IMO that is what is lacking in architecture.
Architecture....some people think I have a cool job, and it's not bad. But ultimately I do have regrets about going into the industry. I'd definitely recommend majoring in something else then switching to architecture for grad school if you so choose.
If I were 17 again I would have majored in synthetic biology. To be able to make bugs that can poop gold nuggets.
It really does suck when this profession tries to pigeonhole and demarcate their own.
Laws of supply and demand, can't escape them. I suggest get an internship in a firm before going to school. See what practice is like, talk to a variety of people in person, folks 2 years out of school, maybe a principal who's been doing this for 25 years. After doing this, if you have some doubts, write down the qualities you like about architecture, are there related fields which embody these attributes? I bet there might be. Personally I think one of the exciting things about design is that when you first sit down, you do not know what your solution will be. That's the exploration part. Why would your career path be any different?
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