For the TLDR people whom don’t want to read my story. What can I do in the design/architecture field without using a computer all day long? Is anyone here familiar with Kitchen and Bath Design programs/certification?
Backstory:
I have severely painful RSI in my right wrist as well as tendonitis in my forearm from using the computer for hours on end daily since I was in elementary school. Five years ago, I taught myself how to use a left handed mouse due to the pain. Now even typing with my right hand is troublesome. So I began typing and using the mouse with my left hand only. This cuts down productivity significantly and has resulted in fatiguing my left hand and causing pain as well.
I literally cannot keep spending my entire day tied to a computer. Even with a successful surgery; this is a lifestyle injury and will just come back.
From reading this forum extensively for years; I understand that architecture especially at the beginning is 3d BIM/CAD monkey. This is impossible for me. Yes, I’m aware of the guy with no arms that does CAD using his feet, but that is going way too far for a person that still has those limbs. Plus I have no desire to spend the rest of my adult life doing 3d design at a computer.
Here is what I have previously done with my life:
-Web design (not much money in this anymore…app design/web security is more where it’s at. Plus no desire to keep killing myself via computer usage)
-T-shirt design (less typing involved but still computer usage; I haven’t mastered drawing with my right hand so doing so with my left would take at least 5+ years of doing nothing but drawing which is unfeasible for me)
- Writing (I will have my second book published this month. I had to pay someone to transcribe portions while I spoke aloud for me due to pain. I have OSX, and Dictate works worth shit; clicking on any document/image/window results in the computer to stop transcribing. I finally had enough and wrote a message to Tim Cook detailing this along with a video showing why it’s currently broken. No response. Dragon Text to Speech apparently is garbage for OSX and is not as refined as the Windows version.)
- Bought land to build a house on. Had land surveyed. Fought non-stop over water tap fees / property lines / code enforcement etc. Sold land. My city is notorious for having a terrible building inspector so I will not re-attempt here. However, I did win on having water tap fees waived…just to have the building inspector claim ignorance a year later. Then to finally have the City Engineer sign city letterhead saying that they are waived due to a previously existing house on that lot already being tapped.
-Selling on Amazon. More computer. Endless money can be made if you like reselling items all day long. This is boring to me and nonstop Amazon outsourced support and policies make this particularly unfulfilling to me.
-Video editing. Even more computer.
-Designed two custom leather jackets that fit me perfectly (third will be made after sourcing new zippers). This was actually a “bucket list” item.
-Designed and prototyped my custom leather belt. I actually want(ed) to mass produce these. Material costs + finding a worker to make these exactly like I want are high. The prototypes took endless mockups, emails, and material changes. Plus I need a mold made for a custom buckle.
-Customized a few pairs of cowboy boots with zippers for better fit and finish. Had heaps of clothing altered/tailored to be exactly like how I want them.
-----
I love modern design and adaptive reuse. I read house build blogs and watch construction videos constantly. Some of the items that interest me are: creating concrete showers, diy lighting fixtures, steel panel usage, welding custom railings or tables. Pretty much making custom items instead of buying mass produced items due to learning a new skill and the potential cost savings.
My dream previously was to build my own home, sell it, repeat. Now, I’m more into renovating an existing structure due to strict lending standards on new builds as well as skyrocketing permit costs for tapping into existing city structure, etc. Even attempting to build a modest house with a modern design including land, utilities, and an architect will run at least $300k in the Midwest.
Ultimately, I love houses, I love modern design, I can’t use the computer for extended periods of time.
What can I do in the architecture field without using a computer nonstop? Is anyone here familiar with Kitchen and Bath Design programs/certification?
If this requires specific schooling or apprenticeships; I’m game. I actually want to enjoy what I’m making or designing. My cousin is a Construction Manager and all of his builds are boring gigantic warehouses. I actually inspire him with builds, processes, and renovations that I show him. This is wrong, I’m not even in the construction industry…
I sincerely appreciate any honest help or advice that you might have. I'm not actually super concerned about the money because I do not have a spouse or children to support...yet?!
Thank you for your time.
JLC-1
Oct 10, 16 12:18 pm
be an interior designer, pick fabrics, colors, fixtures, veneers, surfaces and furniture; don't need to know acad, just jot in a magazine and make copies to paste onto the job site walls while drywallers try to do their job.
s=r*(theta)
Oct 10, 16 12:28 pm
HAHA this takes my mind back to when i was in college. there were 2 classmates who wanted to be architects but one didn't like drawing and somehow thgt she could have a great career that way, and the other didn't like using computers, went the entire program with minimal computer work as possible, until at her thesis the questions was asked "Do you realize many of your colleagues and most jobs if not all will require you to be literate with drafting and modeling software?
thenewmodern
Oct 10, 16 10:39 pm
Hi JLC-1, thank you for your response. From reading this board; I'm aware of the disdain that many architects have for interior designers (especially due to the Interior Architecture rebranding attempts). Do you believe that earning a 4 year degree in interior design is worth it?
I live in Michigan and anyone can call themselves an interior designer without any schooling. Will they be able to sell their services without a portfolio? I doubt it. Nonetheless, no licensing requirements here.
Hi s=r*(theta thanks for the reply, I completely hear what you are saying. I understand that being an architect is 95+% drafting/modeling. So I have definitely given up that idea. However, I'm wondering if there are any specific areas to enter related to the Architecture field that do not require using a computer all day long?
Bench
Oct 11, 16 4:10 am
The only interior designers I've worked with (read: the only ones that Ive ever met who were hired) were effectively architectural staff and actually spent more time drafting than the typical architect/intern because they had hit a ceiling. They did their jobs very well and were always pleasant individuals who loved their job, but they effectively slotted into production with possibly some interior construction admin if they had been around long enough.
We use the computer for production, plain and simple. Its hard to get around that. The only ones I ever knew who didn't were 70+ year-old principles who were way past needing to do that.
While I really feel for you (my mother's entire career was in student services for disabled attendees), the hard truth is that you may have difficulty carving out a position where you're billable, without heading closer into your cousin's line of work
archiwutm8
Oct 11, 16 5:01 am
Just be a furniture craftsmen but not designer.
Every designer in every field I know of uses the computer.
thenewmodern
Oct 11, 16 6:31 am
Hi Bench, thanks for the response. It's interesting that the interior designers spend so much time drafting at your firm. I suppose that I was envisioning that the interior designers would be spending more time onsite preparing the site while arranging materials as well as trades. However, now that I think of this...sounds like a construction/project manager's job.
Rather then a design job at a firm. Maybe I will be more satisfied by doing my own renovations then selling to move onto another project.
I can use the computer for brief periods of time like creating Photoshop mockups. This is what I have done with my jacket and belt designs. Take photo of existing item/reference, note measurement adjustments, add in proposed changes, determine material differences, etc. This probably only takes 30mins to an 1 hour. Not an entire day/week of computer sitting. However, it seems that interior designers are not actually going out into the projects and instead are more planning them in 3d and then moving onto the next project?
Hi archiwutm8, thank you for your reply. I actually like the sound of that. I'm not actually much of a furniture enthusiast (I did indeed mention tables though). But the crafting part is definitely something for me to focus on. I especially like welded steel staircases and railings. Pretty much stuff that is awesome which nobody except the elite have because it is all custom. Maybe metal fabrication is in my future? Thanks.
Non Sequitur
Oct 11, 16 8:48 am
I've been using a keyboard since mouses where little black balls and integrated into the keyboard. I have no ill effects spending 8 to 16hrs drafting and note that my fingers and wrists are wrecked from multiple skiing and climbing injuries. I've also trained myself to use the mouse left-handed or with the buttons reversed.
Anyways, I've always wondered how my classmates who had to hire undergrad students for much of the physical tasks would survive in the architecture world. I guess they don't. Have you considered continuing in the consultant field instead? Building enveloppe / facade design is a growing field and plenty of office hire out specialist to advise, develop details, and review assemblies on site.
Don't follow the ID route, most spend more time drafting than architects since their hourly cost is lower and cubicles don't move themselves around 8 times a day as per the client requests.
Wood Guy
Oct 11, 16 9:08 am
It seems pretty clear that you have an interest and aptitude for leather work. Why not transform that into a real business? There is demand for well-crafted, well-designed, well-fitting clothing and other leather items. I know a few people in that world and they are all successful. I'm sure it's not easy, but nothing worth it is.
Once you have a business up and running, say a few years down the road, you can get into real estate developing. Hire CAD monkeys and tell them what you want designed, then hire contractors to do the work. Use your "handicap" to your advantage, and focus on learning business and management skills.
JLC-1
Oct 11, 16 10:02 am
I was being sarcastic, I've worked with great interior designers and others not so great, but in this day and age, EVERYBODY involved in design and construction drafts, writes schedules, research materials and components, and communicates through a digital device; If you are very good at it you will spend less time "tied" to your computer and have more time to do other things in your life. From your long list of accomplishments I'd say you can find a way around it. And I don't know about a degree in interior design, seems ludicrous to me to pay and get schooled to get a taste if you don't have it in the first place.
As said above, you seem to have knack for crafts, why not try a farmer's market booth for a summer and see where it takes you?
thisisnotmyname
Oct 11, 16 2:06 pm
Could you do your own renovation projects using a minimal amount of hand-drawn plans? A know a few house flippers that hardly draw anything for their projects, and what they do make is all by hand.
Non Sequitur
Oct 11, 16 2:36 pm
^depends on how well you communicate with the contractors and city officials.
JonathanLivingston
Oct 11, 16 2:43 pm
Maybe look into a position as a product representative? these are primarily a sales position, but you spend most of your time doing lunch and learns to present the product, trying to get your product specified and connecting the dots to make sales. It allows you to be in the industry, get to know a niche or product well, they get to talk design, architects love them cause they have free lunch, you go to networking events, tradeshows, business lunches etc. they don't usually draw anything but there is a lot of spec writing, drawing review and correspondence. Most that I know make more money than architects.
I have always thought when I couldn't take the architecture grind, and pressures of designing this would be a good way to go.
thenewmodern
Oct 12, 16 1:54 am
Non Sequitur, thanks for the reply. Very solid suggestions with consulting and taking a looking at building envelope/facade design. I hadn’t thought about those areas before. Thank you. Also thanks for the reality check of what interior designers are doing all day.
Hi Wood Guy, you are absolutely right. I will continue going on with my leather designs. The cost to start a minimum order of hides is significant but not too crazy. However, finding someone that will craft what I tell them is probably the largest hurdle. (My last person needed to be hand held and they had been doing this solo for at least two years??!!!) I will probably sort the buckle situation out first then find someone to outsource the cutting, burnishing, hole punching, etc. Thanks for the nudge. Real estate development is definitely what inspires me the most. Funding this with savings from another field is probably what it will take to accomplish what I want.
Hi thisisnotmyname, thanks for the response. I most definitely could start doing renovations right now with hand drawn plans; but not in the areas that I actually want to live due to soaring real estate values. I’m a bit bummed because real estate prices in most prime areas are now exceeding 2008 levels :(
I have found some interesting affordable properties states away though. Since, I will have literally no help from family anyways…moving might not be so crazy.
JonathanLivingston, that a really intriguing idea. Some of the companies with products that I like which I wouldn’t mind repping are Schluter, Nudura, thermomass, and Viroc.
Thanks again for the replies everyone. I’m pretty much set on just making my own products and eventually starting a renovation project(s) of my own. Does anyone have recommendations for a forum or Facebook group that these topics would fit into more? Like showing builds or products in progress and asking renovation questions. I understand this site is mostly for architects (and the oft repeated what architecture college question).
Wood Guy
Oct 13, 16 9:13 am
"finding someone that will craft what I tell them is probably the largest hurdle. (My last person needed to be hand held and they had been doing this solo for at least two years"
Sounds exactly like architecture.
mespellrong
Oct 23, 16 10:52 pm
I'll begin by sharing that this was an incredibly difficult post for me to read. Not just because of this:
but because the question that you're asking is a pretty difficult part of reality but I've been living with for more than a decade. I'm going to answer your question eventually, but first I'm going to try and answer in a way that I think would have helped me, when I was asking it, myself, almost a decade ago. Because the question is not whether anyone could do that, but rather, whether you, yourself, want to find out if you can do that.
You are beginning to learn how to live with a difference in ability. Most of us have to do that, eventually. We get old, our bodies fall apart, and eventually all of us die. Some of us have the unfortunate experience of becoming aware of that much earlier than most of the people around us, and in most cases that limits our ability to perform the kinds of tasks that able-bodied people can perform easily, which makes us feel insufficient.
One of the best things I've learned in the years since, is that my experience is quite a lot like that of a person assigned-female-at-birth, or a queer person, living in the closet, or someone who is very able, but also very poor. People make assumptions about who you are and what you can do. You will learn that it is frequently too exhausting to explain why you cannot do it. You may try and do many things that you cannot, because others expect them of you. You may loose jobs and friends along the way, but you may also find that there are good people who can help. Sometimes, they can help with a bit of the truth.
It's likely that you'll get familiar with the litany of steroids, naturopathic remedies (find a good one), minor surgeries, therapy (again, find a good one who has worked with repetitive strain problems) and near addiction to painkillers that follows from unworkable choices, whatever you choose to do as a profession. If I could help you see one thing it is this: that having a disability doesn't mean that you can't do something, it just means that you have to figure out how you can do it differently. It also means other people will make it a lot harder for you to contribute what you can contribute.
Learn how to draw, model, research, and communicate really well. Find a school that will admit you knowing about your disability, and interview their disabilities staff and the caseworker who will manage you to see what their real expectations are. Become aware of what work you can and cannot do. Learn dictation, and make it work, because without it, you are going to have a very hard life. Yes, if you work it, it works.
I cannot deny that architecture, as a profession, is one in which people who are differently able to have a much harder time than the cis-white males that make up 90% of the profession. The forms of dismissive, demeaning, bigoted comment that you've already received in this forum are something that you're likely to experience throughout the rest of your life, and you will experience more of it in architecture than in any other professional choice – except perhaps sports.
Still, you sound like you have talent, taste, and judgment. This is a profession that requires all three, so if you are willing to work on a life in this field, yes, the rewards for a person like you are bigger they they could be elsewhere. Stop listening to people to say to you that you cannot do things in the abstract, and work out how you can, in the concrete.
For the TLDR people whom don’t want to read my story. What can I do in the design/architecture field without using a computer all day long? Is anyone here familiar with Kitchen and Bath Design programs/certification?
Backstory:
I have severely painful RSI in my right wrist as well as tendonitis in my forearm from using the computer for hours on end daily since I was in elementary school. Five years ago, I taught myself how to use a left handed mouse due to the pain. Now even typing with my right hand is troublesome. So I began typing and using the mouse with my left hand only. This cuts down productivity significantly and has resulted in fatiguing my left hand and causing pain as well.
I literally cannot keep spending my entire day tied to a computer. Even with a successful surgery; this is a lifestyle injury and will just come back.
From reading this forum extensively for years; I understand that architecture especially at the beginning is 3d BIM/CAD monkey. This is impossible for me. Yes, I’m aware of the guy with no arms that does CAD using his feet, but that is going way too far for a person that still has those limbs. Plus I have no desire to spend the rest of my adult life doing 3d design at a computer.
Here is what I have previously done with my life:
-Web design (not much money in this anymore…app design/web security is more where it’s at. Plus no desire to keep killing myself via computer usage)
-T-shirt design (less typing involved but still computer usage; I haven’t mastered drawing with my right hand so doing so with my left would take at least 5+ years of doing nothing but drawing which is unfeasible for me)
- Writing (I will have my second book published this month. I had to pay someone to transcribe portions while I spoke aloud for me due to pain. I have OSX, and Dictate works worth shit; clicking on any document/image/window results in the computer to stop transcribing. I finally had enough and wrote a message to Tim Cook detailing this along with a video showing why it’s currently broken. No response. Dragon Text to Speech apparently is garbage for OSX and is not as refined as the Windows version.)
- Bought land to build a house on. Had land surveyed. Fought non-stop over water tap fees / property lines / code enforcement etc. Sold land. My city is notorious for having a terrible building inspector so I will not re-attempt here. However, I did win on having water tap fees waived…just to have the building inspector claim ignorance a year later. Then to finally have the City Engineer sign city letterhead saying that they are waived due to a previously existing house on that lot already being tapped.
-Selling on Amazon. More computer. Endless money can be made if you like reselling items all day long. This is boring to me and nonstop Amazon outsourced support and policies make this particularly unfulfilling to me.
-Video editing. Even more computer.
-Designed two custom leather jackets that fit me perfectly (third will be made after sourcing new zippers). This was actually a “bucket list” item.
-Designed and prototyped my custom leather belt. I actually want(ed) to mass produce these. Material costs + finding a worker to make these exactly like I want are high. The prototypes took endless mockups, emails, and material changes. Plus I need a mold made for a custom buckle.
-Customized a few pairs of cowboy boots with zippers for better fit and finish. Had heaps of clothing altered/tailored to be exactly like how I want them.
-----
I love modern design and adaptive reuse. I read house build blogs and watch construction videos constantly. Some of the items that interest me are: creating concrete showers, diy lighting fixtures, steel panel usage, welding custom railings or tables. Pretty much making custom items instead of buying mass produced items due to learning a new skill and the potential cost savings.
My dream previously was to build my own home, sell it, repeat. Now, I’m more into renovating an existing structure due to strict lending standards on new builds as well as skyrocketing permit costs for tapping into existing city structure, etc. Even attempting to build a modest house with a modern design including land, utilities, and an architect will run at least $300k in the Midwest.
Ultimately, I love houses, I love modern design, I can’t use the computer for extended periods of time.
What can I do in the architecture field without using a computer nonstop? Is anyone here familiar with Kitchen and Bath Design programs/certification?
If this requires specific schooling or apprenticeships; I’m game. I actually want to enjoy what I’m making or designing. My cousin is a Construction Manager and all of his builds are boring gigantic warehouses. I actually inspire him with builds, processes, and renovations that I show him. This is wrong, I’m not even in the construction industry…
I sincerely appreciate any honest help or advice that you might have. I'm not actually super concerned about the money because I do not have a spouse or children to support...yet?!
Thank you for your time.
be an interior designer, pick fabrics, colors, fixtures, veneers, surfaces and furniture; don't need to know acad, just jot in a magazine and make copies to paste onto the job site walls while drywallers try to do their job.
HAHA this takes my mind back to when i was in college. there were 2 classmates who wanted to be architects but one didn't like drawing and somehow thgt she could have a great career that way, and the other didn't like using computers, went the entire program with minimal computer work as possible, until at her thesis the questions was asked "Do you realize many of your colleagues and most jobs if not all will require you to be literate with drafting and modeling software?
Hi JLC-1, thank you for your response. From reading this board; I'm aware of the disdain that many architects have for interior designers (especially due to the Interior Architecture rebranding attempts). Do you believe that earning a 4 year degree in interior design is worth it?
I live in Michigan and anyone can call themselves an interior designer without any schooling. Will they be able to sell their services without a portfolio? I doubt it. Nonetheless, no licensing requirements here.
Hi s=r*(theta thanks for the reply, I completely hear what you are saying. I understand that being an architect is 95+% drafting/modeling. So I have definitely given up that idea. However, I'm wondering if there are any specific areas to enter related to the Architecture field that do not require using a computer all day long?
The only interior designers I've worked with (read: the only ones that Ive ever met who were hired) were effectively architectural staff and actually spent more time drafting than the typical architect/intern because they had hit a ceiling. They did their jobs very well and were always pleasant individuals who loved their job, but they effectively slotted into production with possibly some interior construction admin if they had been around long enough.
We use the computer for production, plain and simple. Its hard to get around that. The only ones I ever knew who didn't were 70+ year-old principles who were way past needing to do that.
While I really feel for you (my mother's entire career was in student services for disabled attendees), the hard truth is that you may have difficulty carving out a position where you're billable, without heading closer into your cousin's line of work
Just be a furniture craftsmen but not designer.
Every designer in every field I know of uses the computer.
Hi Bench, thanks for the response. It's interesting that the interior designers spend so much time drafting at your firm. I suppose that I was envisioning that the interior designers would be spending more time onsite preparing the site while arranging materials as well as trades. However, now that I think of this...sounds like a construction/project manager's job.
Rather then a design job at a firm. Maybe I will be more satisfied by doing my own renovations then selling to move onto another project.
I can use the computer for brief periods of time like creating Photoshop mockups. This is what I have done with my jacket and belt designs. Take photo of existing item/reference, note measurement adjustments, add in proposed changes, determine material differences, etc. This probably only takes 30mins to an 1 hour. Not an entire day/week of computer sitting. However, it seems that interior designers are not actually going out into the projects and instead are more planning them in 3d and then moving onto the next project?
Hi archiwutm8, thank you for your reply. I actually like the sound of that. I'm not actually much of a furniture enthusiast (I did indeed mention tables though). But the crafting part is definitely something for me to focus on. I especially like welded steel staircases and railings. Pretty much stuff that is awesome which nobody except the elite have because it is all custom. Maybe metal fabrication is in my future? Thanks.
I've been using a keyboard since mouses where little black balls and integrated into the keyboard. I have no ill effects spending 8 to 16hrs drafting and note that my fingers and wrists are wrecked from multiple skiing and climbing injuries. I've also trained myself to use the mouse left-handed or with the buttons reversed.
Anyways, I've always wondered how my classmates who had to hire undergrad students for much of the physical tasks would survive in the architecture world. I guess they don't. Have you considered continuing in the consultant field instead? Building enveloppe / facade design is a growing field and plenty of office hire out specialist to advise, develop details, and review assemblies on site.
Don't follow the ID route, most spend more time drafting than architects since their hourly cost is lower and cubicles don't move themselves around 8 times a day as per the client requests.
It seems pretty clear that you have an interest and aptitude for leather work. Why not transform that into a real business? There is demand for well-crafted, well-designed, well-fitting clothing and other leather items. I know a few people in that world and they are all successful. I'm sure it's not easy, but nothing worth it is.
Once you have a business up and running, say a few years down the road, you can get into real estate developing. Hire CAD monkeys and tell them what you want designed, then hire contractors to do the work. Use your "handicap" to your advantage, and focus on learning business and management skills.
I was being sarcastic, I've worked with great interior designers and others not so great, but in this day and age, EVERYBODY involved in design and construction drafts, writes schedules, research materials and components, and communicates through a digital device; If you are very good at it you will spend less time "tied" to your computer and have more time to do other things in your life. From your long list of accomplishments I'd say you can find a way around it. And I don't know about a degree in interior design, seems ludicrous to me to pay and get schooled to get a taste if you don't have it in the first place.
As said above, you seem to have knack for crafts, why not try a farmer's market booth for a summer and see where it takes you?
Could you do your own renovation projects using a minimal amount of hand-drawn plans? A know a few house flippers that hardly draw anything for their projects, and what they do make is all by hand.
^depends on how well you communicate with the contractors and city officials.
Maybe look into a position as a product representative? these are primarily a sales position, but you spend most of your time doing lunch and learns to present the product, trying to get your product specified and connecting the dots to make sales. It allows you to be in the industry, get to know a niche or product well, they get to talk design, architects love them cause they have free lunch, you go to networking events, tradeshows, business lunches etc. they don't usually draw anything but there is a lot of spec writing, drawing review and correspondence. Most that I know make more money than architects.
I have always thought when I couldn't take the architecture grind, and pressures of designing this would be a good way to go.
Non Sequitur, thanks for the reply. Very solid suggestions with consulting and taking a looking at building envelope/facade design. I hadn’t thought about those areas before. Thank you. Also thanks for the reality check of what interior designers are doing all day.
Hi Wood Guy, you are absolutely right. I will continue going on with my leather designs. The cost to start a minimum order of hides is significant but not too crazy. However, finding someone that will craft what I tell them is probably the largest hurdle. (My last person needed to be hand held and they had been doing this solo for at least two years??!!!) I will probably sort the buckle situation out first then find someone to outsource the cutting, burnishing, hole punching, etc. Thanks for the nudge. Real estate development is definitely what inspires me the most. Funding this with savings from another field is probably what it will take to accomplish what I want.
Hi thisisnotmyname, thanks for the response. I most definitely could start doing renovations right now with hand drawn plans; but not in the areas that I actually want to live due to soaring real estate values. I’m a bit bummed because real estate prices in most prime areas are now exceeding 2008 levels :(
I have found some interesting affordable properties states away though. Since, I will have literally no help from family anyways…moving might not be so crazy.
JonathanLivingston, that a really intriguing idea. Some of the companies with products that I like which I wouldn’t mind repping are Schluter, Nudura, thermomass, and Viroc.
Thanks again for the replies everyone. I’m pretty much set on just making my own products and eventually starting a renovation project(s) of my own. Does anyone have recommendations for a forum or Facebook group that these topics would fit into more? Like showing builds or products in progress and asking renovation questions. I understand this site is mostly for architects (and the oft repeated what architecture college question).
"finding someone that will craft what I tell them is probably the largest hurdle. (My last person needed to be hand held and they had been doing this solo for at least two years"
Sounds exactly like architecture.
I'll begin by sharing that this was an incredibly difficult post for me to read. Not just because of this:
http://archinect.com/forum/thread/94026/grad-school-rigor-vs-disability
and this one,
http://archinect.com/forum/thread/149969403/mansplain-interior-design-to-me
but because the question that you're asking is a pretty difficult part of reality but I've been living with for more than a decade. I'm going to answer your question eventually, but first I'm going to try and answer in a way that I think would have helped me, when I was asking it, myself, almost a decade ago. Because the question is not whether anyone could do that, but rather, whether you, yourself, want to find out if you can do that.
You are beginning to learn how to live with a difference in ability. Most of us have to do that, eventually. We get old, our bodies fall apart, and eventually all of us die. Some of us have the unfortunate experience of becoming aware of that much earlier than most of the people around us, and in most cases that limits our ability to perform the kinds of tasks that able-bodied people can perform easily, which makes us feel insufficient.
One of the best things I've learned in the years since, is that my experience is quite a lot like that of a person assigned-female-at-birth, or a queer person, living in the closet, or someone who is very able, but also very poor. People make assumptions about who you are and what you can do. You will learn that it is frequently too exhausting to explain why you cannot do it. You may try and do many things that you cannot, because others expect them of you. You may loose jobs and friends along the way, but you may also find that there are good people who can help. Sometimes, they can help with a bit of the truth.
It's likely that you'll get familiar with the litany of steroids, naturopathic remedies (find a good one), minor surgeries, therapy (again, find a good one who has worked with repetitive strain problems) and near addiction to painkillers that follows from unworkable choices, whatever you choose to do as a profession. If I could help you see one thing it is this: that having a disability doesn't mean that you can't do something, it just means that you have to figure out how you can do it differently. It also means other people will make it a lot harder for you to contribute what you can contribute.
Learn how to draw, model, research, and communicate really well. Find a school that will admit you knowing about your disability, and interview their disabilities staff and the caseworker who will manage you to see what their real expectations are. Become aware of what work you can and cannot do. Learn dictation, and make it work, because without it, you are going to have a very hard life. Yes, if you work it, it works.
I cannot deny that architecture, as a profession, is one in which people who are differently able to have a much harder time than the cis-white males that make up 90% of the profession. The forms of dismissive, demeaning, bigoted comment that you've already received in this forum are something that you're likely to experience throughout the rest of your life, and you will experience more of it in architecture than in any other professional choice – except perhaps sports.
Still, you sound like you have talent, taste, and judgment. This is a profession that requires all three, so if you are willing to work on a life in this field, yes, the rewards for a person like you are bigger they they could be elsewhere. Stop listening to people to say to you that you cannot do things in the abstract, and work out how you can, in the concrete.
That, actually, is architecture.
^Men don't even make up 90% of the profession