I really wouldn't let this forum be the compass that guides your decision. Given the anonymity of the internet, people are always going to bitch about something. Pick a thread from 6 years ago- instead of blaming the economy for their lack of success they blame those with trust funds who supposedly bought themselves into principal positions in key firms. I really wouldn't take what others say as the absolute truth.

With regards to your question, as a fellow applicant:

I ended up getting into a school off of the waitlist that I would have been be very happy to go to (albeit not my top choice). I decided not to pursue school at this time.

Why I still hang out around here, I don't know. But I did learn a few things after some careful thought that you may/ or may not find useful. I firmly believe that you have to love a) who you are and what your life is overall and b) your job- money easily behind these two, as I am sure it would for many posters here.

Ignoring their inherent costs, I tried to generate a list of things that I do in a regular basis that I enjoy doing- travel, restaurants, working in an engineering job, the architecture courses that I have already taken, and so forth. Looking solely at occupation, I truly enjoyed some parts of engineering while I absolutely loved almost every part of architecture. Unfortunately, the ugly reality of my $87,000 of state-school debt from engineering had to come into play somewhere.

I ended up realizing that while I would have loved being an architect over an engineer hands down, that added debt of grad school would have cost me everything else that I liked to do- travel, live in a decent apartment without roommates, have a car that doesn't leave a trail of parts as I drive, and so on. Even assuming that I made as much as I would have in engineering, the added debt was a death sentence for me.

To me, being an architect was a part of what I felt defined me as an individual- it wasnt the part that defined me in totality. In my case, the overall quality of life won out over the one aspect of my career. I am going to wait a few years, work, and further develop my portfolio- in that time, my debt will decrease and I might even earn a scholarship when I try again- the scenario will change significantly.

If you are looking for a no risk career, you aren't going to find that anywhere. But if your risk is managable and everything lines up- it might be worth taking the plunge. You will be the only one that can decide that.

If you can get a job now, work in the field first. If you cannot find a position in architecture right now, well, that might be an indicator of the state of affairs. And when you do enter the labor market, you will be competing with the thousands of people who have far more experience than you who have been laid off.

That said, there are many positions where you can utilize your architecture skills without necessarily practicing architecture at a design firm. I think this is the path many people are taking right now.

cjw,

If you're looking for a career with manageable risk, you can do a lot, LOT better than architecture. I say, unless you have considerable promise as an architect, if you have the mental capacity to be an engineer, be an engineer. If it doesn't feed your soul, you'll probably have a lot more free time to enjoy the other aspects of your life that do, in comparision to being an architect. You will probably also have the monetary means to do them, such as the travel you mentioned. I'm pretty sure sitting hunching over stair details for $10/hr. isn't exactly going to fulfill you either. You have your whole life to go to arch. grad school too. And with engineering paying the bills, you could start your own practice on the side just for fun without all the worries us "professional" architects have, and have some serious technical expertise, besides, to set you apart. You could also provide consultation to architecture firms.

bk

Completely agree. That is the conclusion that I ultimately came to- I just wanted to offer my experiences on the process of realizing that decision based on my constraints to the OP.

I'd sworn off unnecessary Internet usage for an unspecified religious holiday, but I feel a moral imperative to respond to this.

Don't let cranky people on the Internet determine the course of your life.

Sometimes, complaining is cathartic, but forums like this can create a sort of echo chamber where negativity is reinforced. When your arm is cut off, it's not like you notice the three other limbs that are there; in this way, the downside of the profession will make itself more apparent if you're only relying on the Internet for your decisions.

Plus, it's not like you have to go do traditional architecture after your degree. +1 on talking to other people in the field, or working (while in school - I'd go for it, personally) so that you can get a handle on exactly what you're in for. Double points for talking to people who have been through previous recessions.

Who was that researcher at IBM who made the observation that most of the jobs at his company didn't exist when he was starting his higher education? There's no way of really knowing what the future holds, so go with what your heart says and then figure out how to get what you want out of the results. Bloom where you're planted.

Anyways, back to a delightful evening of fasting and repentance for me!

Cranky person from the internet here.

Here's the thing about architecture. It turns talented and ambitious artists, writers and thinkers into nickel and dime accountants. The idea of architecture is so much grander than the actual execution. If you truly have creative chops in life, your talents will be wasted on this. Go paint. Build a boat. Make an awesome meal. And get a day job that pays and respects you. Architecture can be your hobby.

You will hear architects talk of 'being talented' in architecture. No such thing. They are only desperately trying to justify their own self worth. To be happy in this field you have to either be an egomaniac or obsessive compulsive. Preferably both.

It also helps being stupid. Not IQ stupid, but everything stupid.

If you are 'passionate' about architecture (whatever that means) you will have that passion challenged on daily basis by stupid bosses who have a masters degree in delegating blame, clients who view you as an unfortunate tax on construction, and engineers who are much smarter than you, and are thus not available for torture after 5pm.

Otherwise you should totally do it.

I have a number of friends (mostly engineers) who kinda-sorta regret not pursuing architecture. Yes they lead much more balanced lives than my arch buddies. They have all kinds of extra time and money to do stuff I can only dream of.

But don't be like them. We need your stupid obsessive compulsive egomaniac ass in our camp! First, cut us a check for a quarter million. You won't need it.


So. How'd I do?

'They are only desperately trying to justify their own self worth.'

I agree on that note the most out of everything you said. :)

p.s. might be forfeiting my acceptance as well.. dont know if i have much patience to hear and be in an isolated design bubble having seen the other side of the world where such abstract mindsets do not comply.

but if u are passionate, go for it!

Re: cranky Rusty from the internet: I'd suppose that you've summed up some of the more pressing issues, which is important!

If I were a lion tamer and were going up against a suspected man-eater, I'd like to know who had been eaten before and why.

It's good that this OP youngin' is getting a dose of what the inherent problems are perceived to be in the industry through the Internet, especially in contrast to the dose of 'idealism' that is about to be received from whatever school that the OP would attend. (Frankly, I think the students should regard these 'ideals' a little more critically, but that's a discussion for another thread.)

In addition to the current economic problems (which I believe will start to abate for architects at about the same time enough of those poorly-built 'boom' buildings start to fall down - economies change, after all), there is a fundamental disconnect between the arty-ness that is drilled into you in school and the managerial quality of the actual profession, so you should be aware of that. But that's not inherently bad; buildings need both inspiration and managerial drudgery, and as an architect you work with both.

Ultimately, though, you will come out of architecture school with a degree that will allow you to stamp drawings and sell yourself as a professional who works with the built environment (*after an internship process and some tests, of course). You will also learn about design, and a general sense of how to incorporate raw design criteria into a synthetically considered whole (if you're lucky and/or pay attention). What you do with that ability is up to you and your own intuition, sense, and will. You could go be an architect in the traditional sense, or you could bend that degree and license to some other purpose while using the knowledge and artistic sensibilities that you would have gained in your education.

If you have 'talent' (whatever that is), you can work around the constrictions of your chosen path (whatever those are).

It's not like the whole rest of your life is plotted out for you once you do this degree. It's not a foregone conclusion that you have to go work for $17k/yr or however much intern architects make now, after you finish your degree (unless you want to, for reasons that may be unrelated to money).

Personally, I'd do it, and see what happened down the road. I don't know your situation, however; there may be other extenuating circumstances, like having to care for ten kids under an already-extant load of crushing debt.

(**Also, note the 'life-balance' issue may be somewhat cultural! Sometimes, I feel like (mostly 'high'-design) architects seem to have a culture of 'suffering for your art', like they are inherently some kind of 19th-century Parisian artiste who has to make the choice between burning your art or freezing to death every night - and, what's more, believes that he should because he is confronting a world that just doesn't understand his genius. Note that this is only one way of practicing architecture, and in my opinion is actually the wrong way of practicing architecture.)

MaximusFestivus : That was inspirational. Golf clap.

"It's not like the whole rest of your life is plotted out for you once you do this degree."

Is it not though? You can go back to school and get a different degree? At least with an engineering degree, if the construction industry chokes on its ow vomit, you can go work on other things that you'll be technically qualified for.

Architectural degree is over-glorified liberal arts diploma. Your bag of objective skills will be pretty slim upon graduation. After a few years of work you'll find it difficult to switch to different type of a design firm (typecasting) let alone a different field.

Gone are days of vertical career mobility that used to exist with most advanced degrees. For everything else there is now a list of certifications. See how architects prevented anyone else from doing architecture? Other professions have kinda done the same. Basic photoshop editing job? There's a degree for that.

If I were the OP, I'd get trained in a skill that a)can't be outsourced, b)has an objective basis in sciences, and c)has actual versatility. Thing are bad right now for many professional endeavors, but in the long runs, things may get a lot shittier.

Also stock up on bullets and toilet paper.

Do it 'cause an angry internet guy told you so.

Look, architecture is not easy. It requires an optimistic and entrepreneurial spirit with a heavy dose of strategy and rationale. To be honest, if you can be truly happy doing anything else then I would probably do it. There are many of us, however, that enjoy the profession and its many challenges and find no joy in other occupations. There is job security in very few professions, and all occupations that require a professional degree (law, medicine, dentistry, etc..) require just as much dedication and financial risk (ok, this is debatable, but Law is definitely as much a risk as arch).

If you are considering entering school for architecture I would recommend that you not spend more than 40-50 thousand on the ENTIRE degree. This will put your payments at about 500 a month for 10+/- years. If you spend more than this you may be putting every other aspect of your life in jeopardy including marriage, kids, owning a home, your freedom, etc... I can't stress this enough. This figure assumes you have NO undergraduate loans. Do not pay full price at Yale, UPenn, GSD unless you are sure that other aspects of your life do not matter.

Basically, be wise with your choices. If you do the numbers, and you can pay all your bills on 40 thousand a year, then go for it!

@Rusty!, I hope you can find happiness. Just let go of all the bitterness!

Thanks overly serious internet guy!

Rusty, I don't know if I ever told you this but you have won me over,even if you are bitter. I have a little Rusty figurine in my medicine cabinet that I stroke everyday for good luck before heading out for the day. Despite all that bitterness, there is much to be learned behind all that wry wit in your posts :) Teach me your ways, Oh Guru :P

@rasa,

Thanks internet stalker!

I also do birthday parties and substantial completion walkthroughs.

Interesting - I've never seen a topic about second-guessing grad school. Given your healthy realization that the profession is among the worst in effort-to-gain ratio, you would be justified in opting out.

In terms of disciplinary knowledge, rusty! the angry internet guy is right that what you learn in an MArch isn't a cross-design degree. Architects pretend they know design of all kinds (print, web, product, landscape, computers), and are generally mediocre / unemployable when they practice this belief.

I'm over $60k deep in loans, with an undergrad degree that is far more useless than an architecture degree. I'm sorry, but there definitely are degrees worth less than a M.Arch, despite what some on here think. I read some of the posts and I really get sick of the bitching. Yeah, if you want to live in a four bedroom house with a big backyard and a new car every 5 years, of course you shouldn't go into architecture. It doesn't need to be stated half as much is it is on these threads. Frankly that is not the environment I grew up in, and naturally that isn't what I want. I was young and reckless with my undergrad and I definitely have regrets, but I also had an amazing five years that has given me perspective that is difficult to come by on your own. There's no point in wallowing in self pity; I'm far from alone and it's manageable.

That being said, going into further debt is indeed something I am not comfortable doing. The schools I have been accepted to are nothing but expensive, and I would be lucky if I only had to double the debt that I have already accrued. It is indeed a heart-wrenching decision, but I promised myself that I would be wiser this time around. I'm not saying no quite yet, but it's probably the wisest thing to do. The hardest part is definitely figuring out what to do from here. I sympathize with everyone else who is in this position.

Oh, I'm also available for all your print, web, product, landscape, computers needs.

3 for 1 on Sundays.

can you guys shorten your responses

or have cliff note versions

my attention span is not very long

thanks for your help

continue on

no can do it, go do it.

We are having a serial discussion here.

oh cereal

well then

i submit

I will never regret my wonderful architectural education - even while I am currently only making use of it as a hobby - but not a day goes by that I don't regret the debt burden it gave me.

In my internet opinionating, I would say: if you love it, and it won't shackle you to years of debt payments, do it! If you love it, and it WILL shackle you to years of debt payments, well then you'll have to think hard about what kind of a life you want for the 50 or so years you'll be living AFTER you get out of school & make that decision for yourself.

If you don't have an attention span to read piles of shit, a Master's degree is not for you.

In re: the engineering degree versus the architecture degree (and whether you learn anything of value, or are pigeonholed),

I've met at least a few engineers who complained that their courses were too theory-based, and so they had difficulty figuring out the practical applications of all the crazy science stuff they learned. It sounded kind of frighteningly familiar, except with physics and math instead of parametricism or whatever.

More 'practical' programs and professions may give you certain technical skills, but it's the application of those skills that continues to elude many people. Architecture (if you do it right) will educate you on the 'what are we trying to do here?' side of things; after enough technical education (usually gained through internships or whatever), you will be in a much better place than someone who only has technical education. (You can get technical education; it's not too tough! Just beware, because as a former co-worker once noted: incompetent people are not aware that they are incompetent. Know your limits.)

If your career goal is to be a sort of well-paid 'black box' where data goes in and designs come out, architecture is probably not for you. (Actually, most professions aren't for you, because those kinds of jobs are very quickly going away!)

In any field, you have to be able to make the connections between your skill set and whatever it is you are applying your skill set towards. A regular run-of-the-mill engineer can learn all about signal processing and then do calculations for someone else until they are made obsolete by a computer program, but a great engineer will figure out how to combine these skills to invent, say, a context-sensitive, volume-controlled voice modulator for your iPhone that makes you sound like Steve Urkel (or whatever whizbang application it is that the kids will all go ape over). They teach you the former in school, but if you really want to do well, you'll go into the latter (or wind up getting the latter done by managing people who are doing the former)*.

Even then, you'd be known as the Steve Urkel-voice guy and be pigeonholed; it happens whenever you develop a specialty. (Business people may sometimes refer to this as 'market segmentation', where the concept is less 'pigeonholed' and more 'specialist'.)

I don't think I'm far along enough in my career yet to really be 'pigeonholed', but I hear tell that the workaround is to assemble all your past experience into a cogent narrative that will explain why you're trying to do whatever it is you'd be applying for, and how those experiences will make you stronger than the other candidates. I'd provide more specific examples, but I can't think of any off the top of my head; however, people do go into facilities management, product sales, consulting, or other jobs that can use the building-knowledge and big-picture skills of an architect. There's a thread somewhere around here that talks about 'parallel' fields for architects.

*(It also seems kind of like there's a parallel in the architect-consultant relationship; the architect figures out what's needed, and the consultant provides the technical backing for what's needed. Good consultants can have a conversation with the architect about what's needed, and good architects can have a conversation with the consultant about technical matters. Somewhere down the line, however, we wound up farming out enough technical knowledge to be on the 'wrong' side of the money distribution equation.)

Also, debt is relative. It'd be absolutely frightening to attend college while living solo in Manhattan and paying full tuition for two or three years at an overpriced Ivy League school, but going to a less-expensive [in-]state school in a town where you can live like a king on near-minimum wage seems like a much more reasonable way to work towards your license, if that's your goal for the near term (which it should be, if you're getting a professional degree, IMO). Sometimes, you can even find aid packages that will cover you, and work summers to lessen your overall debt load (and hopefully gain IDP hours in the process)! Caveat: this is spoken as a person who did not go to an Ivy League school in an expensive city, so those who did may have a different opinion.

MaxipadFetus,

Everything you've said makes sense. I could expand on some of your points, but would be hard pressed to argue against.

At the same time the elephant in the room called 50% unemployment (or whatever) continues to poop on our heads.

Not sure how the recession hit you, but it turned my world upside down, stole all my money, and ran off with my car.

For an angry internet guy, I've handled all of that pretty well. A lesser (shorter) man would have gone nuts. I'm 51% certified sane and look forward to grinding it out until the next great pyramid scheme comes along in 5 years and leaves us all unemployed yet again (let's say 10 years from now).

It's important to discuss our profession in those terms. We know the good and the bad. No need to ignore either. We can talk of hard work and 'talent' and professional growth and 'making the most out of it' and all other individualistic concepts so dear to America, but the truth is we tend to tumble down the stairs collectively.

We have no plan B.

I would love to see the idea of a professional architect disappear. We should all be engineers, or novelists, or woodworkers, or philosophers, or musicians, or poets, or welders who have minored in architecture. Not the other way around. When construction work dries out, we go back to our regular jobs. Kind of like pre-war baseball players.

The current system of 'gimme 110% effort' or piss off isn't even producing terribly interesting results.

But that's a whole different angry internet guy rant.

rusty, that's a beautiful rant there. so cogent and well-articulated!

i was convinced your new exclamation point signaled the finding of some long-misplaced reserve of optimism...is it simply ironic?

Angrusty,

The near-term is pretty scary (much less scary than a few years ago), but I don't know if that will be forever. There are still a lot of unemployed architects out there, but business has the potential to pick up longer-term (or to be made through new and important services, for the entrepreneurial.) I guess it's often a matter of faith when going into a particular field; the good news for those going in is, you're probably coming in at around the lowest point in terms of both employment and morale, so it can only get better.

Unless [or until] it gets worse. If it does worsen in the near term, I doubt there will really be any safe havens anywhere. Long-term...the construction industry is cyclical, so living for the 'low' portion of the cycle becomes important.

I don't think the recession did well for anyone, myself included (maybe financial vampires?) It did give me and a number of people I know some time to reflect on things and maybe study additional stuff that, when the opportunity is made, will be put to good use. I'd essentially agree with being an 'architect plus' (especially when compared with 'traditional' architecture practice), but that's a topic for another discussion (and a potential factor in one's decision whether or not to accept a grad school offer, or for deciding what one would study in grad school).

I would have hired some detectives when I found out that the recession ran off with my wife to South America, but...well, there was a recession, and who could afford it?

MaxministerFicus,

Cyclical nature of architecture is quite extreme. Lots of peaks and valleys. If it were a city, it would have disgustingly hot and humid summers and arctic winters. And winters can last for years. No springs or falls of any kind. And if you decide to leave this awful city, no matter where you go, the best you can do is starting out as a garbage man. Your old city will still ask that you pay half of your income to them.

Good luck with going back to school (if you do that). You sound like you have it figured out. At least your decision will be an informed one. My heart bleeds for the ones who blindly jump into it.

elinor, exclamation in my name means that instead of talking, I am yelling at people these days.

As a side point: I did go back to school for a technical subject. In a way, I suppose I have preemptively taken your advice! However, I consider it an augmentation to architecture, not a replacement.

Oh cool! What subject? It's fine if you are embarrassed to share :)

I'm not sure what an embarrassing technical subject would be, unless it's something like technical theory ;-)

I'm in acoustics, which I get the impression is the funkiest of the engineering professions (in its own way). It's actually fairly interdisciplinary (if you want it to be - sound touches many, many things that we do), and I think it's actually more of a natural fit for architects than one would first think. It's also a much smaller, 'under the radar' discipline than it could be (what young kid says 'I want to be an acoustical engineer!'). It's not a second license for me, but that's fine because the only state that even licenses acoustical engineers is Oregon; I'll settle for 'acoustical architect' if the situation arises, especially since that's probably one of the more accurate descriptions of where I see my career going at this moment.

I could go on (hint: if my posts get too long, just sort of read the first part and then skim the rest in a 'Charlie Brown Adult' voice), but I'd be afraid of totally hijacking the thread!

I will bring it back to the OP's topic, however, by mentioning that your education is only as good as you make it, and having an idea of what it is you want to do in the long run will make grad school less of a two or three year 'phase' in your life and more of an integral part of your career. When I went back, it was for several reasons, but a big part was because I felt that there was something important missing from my architecture education (note: how you feel about your education will be fairly personal to you). If I had been more aware of the process when I went to architecture school, I may have looked for courses of study that would have addressed that lack. On the other hand, now I can do all sorts of crazy things with sound and space together, but I don't know if I would have had that perspective had I not been through the architecture crucible.

@MixmasterFestus - Did you study acoustics at RPI by any chance? I'm not aware of many other schools that offer it as a course of study.

@Bossman: It's a small field, that's for sure. There are only about like three or four schools in the US that have acoustical programs that would do really well for someone with an architecture background, so if I answered that question directly I'd be afraid of violating some kind of internet anonymity protocol!

However, RPI does have a spectacular acoustics program, which is technically under the aegis of their architecture school (which is also good). The other acoustics I'm familiar with are Kansas State and Nebraska (technically 'architectural engineering' programs, but not completely alien to architects), Florida (another architecture-based program), Penn State (pretty heavily on the 'engineering' side) and then a bunch of programs that lean more heavily on the engineering side (Georgia Tech, Texas, etc.). I think there is also an acoustics specialty at VT in the architecture school, but it'd be a relatively small program.

(All good things to know at the start of your education, rather than the end! If you're a more technical person, be aware that there *are* more technically inclined schools out there; the ones in the Northwest also seem to have a strong element of using 'building science' as a basis of design, for example ;-) )

Original poster here. Thanks for the feedback everyone. A few people have suggested using an architecture degree as a doorway into other design related professions. I would love to do interior design but I imagine the interiors field is equally unemployed and even lower paid (do they really make $35,000?).

My undergrad degree is in Fine Arts. In my final meeting with my senior adviser we discussed my future after college and completely straight faced, she suggested I become a waitress. Oh, and of course, to go to grad school for fine arts...yesss....so art school was not my smartest decision in life. I can move on but I am determined to learn from my mistakes.

After graduating, I took drafting classes at my local community college and managed to work the past 3 years for an architect, interior designer, and currently for a solar energy contractor (with unemployment constantly biting at my heels, our work has dried up and I am looking for a new job once again). So I have been preparing for architecture school for 3 years now and really have no Plan B. My loans would be 30-40k and I have some connections in the field from the jobs I've done. At the same time I know what it feels like to make a foolish decision about college and I am determined to not be an idiot. I also don't want to turn into rusty! someday (although I'm sure you are a great person. only passionate people bitch, better to be passionate than apathetic). To go or not to go for architecture? I pretty much change my mind about a dozen times a day and it will ultimately end in a coin toss :)

I looked up careers with the highest job satisfaction. Physical therapy was top on the list. The unemployment rate during the worst time for the profession peaked at 3.2 percent and is currently at less than 1%. They make about the same if not more than architects, can't be outsourced, can work part time, don't sit at computers, and actually help people. Kinda puts things into perspective. I am more than willing to make sacrifices for what I love and I am a master at perseverance but where do you draw the line? And at what point is it just fruitless self torcher?

amburr16: I think most of us forgot what this thread was about.

But yeah. Physical therapy sounds fun! Do stay away from massage therapy though. You'll go crazy in 2 years.

Otherwise, we already decided what you'll be doing. Acoustical engineering. Go do that.

Physical therapy makes quite a bit more than architecture.

Hmm. 30-40k, when I was looking at schools, seemed like peanuts - I could always find plenty of suckers to look to who spent far more - but now that I've been grinding away paying these things for a decade and I still have pretty close to what I started with in debt, well let's just say that I now realize 30-40k is still an awful lot of debt.

I do recommend throwing that in a loan payment calculator and really looking hard & realistically about how long it will take you to pay those off, and how much money you will throw down a hole every month to do it. The money that leaves your pocket to pay down that debt is money that keeps you from: living roommate-free; traveling; saving for a car/house/computer; having a kid; taking a job with a non-profit; taking a job with a fun starchitect that pays beans; moving to a fun cool city; etc. $400-500 monthly payments can seriously restrict the enjoyment of your life. Just a caution b/c I don't think this stuff really hits anyone until that diploma is already in hand.

Deciding your career path based on fear is probably a good way to find a career that you will ultimately not like. Doubly so if it turns out that conditions change, and your fear-guided career path winds up having the bottom taken out of it for some reason in the future.

If you'd wanted to be an architect, and a recession in the mid-1960s hit and you decided to go work in a car factory because the pay was better, you'd be in for a pretty bad series of shocks over the course of your career.

There's no harm in looking, however. If you decide that physical therapy is really interesting, look into that! Averages break down at the individual, however, so a career that is generally satisfying may not wind up being satisfying to you personally; that's a decision that is ultimately yours to make.

I think the original question was: should I pass on graduate school acceptance because you guys say that architecture is horrible? I think the short answer is 'not necessarily, but be aware that it's no picnic, and don't take out crazy loans'.

I have the same questions about architecture as a profession, but in regards to debt, I honestly think 30 to 40k is pretty manageable... You can likely pay down half of that if you make some sacrifices for, say, three years after you graduate... perhaps even more than that. It's definitely not the kind of debt that will fully hinder major decisions like a family. It really just depends on how materially oriented you are.

In my case, I have come to realize how much of a difference a low interest rate can make. I studied in Canada and the majority of my loans are unfortunately all private. But in ways it is actually a blessing in disguise. Because my cosigner had amazing credit, all my interest rates average out to 3.5%. This is something to consider. It's going to save me thousands upon thousands in the long run. I have way over $50k, and my monthly payments are below $500 too.

This all makes me wonder. Even if you get a decent scholarship from Columbia, you're likely going to have to pay well over $100k for a three year degree. Obviously many have the means to pay all or at least some of that cost, but are there a good number of architecture students that come out with that kind of debt? If you've been accepted to a program and are staring at this kind of predicament, bail now.

Here's the details (from here:

Loan Balance: $40,000.00
Adjusted Loan Balance: $40,000.00
Loan Interest Rate: 3.50%
Loan Fees: 0.00%
Loan Term: 15 years
Minimum Payment: $50.00
Enrollment Status: In Repayment
Degree Program: Master's Degree
Total Years in College: 3 years
Average Debt per Year: $13,333.33

Monthly Loan Payment: $285.95
Number of Payments: 180

Cumulative Payments: $51,471.71
Total Interest Paid: $11,471.71
Note: The monthly loan payment was calculated at 179 payments of $285.95 plus a final payment of $286.66.

It is estimated that you will need an annual salary of at least $34,314.00 to be able to afford to repay this loan. This estimate assumes that 10% of your gross monthly income will be devoted to repaying your student loans. This corresponds to a debt-to-income ratio of 1.2. If you use 15% of your gross monthly income to repay the loan, you will need an annual salary of only $22,876.00, but you may experience some financial difficulty.This corresponds to a debt-to-income ratio of 1.7.

Your education debt is very high, greater than 90 percent of students who graduated with the same degree. You may need to use an alternate repayment plan, such as income-based repayment, graduated repayment or extended repayment.

So if you have all fed loans, and can consolidate & lock in at 3.5%, you should be fine on a salary of $34k. You should be able to get that with an M.Arch.

Downsides:
-- you will be paying off your debt for 15 years, so you will be likely unable to secure a home loan for at least 10 years. (My mother and sister worked in the mortgage industry, and they don't take kindly to student loan debt, which cannot be discharged even through bankruptcy.)

-- you will be paying between 10-13% of your net monthly income to your loans for the first few years out of college (until you start making about 50k). If you've ever tried to put 10% from your net income into your savings you know how hard this is. It will likely mean roommates & ramen and no vacations for at least a few years.

There - now you can decide for yourself.

i have a friend who is an occupational therapist and is married to a pt. they make lots of caish and take lots of vacations. a friend of hers is an rn in s.f. makes like 100k working four days a week. if money is the issue its a no brainer to become an r.n. there was a story in the chicago trib a few years back that a cook county r.n. made more money (due to the fact she picked up all kinds of o.t.) than the head of the hospital.

I'm 90% sure I will go teach English in Korea. If I stay for two years, i can probably pay down much of my debt, and maybe revisit grad school options at the age of 27 or 28.

I think this would be the best decision I have made in a long while, though it's still difficult to make... Pretty sure I'd really enjoy it, I have nothing promising state side, and I don't want to have to pay $1,000 a month with an architect's salary. For whatever reason, I still need the support of a random stranger: am I crazy?

The experience might burst your design bubble. speaking from experience, I did Peace Corps esque experience in the developing country context- gained alot of knowledge on the social context and lost alot of interest in architecture. Eventhough I'm quite confused as to whether or not to pursue architecture, I am extremely happy that I did what I wanted to do. However, teaching english in Korea might not be the same so do it if that's what you're desiring right now. Other things can wait.

I was actually wondering what effect it might have on my intentions and interest with applied design. I could see it either inspiring me or leading me astray. I could see wanting to develop a new portfolio inspired entirely by my new surroundings, or forgetting about it entirely. I'm open to where it might take me.

I was looking into the Peace Corps. Im sure I would love it, but unfortunately I need to earn more money. I would really enjoy school too, but I'm just too afraid my life would be hell afterward.

I didn't read much of this responses, just the original....... but Please, please, please find at least one real life respected architect and talk to them, in person, candidly, before taking cranky people from the internets word for it. THEN you can run screaming for the hills.

This advice brought to you by someone who gave up on architecture after what... 2 years of working in an office?

Dear Ms Beary, we would all love to make a living by taking advantage of broken down public school system in the US, but silly things such as integrity are preventing us from making such a jump. :)

I dont know a whole lot about Peace Corps but I think they have partnership programs with universities where the Peace Corps experience is a part of the curriculum. However, not sure if they have architecture universities as partners. Also they might have scholarships etc.

I do agree you should speak to an architect, however, realizing that architects alone might not have the answer you're looking for. The few I spoke to initially said, go out and learn as much as you can doing anything you possibly can do. Field experiences can provide invaluable lessons that structured curriculum might not. You could also work in a firm in another country.

rusty, we are hiring, you want to send me your resume?