...i d'like 2 ask all architects in the forum... how does it sound?
i'm a 26 year old physician doing my internship in orthopaedical surgery earning about 3500 a month... have already worked 4 a year, feel like working as a doctor is a prison 4 my creativity, have always wanted 2 study architecture, drawn, read books, made trips, hanged out with arch students, have archs as friends and am planning to resign and start all over as an undergrad student in architecture... am ready 2 stand up 2 my decision also! my parents think i ve lost it, many of my friends also... i just kinda think 4 some reason, that arch is exactly what i was meant 2 do... working my butt out 2 get some project done, find int'restig people 2 team up with and.... take my chances ;-b
With only 2 total entries, this smells a lot like a member creating a new ID and trolling for attention. But I'll bite...
People will definately give you various versions of the old "follow your heart" bullshit. IF thats what you wanted to hear, by all means allow it to validate your forthcoming actions.
I've had friends who have done just what you are talking about and basically lost 6-7 years from the prime of their lives... with nothing to show for it but an "I had the courage to follow my heart" speech.
Unless you're loaded (and I mean loaded) with talent and skills (and I know you are not loaded with skills at this point), this is a recipe for disaster. Life is bigger than your profession, and having the financial and time resources to enjoy your life is something that you would more likely than not be giving up FOR A LONG WHILE (like, say, 15-25 years) should you go down this road.
Do Career Disco at Harvard and then see how you feel about it. But proceed with EXTREEM caution. A very talented guy joined our first year class at Harvard after working for 5-6 years as an attorney. He worked really hard. He did pretty well. His partner dumped him. He went into debt. He had no time for family and friends. He had no $$ to travel. He quit the GSD. He went back to being a lawyer. He was the first person from our "class" to actually design and build something.
Stick with the docter thing. Make architecture your full time hobby. This is the right thing to do... but thats just my 2 cents.
ok....
1. thanx for the response... was right 2 the point
2. not trolling 4 attention.... believe me, i'm gettin all the kind of attention athis point from family and friends
3. it's not a follow my heart thing only... i have agreat sense for aesthetics, i love creating-drawing-designing... the skills of course i lack at the time... i think it's more like being loaded with will 2 get involved with the damn thing
4. dluv 2 do carrer discussion at Harvard but at the time resigning my job in Germany while my family lives in greece(im grteek) and visitin harvard just saying hi is not exactly a possibility.... have applied 4 Cooper though
5. hobby sounds like sthg u want to do but dont have the guts 2.... how could i better make a statement... im a performer...
say i wanted 2 be a singer, ok? i find concerts great, but i wanna have the chance to stand up there!
6. dou have the email adress of this guy? dluv 2 hear his 2c
you could first try your hand at some fancy bloby gypsum casts
but, if you still want to change, you are in for huge expectations and big dissapointments.
architecture is not one bit more romantic than orthopaedic surgery.
i think there was a post a few days back about this same topic. someone said to stick with the doctor thing and become a patron of the arts, make the money to spend on creating great works of architecture. design your own house, you dont need a degree for that. create awareness through donations, built works, and things of that nature... you will probably, strike that, definitely make a bigger and more positive aspect on the design community that way.
where are you planning on living? as you can read from many posts on this web, the architecture in america is infinitely frustrating and depressing, but in my opinion much more interesting in Europe and elsewhere (though the job market may be worse - apparently it's tough in germany at the moment for architects).
but i would also say go through with it, become a doctor, work for a few years past your residency, and then see if you still want to trade a respectable profession making good money for a largely underappreciated one making much less money... it doesn't make sense to give up at this point to do something else that requires many years of training and exams for licensure, unless you have a nervous break-down...
just my opinion
also, my father is a surgeon - it is an art and requires quite a bit of manual skill as well as creativity to do it well. don't limit your imagination to what is considered creative. and I don't think a keeping architecture as a hobby is coping out - it just means you aren't pursuing formal education.
i get where ur gettin at R.A. but ive already decided 2 times to not stop with med school and pursue a carrer in arch and yet i still find me in the same unhappy situation,,,
and that's right what u say... surgery requires skill and creativity... has although not 2 do with aesthetics except if we r talkin plastic surgery... and gettin in the business with vain ladies and gents was never my thing...
the last one is no kind of an argument in my eyes... u mean the difference between arch as a hobby and as a practice is a formal education... don't think so... at least in my eyes
i m kind of gettin only pessimistic vibes here :-(... lol
bananas,
i admire your willingness to start from zero, and your passion for architecture.
i would suggest you don't make rash decisions right away (you are still really young in architect years), take some time, take architecture and art classes (a lot of drawing and painting) at night school, see if you can find a small firm to help out at on the weekends (even for free) to get a feel for what the actualities of the profession are. and finish up your internship/residency in orthopedics, if you have this much passion for architecture i'm sure you would make a fine doctor. if at the end of your residency you still want to go into architecture, do it full time, and practice orthopedics part time. the biggest problem with architects is that's all we can do, we have nothing to fall back on or take a sabatical to....options are good.
whatever you decide, good luck.
Become a doctor, finish what you started. You obviously had some strong convictions about it or you wouldn't have made it this far. Look back to what those were.
Money isn't everything, but there's nothing more frustrating than not being able to use your creativity because of it, i.e. lack of building budget, bad client, etc., etc. Making what you make in a week in a normal month, you'd go crazy and regret not at least having the Dr. to fall back on.
I am one of those few that have decided to try a different path because I don't want to regret not using my creativity. Architecture, in a traditional career, would not have provided those opportunities and would have made me more cynical than I already am.
So finish up, make some cash, then decide. It's never too late, but it's always better to finish what you started, then move on.
I have always heard repeated throughout the years, that Architecture is best practiced as a hobby. When your finacial security is not dependent on it. Become a Doctor. Then when the frustrasions of a medical practice, start to get the better of you. Your passion for architecture and design will be there as your release.Then you can use your talents and interests in architecture to0 design your Medical office, Your dream home, or your best friends vacation cabin. Plus, theres a good chance you'll have the financial resources to actualy build it.When your practice takes off and you need an investment for your profits. You can invest in realestate. Develope a small townhouse project, or moffice building. You'll be surprised how much, controling the finaces of a project will allow you far more opportunity to express your design ideas.
Here's what I'm doing... I'm in arhitecture school, and dating a med school student. That way, I can do what I want to do, and still rake in that sweet doctor moolah.
hey shanec all you need is a wire coat hanger and then its miles of smiles
Jan 29, 05 6:56 pm ·
·
vado retro, through his misspellings, is right. you can have a lot of creative influence (probably even MORE for the first decade or so) without nearly the time and monetary sacrifice of being an architect if you get involved in development...
you don't have to deal with the bullshit, but you write the checks, so you can have a fair say in the design. this is especially true if you do non-structural work, ie warehouse loft renovations. most of it is interior design, and doesn't even require an architect's seal.
people in my family are developers, and they fancy themselves as designers. they draw up the plans in '3d home architect' or some nonsense, give them to a low-cost architect who redraws them/touches them up, and then they go build. they frustrate the hell out of me, since they think that architecture is nothing more than floorplans, (and the work shows it), and since they've built and i haven't, they have no respect for what i've learned as a formally trained architect. BUT, they have the opportunity to do great things, if only they had a little more talent/training as a designer. the situation with most designers is that they have the talent/training, but not the opportunity.
anyway, if you actually are passionate about architecture, you are a doctor with good income and rich friends, i'd say to get into development and try and make yourself the best designer/developer you can. if you have time, take classes, but don't go for a whole new degree, especially a bachelors. a friend of mine did that and it took 9 years.
Jan 30, 05 10:03 am ·
·
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turning point
...i d'like 2 ask all architects in the forum... how does it sound?
i'm a 26 year old physician doing my internship in orthopaedical surgery earning about 3500 a month... have already worked 4 a year, feel like working as a doctor is a prison 4 my creativity, have always wanted 2 study architecture, drawn, read books, made trips, hanged out with arch students, have archs as friends and am planning to resign and start all over as an undergrad student in architecture... am ready 2 stand up 2 my decision also! my parents think i ve lost it, many of my friends also... i just kinda think 4 some reason, that arch is exactly what i was meant 2 do... working my butt out 2 get some project done, find int'restig people 2 team up with and.... take my chances ;-b
With only 2 total entries, this smells a lot like a member creating a new ID and trolling for attention. But I'll bite...
People will definately give you various versions of the old "follow your heart" bullshit. IF thats what you wanted to hear, by all means allow it to validate your forthcoming actions.
I've had friends who have done just what you are talking about and basically lost 6-7 years from the prime of their lives... with nothing to show for it but an "I had the courage to follow my heart" speech.
Unless you're loaded (and I mean loaded) with talent and skills (and I know you are not loaded with skills at this point), this is a recipe for disaster. Life is bigger than your profession, and having the financial and time resources to enjoy your life is something that you would more likely than not be giving up FOR A LONG WHILE (like, say, 15-25 years) should you go down this road.
Do Career Disco at Harvard and then see how you feel about it. But proceed with EXTREEM caution. A very talented guy joined our first year class at Harvard after working for 5-6 years as an attorney. He worked really hard. He did pretty well. His partner dumped him. He went into debt. He had no time for family and friends. He had no $$ to travel. He quit the GSD. He went back to being a lawyer. He was the first person from our "class" to actually design and build something.
Stick with the docter thing. Make architecture your full time hobby. This is the right thing to do... but thats just my 2 cents.
ok....
1. thanx for the response... was right 2 the point
2. not trolling 4 attention.... believe me, i'm gettin all the kind of attention athis point from family and friends
3. it's not a follow my heart thing only... i have agreat sense for aesthetics, i love creating-drawing-designing... the skills of course i lack at the time... i think it's more like being loaded with will 2 get involved with the damn thing
4. dluv 2 do carrer discussion at Harvard but at the time resigning my job in Germany while my family lives in greece(im grteek) and visitin harvard just saying hi is not exactly a possibility.... have applied 4 Cooper though
5. hobby sounds like sthg u want to do but dont have the guts 2.... how could i better make a statement... im a performer...
say i wanted 2 be a singer, ok? i find concerts great, but i wanna have the chance to stand up there!
6. dou have the email adress of this guy? dluv 2 hear his 2c
7. happy with Harvard? do u do under or graduate?
you could first try your hand at some fancy bloby gypsum casts
but, if you still want to change, you are in for huge expectations and big dissapointments.
architecture is not one bit more romantic than orthopaedic surgery.
i think there was a post a few days back about this same topic. someone said to stick with the doctor thing and become a patron of the arts, make the money to spend on creating great works of architecture. design your own house, you dont need a degree for that. create awareness through donations, built works, and things of that nature... you will probably, strike that, definitely make a bigger and more positive aspect on the design community that way.
impact not aspect, dumbass
the romance thing was harsh ckl... but i suppose it is actually so...
what's a fancy bloby gypsum cast?
where are you planning on living? as you can read from many posts on this web, the architecture in america is infinitely frustrating and depressing, but in my opinion much more interesting in Europe and elsewhere (though the job market may be worse - apparently it's tough in germany at the moment for architects).
but i would also say go through with it, become a doctor, work for a few years past your residency, and then see if you still want to trade a respectable profession making good money for a largely underappreciated one making much less money... it doesn't make sense to give up at this point to do something else that requires many years of training and exams for licensure, unless you have a nervous break-down...
just my opinion
also, my father is a surgeon - it is an art and requires quite a bit of manual skill as well as creativity to do it well. don't limit your imagination to what is considered creative. and I don't think a keeping architecture as a hobby is coping out - it just means you aren't pursuing formal education.
we are not saving babies here with architecture as someone put it to me. you, on the other hand, might.
that's what i mean by romance
i get where ur gettin at R.A. but ive already decided 2 times to not stop with med school and pursue a carrer in arch and yet i still find me in the same unhappy situation,,,
and that's right what u say... surgery requires skill and creativity... has although not 2 do with aesthetics except if we r talkin plastic surgery... and gettin in the business with vain ladies and gents was never my thing...
the last one is no kind of an argument in my eyes... u mean the difference between arch as a hobby and as a practice is a formal education... don't think so... at least in my eyes
i m kind of gettin only pessimistic vibes here :-(... lol
bananas,
i admire your willingness to start from zero, and your passion for architecture.
i would suggest you don't make rash decisions right away (you are still really young in architect years), take some time, take architecture and art classes (a lot of drawing and painting) at night school, see if you can find a small firm to help out at on the weekends (even for free) to get a feel for what the actualities of the profession are. and finish up your internship/residency in orthopedics, if you have this much passion for architecture i'm sure you would make a fine doctor. if at the end of your residency you still want to go into architecture, do it full time, and practice orthopedics part time. the biggest problem with architects is that's all we can do, we have nothing to fall back on or take a sabatical to....options are good.
whatever you decide, good luck.
hey gonebananas, can you type 'to' instead of '2'??? please please
Become a doctor, finish what you started. You obviously had some strong convictions about it or you wouldn't have made it this far. Look back to what those were.
Money isn't everything, but there's nothing more frustrating than not being able to use your creativity because of it, i.e. lack of building budget, bad client, etc., etc. Making what you make in a week in a normal month, you'd go crazy and regret not at least having the Dr. to fall back on.
I am one of those few that have decided to try a different path because I don't want to regret not using my creativity. Architecture, in a traditional career, would not have provided those opportunities and would have made me more cynical than I already am.
So finish up, make some cash, then decide. It's never too late, but it's always better to finish what you started, then move on.
I have always heard repeated throughout the years, that Architecture is best practiced as a hobby. When your finacial security is not dependent on it. Become a Doctor. Then when the frustrasions of a medical practice, start to get the better of you. Your passion for architecture and design will be there as your release.Then you can use your talents and interests in architecture to0 design your Medical office, Your dream home, or your best friends vacation cabin. Plus, theres a good chance you'll have the financial resources to actualy build it.When your practice takes off and you need an investment for your profits. You can invest in realestate. Develope a small townhouse project, or moffice building. You'll be surprised how much, controling the finaces of a project will allow you far more opportunity to express your design ideas.
Here's what I'm doing... I'm in arhitecture school, and dating a med school student. That way, I can do what I want to do, and still rake in that sweet doctor moolah.
become a doctor get some caish design and develop yer own projects. plenty of architects would be glad to stamp yer drawings
strangely enough i am an architect or soon will be, and i want to be an orthpaedic surgeon.
Specialize in brain surgery and then lobotomize the "architectural desire" part of your brain... problem solved =)!
hey shanec all you need is a wire coat hanger and then its miles of smiles
vado retro, through his misspellings, is right. you can have a lot of creative influence (probably even MORE for the first decade or so) without nearly the time and monetary sacrifice of being an architect if you get involved in development...
you don't have to deal with the bullshit, but you write the checks, so you can have a fair say in the design. this is especially true if you do non-structural work, ie warehouse loft renovations. most of it is interior design, and doesn't even require an architect's seal.
people in my family are developers, and they fancy themselves as designers. they draw up the plans in '3d home architect' or some nonsense, give them to a low-cost architect who redraws them/touches them up, and then they go build. they frustrate the hell out of me, since they think that architecture is nothing more than floorplans, (and the work shows it), and since they've built and i haven't, they have no respect for what i've learned as a formally trained architect. BUT, they have the opportunity to do great things, if only they had a little more talent/training as a designer. the situation with most designers is that they have the talent/training, but not the opportunity.
anyway, if you actually are passionate about architecture, you are a doctor with good income and rich friends, i'd say to get into development and try and make yourself the best designer/developer you can. if you have time, take classes, but don't go for a whole new degree, especially a bachelors. a friend of mine did that and it took 9 years.
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