I am a returning student - or about to be I should say. When I set out on the path to return to school, I was bullish about career opportunities and enjoying the work. As I approach this commitment, I've asked myself if I'm prepared at this point in my life to handle the demands and stress of this profession while maintaining focus on the other things I care about. I want to keep space in my life to start a family, enjoy my friends, exercise and live well. Architecture is riddled with war stories of 60+ hour work weeks and a near hermetic social life.
How do you balance your work life and the other, and I would say, more important priorities in life? Are you able to? How have the demands of architecture impacted the rest of your life?
i am posting on an architecture site while watching my kids as me wife tries some wine and the headlining Blues band gets rolling. the waterfront looks like Florida, but its New Jersey. like curt says when its your life - what balance? i am cycling through all my unfinished jobs thinking about how to get them done....if the 60 hrs are for yourself who cares. and 60 hrs could be for yourself working under a great architect or mentor.
I think the horror stories are disproportionately told because,
1) the venting helps people deal with it, and 2) some like the backhanded self-compliment as a badge of honour.
When you leave the academic world and enter professional life, you will likely have a very good idea of the work culture at the office you're interviewing in, and how they view the wellbeing of their employees. Its up to you whether or not to take those jobs - base your work decisions on a variety of criteria to make sure its right for you. I haven't found those hell positions to be the norm at all.
I clock around 45-50hr weeks consistently, but I scored my dream job at my top choice firm in the city I wanted to be in. It never feels like a drag, and I love it; its a matter of knowing what you want, which will be specific to you.
Jun 19, 16 9:25 am ·
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Work-Life Balance
How do you balance your work life and the other, and I would say, more important priorities in life? Are you able to? How have the demands of architecture impacted the rest of your life?
It's easy to balance work/life when work is your life!
Seriously though, I don't think it's so bad at most places.
i am posting on an architecture site while watching my kids as me wife tries some wine and the headlining Blues band gets rolling. the waterfront looks like Florida, but its New Jersey. like curt says when its your life - what balance? i am cycling through all my unfinished jobs thinking about how to get them done....if the 60 hrs are for yourself who cares. and 60 hrs could be for yourself working under a great architect or mentor.
I think the horror stories are disproportionately told because,
1) the venting helps people deal with it, and
2) some like the backhanded self-compliment as a badge of honour.
When you leave the academic world and enter professional life, you will likely have a very good idea of the work culture at the office you're interviewing in, and how they view the wellbeing of their employees. Its up to you whether or not to take those jobs - base your work decisions on a variety of criteria to make sure its right for you. I haven't found those hell positions to be the norm at all.
I clock around 45-50hr weeks consistently, but I scored my dream job at my top choice firm in the city I wanted to be in. It never feels like a drag, and I love it; its a matter of knowing what you want, which will be specific to you.
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