Hi everyone,

I am 25 y/o international in London who has an MA degree in Interior Architecture and BA in Interior and Furniture Design. For the past couple of years as I have been maturing and perceiving space around me and realized that I want to become an architect, as I believe I am passionate about inventing structures and building and giving the space more social and cultural context. 

Considering that I cannot afford to stay here and study 3 years and pay international fees, I have searched for different pathways for becoming an architect. There is RIBA studio at Oxford Brookes and part-time studies at a few other universities, such as the Cass at London Met. They both take longer than 4 years to finish, by which time I will be around 30. Therefore my question is next: is that too late to become an architectural assistant, providing I will continue working in the field of interiors during that time. Would that count as some relevant experience, it is not like I would be switching from Drama to Architecture. I am, of course, aware that responsibilities of an architect and designer are different and require different things.

And just to put out a few facts. I had to escape my country due to living conditions, therefore at the time I had to pick my masters as I could only pay for one year of studying, I had to enroll at Interior Architecture ,despite wanting to pursue BArch, because paying for 3 years and not being able to work part time here was not an option. So leaving London is not possible, nor is quitting work.

Also, the reason that I want to make this change is my overall experience in this field. During most of my free time while I was studying, I spent a great deal attending arch. workshops, hanging out with architects and learning about urban design etc. Besides I find that my knowledge of designing furniture would be a great foundation for architecture studies, as its principles are stability, form and function. I am good at model making, proficient in CAD, 3ds Max, Adobe Suit, Sketch-Up and want to learn Revit as well. 

Would extremely appreciate both professional and friendly advice, and would like to avoid being judged for wanting to be an architect or for mastering something that was not my ultimate goal. Growing up in a developing country I never thought of becoming an architect, as building industry did not exist there.