I am an MArch student and unfortunately I also suffer from bipolar disorder. I received my diagnosis 2 years ago, but still decided to continue with my architectural education, because I wanted to complete what I had started. In general, I have a very high level of interest in architecture, in both its theoretical and pragmatic dimensions. Prior to my MArch I interned at 3 firms (small, medium, large) and I have a realistic understanding of the work pressure that is associated with architectural practice. However, the case is that due to my illness my ability to manage stress has significantly declined, which is also why I am taking longer to finish my MArch. I am studying in Europe and education here is free, so fortunately I have not taken on significant debt with the MArch.
In the past period, I have been seriously contemplating what kind of role within the architecture sector would best fit someone who can't handle stress as well. I have been discussing some options with people from my network, but I also wanted to start a thread to gather some further opinions.
Of course, I understand that every person has different stressors and this would inform the choice of role. Myself, I am particularly stressed by fast-paced work, tight deadlines or working under a PM who is very pushy or a perfectionist. Finally, I don't derive much stress from the liability aspect of the job as I am highly organized, thorough and careful.
From my former (entry level) experience, I realized that the most stress lies in front-end design. Therefore, I am personally leaning more towards the technical side because I sense that it is a safer choice and also because I am more skilled at it. I am investigating the following options:
1. Technical architect in an architecture firm working on public sector projects, like rail, education, airports. > Ideally, I would prefer a non-production role, because I also want to avoid the pressure associated with delivering drawings to tight deadlines. I would be more interested in a coordination role or in solving technical issues (e.g. detailing / on-site architect). Would that be feasible for a graduate? Also, do these sectors actually involve considerably stress for architects?
2. Technical expert role in an engineering firm (specializing in facade engineering, energy modelling, sustainability consulting). > My university has connections to various large engineering firms that offer these services. These specialisms can also be found within some architecture firms, but I am wondering if working at an engineering company instead of an architecture one could further reduce the exposure to stress? Perhaps due to profit margins, fees, company / industry culture?
3. Academic role, after completing PhD (possible research areas: facade engineering, environmental sustainability). > Potentially good option because I have high academic ability, strong interest in the above research areas, and my university has relevant research agendas, however uncertain if the PhD would lead to a permanent teaching / research position. In other words, is there life after PhD?
4. Role within R&D (Research & Design) department of an architecture, engineering, or construction firm. > Interesting option, however very limited positions available in architecture and generally within very niche firms. More commonly found within engineering companies, however I am also curious regarding the stress exposure, as the research would have to be performed to a tighter budget / schedule compared to a university environment. Could anyone give insight into this option?
This is an interesting and important topic, written up well. I wish I had more time to think and respond at length. Off the top, it seems that deadline pressures are key here. I struggle with this kind of stress myself. Many do, but some handle it better than others.
Architectural practice, you're correct, is probably too intense for you. But the great thing about architecture-- that you nicely lay out-- is that it's the object of so many fascinating satellite pursuits and careers.
An academic or entrepreneurial path, where you can be (somewhat) your own boss, might serve you well. Of course, pressures to perform in a timely way show up there as well-- but the day-to-day can be more under your personal control.
All this is why I continue to buy a lottery ticket when the jackpot goes north of a hundred mil. :O]
Continuing to work on your own mental health is critical in all this, regardless of the direction you pursue. Best of luck!
You will likely never find anything that avoids the stressful pacing, as that is usually at the project level and everyone gets to participate...sad reality.
On a more helpful note, if you are more interested in the technical side, next place you work at offer to write the specs and get good at it. Trust me, someone will pass that buck to you gladly. It's the "bland" part of the design work that no one seems to like to do and frankly, no one seemed to be very good at in my experience. It's actually pretty interesting, though and you'll learn a TON.
In fact, some sections of the specs you can probably just specialize in as an independent consultant or be a material rep at a company if you get enough exposure. I've worked on projects where our "door hardware guy" was a lifesaver, for example.
This is what I came here to comment. Spec writing has it's own challenges, and requires a special kind of person, but ultimately the pressures are quite different than much of the rest of the profession.
Apr 25, 22 12:42 pm ·
·
archanonymous
Great suggestion OP. It is also VERY IMPORTANT to the final design outcome.
Rather than accept your disorder as type of hopeless terminal illness, and limit yourself because of it, I’d suggest that you first do everything possible to overcome the disorder. Removing yourself from the stimuli that triggers anxiety is not going to help overall. You need to face the stress head on and become desensitized to it. Do that while of course working with a professional that will support you. This doesn’t mean that you should not find a healthy environment to work in. There is normal stress in a healthy environment, and then there is unnecessary stress that is in a shitty work environment. Find the good work environments, and manage your mental health while facing the world head on…my 2-cents as a person who’s had their own bouts with depression and anxiety, and comes from a family with severe mental illnesses. The ones I know who hide from the world, or accept limitations end up worse.
Respectfully, the process you describe isn't a successful 'treatment' for bipolar disorder. A person will not become 'desensitized' to stress will not reduce or stop a bipolar episode from occurring. It may, and I stress may marginally reduce the severity of an episode.
Oct 4, 22 1:23 pm ·
·
x-jla
The op should ask their doctor. Many psychologists will discourage hiding from stressors as an effective strategy.
I understand that you're trying to be helpful. Unfortunately the second part of your comment makes too many assumptions without any actual knowledge to be helpful.
I'd suggest we not try and 'treat' the OP but provide advice about career paths like they asked.
This profession is inherently stressful and hard to avoid in any job environment in the AEC industry. Your mental health and quality of life is important and if that means leaving the profession at some point, then it must be done. Parlay this into a career of a code examiner, building inspector, govt worker in some capacity. Or learn to code.
Question: Can you compartmentalize a deadline and/or overall project schedule from what you may be responsible for? You're basically describing limitations (that you may grow out of) that will severely hamper your promotion to project architect and project manager.
However, that may be just fine. As long as you're prepared, trained, and experienced with what you're assigned, there are plenty of architectural roles and firms that require you to be the "exterior/envelope details" guy or "parking deck" guy or etc. You will be assigned/bounced from job to job as needed. The deadlines still exist, but if you become good at what you do and you find a firm that actually has good project managers, those deadlines won't effect you. In the best case of scenarios/firms there will still be jobs that run tight, go over budget, or otherwise cause stresses and you may be assigned to a job that feels like they should have tasked you with the details 3 weeks ago. Compartmentalization and social assertiveness (draw your boundaries and make them known) should allow you to handle this. You'll be able to say with a straight face that you performed faster than most given the same sheets to complete and provided documentation to the best of your ability. If the project is still behind, that's their problem. If they try to make it your problem, switch firms.
Big picture, you won't go far with this mentality forever, but you'll make a living, and if you ever feel capable enough and ready to handle more responsibility, you can revisit this concept... though that would most likely require a job change as the existing job would have gotten used to you being the "detail" guy.
pestjo - there's a lot to unpack in your post. if you want to dm me, feel free. i'm not qualified to talk about your illness so will treat your post as a request to look for less stressful modes of practicing.
personally, i would tend to avoid most traditional practices, most owner-side jobs, project management (which they may not have in europe like we do here). all of those are going to be challenges because they have deadlines, consequences, and high levels of responsibility. firms (like mine) that specialize in institutional clients certainly can't escape all sorts of stress and project drama. anything with a budget and a schedule... stress, stress, stress.
ideally, yes, if you were financially independent, you'd have a wide wonderful world of options to choose from, ranging from being a artist/architect (think hejduk, leon krier, archigram, early OMA, etc) to being someone who just build houses for fun.
however... back in reality... of the options you presented, academia might be the best, at least if you go in not worrying about getting tenure, etc. the people i taught with who were the least stressed are the ones who ran research oriented units.
longer term, something you can develop on your own and operate at your own pace - that generates enough revenue to be your full time source of income - would seem like a great option. maybe it's a technical driven resource like building science fight club ... there will be demands and stresses but you'd have more control over them i think.
Oct 2, 22 9:26 pm ·
·
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Options for architecture graduate with a mental health disability
Hello forum members,
I am an MArch student and unfortunately I also suffer from bipolar disorder. I received my diagnosis 2 years ago, but still decided to continue with my architectural education, because I wanted to complete what I had started. In general, I have a very high level of interest in architecture, in both its theoretical and pragmatic dimensions. Prior to my MArch I interned at 3 firms (small, medium, large) and I have a realistic understanding of the work pressure that is associated with architectural practice. However, the case is that due to my illness my ability to manage stress has significantly declined, which is also why I am taking longer to finish my MArch. I am studying in Europe and education here is free, so fortunately I have not taken on significant debt with the MArch.
In the past period, I have been seriously contemplating what kind of role within the architecture sector would best fit someone who can't handle stress as well. I have been discussing some options with people from my network, but I also wanted to start a thread to gather some further opinions.
Of course, I understand that every person has different stressors and
this would inform the choice of role. Myself, I am particularly stressed by fast-paced work, tight deadlines or working under a PM who is very pushy or a perfectionist. Finally, I don't derive much stress from the liability aspect of the job as I am highly organized, thorough and careful.
From my former (entry level) experience, I realized that the most stress lies in front-end design. Therefore, I am personally leaning more towards the technical side because I sense that it is a safer choice and also because I am more skilled at it. I am investigating the following options:
1. Technical architect in an architecture firm working on public sector projects, like rail, education, airports.
> Ideally, I would prefer a non-production role, because I also want to avoid the pressure associated with delivering drawings to tight deadlines. I would be more interested in a coordination role or in solving technical issues (e.g. detailing / on-site architect). Would that be feasible for a graduate? Also, do these sectors actually involve considerably stress for architects?
2. Technical expert role in an engineering firm (specializing in facade engineering, energy modelling, sustainability consulting).
> My university has connections to various large engineering firms that offer these services. These specialisms can also be found within some architecture firms, but I am wondering if working at an engineering company instead of an architecture one could further reduce the exposure to stress? Perhaps due to profit margins, fees, company / industry culture?
3. Academic role, after completing PhD (possible research areas: facade engineering, environmental sustainability).
> Potentially good option because I have high academic ability, strong interest in the above research areas, and my university has relevant research agendas, however uncertain if the PhD would lead to a permanent teaching / research position. In other words, is there life after PhD?
4. Role within R&D (Research & Design) department of an architecture, engineering, or construction firm.
> Interesting option, however very limited positions available in architecture and generally within very niche firms. More commonly found within engineering companies, however I am also curious regarding the stress exposure, as the research would have to be performed to a tighter budget / schedule compared to a university environment. Could anyone give insight into this option?
Thank you in advance for your time!
This is an interesting and important topic, written up well. I wish I had more time to think and respond at length. Off the top, it seems that deadline pressures are key here. I struggle with this kind of stress myself. Many do, but some handle it better than others.
Architectural practice, you're correct, is probably too intense for you. But the great thing about architecture-- that you nicely lay out-- is that it's the object of so many fascinating satellite pursuits and careers.
An academic or entrepreneurial path, where you can be (somewhat) your own boss, might serve you well. Of course, pressures to perform in a timely way show up there as well-- but the day-to-day can be more under your personal control.
All this is why I continue to buy a lottery ticket when the jackpot goes north of a hundred mil. :O]
Continuing to work on your own mental health is critical in all this, regardless of the direction you pursue. Best of luck!
You will likely never find anything that avoids the stressful pacing, as that is usually at the project level and everyone gets to participate...sad reality.
On a more helpful note, if you are more interested in the technical side, next place you work at offer to write the specs and get good at it. Trust me, someone will pass that buck to you gladly. It's the "bland" part of the design work that no one seems to like to do and frankly, no one seemed to be very good at in my experience. It's actually pretty interesting, though and you'll learn a TON.
In fact, some sections of the specs you can probably just specialize in as an independent consultant or be a material rep at a company if you get enough exposure. I've worked on projects where our "door hardware guy" was a lifesaver, for example.
This is a great suggestion.
Totally agree.
This is what I came here to comment. Spec writing has it's own challenges, and requires a special kind of person, but ultimately the pressures are quite different than much of the rest of the profession.
Great suggestion OP. It is also VERY IMPORTANT to the final design outcome.
have you considered landscape architecture?
I think #2 is the best of the options you list. Most engineering firms are pretty chill and don't work overtime or in super high pressure situations.
I suggest you find an architecture path through public firms or institutions or non architectural firms that need architects. example:
work for building departments / authorities having jurisdiction
work for school authority, housing authority, or any city agency
work for a company that needs architects inhouse for their facilities
architecture + engineering = stress will commensurate with experience
Another great suggestion for OP. Have you watched Parks and Recreation? Be Mark Brandanowicz.
Rather than accept your disorder as type of hopeless terminal illness, and limit yourself because of it, I’d suggest that you first do everything possible to overcome the disorder. Removing yourself from the stimuli that triggers anxiety is not going to help overall. You need to face the stress head on and become desensitized to it. Do that while of course working with a professional that will support you. This doesn’t mean that you should not find a healthy environment to work in. There is normal stress in a healthy environment, and then there is unnecessary stress that is in a shitty work environment. Find the good work environments, and manage your mental health while facing the world head on…my 2-cents as a person who’s had their own bouts with depression and anxiety, and comes from a family with severe mental illnesses. The ones I know who hide from the world, or accept limitations end up worse.
Respectfully, the process you describe isn't a successful 'treatment' for bipolar disorder. A person will not become 'desensitized' to stress will not reduce or stop a bipolar episode from occurring. It may, and I stress may marginally reduce the severity of an episode.
The op should ask their doctor. Many psychologists will discourage hiding from stressors as an effective strategy.
The first part of your comment is correct.
I understand that you're trying to be helpful. Unfortunately the second part of your comment makes too many assumptions without any actual knowledge to be helpful.
I'd suggest we not try and 'treat' the OP but provide advice about career paths like they asked.
This profession is inherently stressful and hard to avoid in any job environment in the AEC industry. Your mental health and quality of life is important and if that means leaving the profession at some point, then it must be done. Parlay this into a career of a code examiner, building inspector, govt worker in some capacity. Or learn to code.
Question: Can you compartmentalize a deadline and/or overall project schedule from what you may be responsible for? You're basically describing limitations (that you may grow out of) that will severely hamper your promotion to project architect and project manager.
However, that may be just fine. As long as you're prepared, trained, and experienced with what you're assigned, there are plenty of architectural roles and firms that require you to be the "exterior/envelope details" guy or "parking deck" guy or etc. You will be assigned/bounced from job to job as needed. The deadlines still exist, but if you become good at what you do and you find a firm that actually has good project managers, those deadlines won't effect you. In the best case of scenarios/firms there will still be jobs that run tight, go over budget, or otherwise cause stresses and you may be assigned to a job that feels like they should have tasked you with the details 3 weeks ago. Compartmentalization and social assertiveness (draw your boundaries and make them known) should allow you to handle this. You'll be able to say with a straight face that you performed faster than most given the same sheets to complete and provided documentation to the best of your ability. If the project is still behind, that's their problem. If they try to make it your problem, switch firms.
Big picture, you won't go far with this mentality forever, but you'll make a living, and if you ever feel capable enough and ready to handle more responsibility, you can revisit this concept... though that would most likely require a job change as the existing job would have gotten used to you being the "detail" guy.
pestjo - there's a lot to unpack in your post. if you want to dm me, feel free. i'm not qualified to talk about your illness so will treat your post as a request to look for less stressful modes of practicing.
personally, i would tend to avoid most traditional practices, most owner-side jobs, project management (which they may not have in europe like we do here). all of those are going to be challenges because they have deadlines, consequences, and high levels of responsibility. firms (like mine) that specialize in institutional clients certainly can't escape all sorts of stress and project drama. anything with a budget and a schedule... stress, stress, stress.
ideally, yes, if you were financially independent, you'd have a wide wonderful world of options to choose from, ranging from being a artist/architect (think hejduk, leon krier, archigram, early OMA, etc) to being someone who just build houses for fun.
however... back in reality... of the options you presented, academia might be the best, at least if you go in not worrying about getting tenure, etc. the people i taught with who were the least stressed are the ones who ran research oriented units.
longer term, something you can develop on your own and operate at your own pace - that generates enough revenue to be your full time source of income - would seem like a great option. maybe it's a technical driven resource like building science fight club ... there will be demands and stresses but you'd have more control over them i think.
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