Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
University of Southern California (USC)
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Kansas State University
Looking for a change
Hey! Just want some feedback, I’m looking to switch majors. I’ve been an architecture major all of my college career. Half way through my architecture 4 class i decided it wasn’t for me and I’m looking to switch to a major i can graduate from, relatively quickly, with the current credits i have. I currently have a little over 100 credits.
I’ve been passionate about becoming an architect since i took an art class my freshman year of highschool (I’m 25 now). I’ve had a lot of struggles since i started my path to becoming an architect as I’m sure we all have. I started at LSU and after about a year i had to move to Florida and attend UCF. The transition was incredibly difficult, the architecture department at UCF is a nightmare compared to LSU and to make matters worse, Covid happened shortly after i had moved. I had been very stressed with school, i was overwhelmed with the thought of pin up, along with many other things. Long story short, about a month into my architecture 4 class i decided to withdraw and now i just want to graduate with a bachelor. Hopefully in something among the lines of architecture, like interior design, construction management, etc. But really i just want to graduate soon. It’s been a very long and stressful journey but i don’t want to just drop out and never get back into school. If anyone can help with some insight please feel free to do so . Thank you !
Speak to you various colleges and admissions departments about what is possible with your current education. Keep on thing in mind though - your experiences in architectural school are not going to be similar to what it's like to actually practice architecture.
Interior Design - going to be a lot like architecture.
Construction Management - just as stressful as architecture
Industrial Design - going to be similar to architecture in the design aspect but you'll have a lot more math
Landscape Architecture - just like architecture just with lower pay
Owners Rep - about the same as construction management but a bit less stressful - a lot of meetings and documentation though
One final ironic piece of advice: Don't ask random people on the internet for a decision that will impact the rest of your life.
Good Luck!
One path you could pursue is Project Management, in addition to what Chad has already mentioned, and it doesn't have to be specifically from a CM degree. Not sure if your university offers anything along those lines but a large part of architecture and its adjacent fields is management. Both of projects and of employees. It would most likely be a round about way into the field but could be a way.
At the end of the day, there are many ways into the construction and architecture industry, you just have to find the one that's the correct fit for you. Also good job making this call late into your degree but early in your journey! I am sure it was not an easy decision to make.
seconded, the work/pay ratio for anything design related really just isn't there for someone describing the effort (still in school no less) as you describe it. In the meantime, jumping to construction and getting whatever degree you can to grab a project engineer job at a GC company will give you a decent career some good room for growth in the first few years without too much effort/responsibility. You'll have to take on some serious work at some point if you want to get asst PM and up though.
You're still young, though I know at 25 you're probably itching to get to work! My experience was somewhat similar; after three years of school for a structural engineering degree and a minor in art history, I was sick of school, dropped out, moved across the country to Seattle and worked as a carpenter. By the end of the summer I realized that if I didn't finish college then, there was a good chance I never would, so I came back east and did my fourth and final year.
Looking back almost 30 years later, I don't regret my decisions but I wish I had considered either transferring to UW to study architecture or working until I knew what I wanted to study, which probably would have been architecture. You have a few decades of career in front of you; you should try to find something you don't hate if possible. If you love architecture, you might not like being on the construction end.
I wouldn't stress too much. Most people I graduated with a B.Arch are not architects. Many of them never worked for architects. Each of them slowly transitioned into whatever their life is now. Most of them are in a related field and involved in construction/development. Architecture is just a major. It's an education. In the end, college is about growing up and formalizing your brain. So in some respects, you just need a degree. Most people I deal with on a daily basis (other than architects, lawyers, doctors, etc) went to school for something a little or lot different than what they do now.
All that to say, what if you just finished this out? At least you're on the other side. What is it that you actually want to do with your life? Unless it requires a specific degree... just work towards that. My sister-in-law has an architecture degree and works in the film industry. All sorts of paths.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.