??

??
? Mindarch, did I speak too much?

Im asking what people think about dropping out to be an architect?

"youll have to understand that I am widely recognized as one of the most innovated and talented students in my school"

*splurt*
excure me, i just laughed milk out my nose.

me, i am widely recognised as probably the greatest architectural talent of all time. all history has been building towards my existence, and the flurry of masterworks which i will unleash.

can you share any of your works with us?

like a portfolio or some photo... :)

wtf?.....if u truly have a passion for this(architecture), this situation would not even be an issue.

well, if you want to go to grad school, you need a BA in something.

I wouldn't be flattered that a lot of people are telling you to drop out.

Perhaps dropping out is a viable route. You can then start a reality show (a la "the Donald") in which you use your infinite wisdom to evaluate a pool of prospective drop-ees hustling to be the next stellar student asked to hit the road and not look back at academia. Perhaps a catchy tag line at the climax of the show like "you're expelled", or "stop wasting our time". You seem like a bright chap, I'm sure you will think of something.

In my experience... no faculty would ever tell other students to follow one particular student..nor would they build up the ego of one particular student..especially in undergrad. Sounds like your full of it..shit and/or ego.

and what kind of proffesor would tell a student to quit school? what precedent does he have for famous architects dropping out of school.. I certainly havent heard of any besides FLLW, i think. DOesnt really show that your prof has much respect for the curriculum he is a part of. SOunds like youre being advised by a bunch of wierdos.

yeah, let's see some work - back up all that you claim about yourself, bro; then, some might give you serious or constructive advice - unless you are too good to advise

agreed monkeyboy, something is very strange about a curriculum in which the faculty seem to have so little belief that they have anything to offer you. They should at least be able to challenge you in some fashion, regardless of your perceived ability.

I don't think you are going to get much support here. Architecture these days is completely linked to academia (for better or worse), especially in a community that has as many students as this one seems to have.

If you will be better off dropping out of architecture school then do it, but don't expect to have your arch. school peers tell you it was the right move.

phillip r.k. nixon again

It sounds as if you are not going to school in the US, so perhaps things are different wherever you are studying.

In the US graduate schools - whether in architecture or not - are not allowed to admit students without bachelor degrees (in anything), except into combined degree programs (meaning you'd have to complete the bachelor degree work either before or in tandem with the M.Arch work.)

Yes, of course you could work without a degree - this is one of the reasons that design schools in particular have such high dropout rates. Many students do ultimately return to school though, as their opportunities plateau. Others don't. There are a lot of very well-known fashion designers, product designers, etc. who had a year or two of art school before dropping out forever. However, if you intend to become a registered architect the situation is not so easy. Do you intend to become a registered architect and have your own practice? If so you're going to need to get the degree somehow eventually. But if you're planning always to partner with someone else and be a "designer" but not an architect forever then the degree isn't 100% necessary...

Again, this is specific to the US: there are only a few states left in which someone dropping out of school today could ever become a registered architect with no degree. And in most of those states you'd have to do a 13-year internship. Frankly you don't sound like someone who'd tolerate 13 years of being a intern very well. And anyway you'd be stuck working in that state forever, as other states won't give reciprocity without a degree.

If you're happy with your current position then I see little harm in dropping out for now and pursuing that. It does seem to me that you'll hit a dead end eventually - the project will end, the economy will change, other firms may not be as enthusiastic about you and your credentials, and/or you may just get bored - but in that case you can turn around and go back to school if you like.

Perhaps a different, shorter course of study would work better for you than a B.Arch. If you're planning to go on to grad school anyway then you could get a 4-year degree in just about anything and then go on to a 3 or 3 1/2 year M.Arch.

eeayeayo.

informative post, but i beleive our friend whodamantom already knows all this. From his name dropping in his first post i deduced that he goes to Roger Williams.

along with monkeyboy's post, i have uncovered the fine young man's name at roger williams...

it seems we have just been introduced to the fine, outstanding, none other than, the great -Peter Keating

i forsee alot of success in your future whodamantom.

Stay in school, but maybe drop out of the arch program? You will shave a year off your schooling.

Get a BA or BS, and then re-evaluate.
Go to graduate school in architecture, if you still want to pursue it.

If you want to pursue architecture now, develop your interests/pursuits which make your theory professor speak so highly of you. Put in the extra effort in studio to show your studio professor that these interests/pursuits are relavent, and that you put time into them and are not slacking by choosing to deviate from the norm.

Keep in mind that all studio professors may not like you/your projects. It is all personal taste.

No meversusyou, he was asked to leave the program...that makes him Howard Roarke.
And why is everyone giving this joker a serious response? what he needs is a kick in his pompous ass.

i guess you didnt understand that he is widely recognized as one of the most innovated and talented students in his school.

his mentor was only looking out for his future success as a world famous conquerer of the arts.

w.w.p.d?

everyone needs a toohey

post some work, homes.

i stand corrected...forgot about toohey...

I think our boy is afeared of showin his goods. hes chiming in on other threads... but hasnt returned here.

whodamantom – I registered just to comment on this (longtime reader) – this post is based on the situation in the USA – if you are from somewhere else (lucky) – please disregard.

(btw – hope you had your fire-retardant crash suit on for that one – that sh*ts pure gasoline!)

No matter how badass you are in studio, if you truly want to pursue architecture, do not drop out of school – I’m speaking from experience. Although my story doesn’t mirror yours exactly, the end result of not getting a degree would be the same – so here goes: I felt the same way you do my first few semesters in arch school. I was the top of my class, crushing others projects left and right with super-theory and bionic-technique. I believed I would become one of the greats – gods gift to the built environment. My secret? Don’t do ANY other work for my other classes. Straight A’s in studio and arch classes, straight F’s in everything else. I simply couldn’t be bothered to go to my other classes. Also, in my last few semesters before exiting, I decided to experiment in certain *ahem* aspects of college life to enhance my “creativity”. Thoughts swamped my mind of how inane arch school was, how some of the greats got away without it. I dreamt about how I would make it anyway, and come back and show them all. Well, let me tell you, those thoughts and my (in)action to fix things was the STUPIDIST F*CKING SH*T I ever have done or ever will do. De Sade could not have planned a better ass-f*cking than what I did to myself (not to mention my friends and family). The thoughts I had about leaving were pretty much exactly as you are describing (though the only person that actually told me to leave was the registrar). So, as you would expect, I flunked out, much to the shock and chagrin of the arch department and my fellow classmates. Hell, I had it coming.

So, what do I do now, now that I have got 'owned' and I'm laying face down with my d*ck in my hand? It was easy to rip on others whose proportions were strikingly similar to the Robie house (mandatory in all undergrad studios), and those that hadn't figured out CAD yet, but the joke was on me. Said people developed and are now pursuing their MArch. My ego got me jack sh*t (and I'm willing to bet it will do the same for you). So now I am in an AEC (community college) program to bring my grades up, and I work part time for an interiors firm. I cannot explain how soul-crushing it is to step down from a decently accredited program to my current classes (no offense to community college students – but one is supposed to go the OTHER way). I am having to work twice as hard on the side and fight tooth and nail to get back into an accredited school. You would not believe how the red tape grows exponentially once you have a record of a bad GPA. So, I sit here, green with envy, as people post what great schools they have gotten into. It even sucks to hang out with my friends, because school is a common topic of conversation, and I am viewed as the guy who doesn’t apply himself (a.k.a. burnout). I am applying to the BAC now, as they are lenient to my situation, and I like the idea of concurrent IDP credit – however – in the end, I am still a good 4 years behind.

Enough of my bitching. Basically what it boils down to is: Architecture is serious work. Unlike some of the other design professions suggested here, accreditation of the schools and the person is necessary. What you learn in school is one thing – but a degree states something else about you to future employers (and clients). It says you have the wherewithal to complete things – and I personally feel that that follow-through as important as design talent in this profession. Due to the certification of society (everyone wants credentials), it is worse to drop out of school now than it ever has been before. Without a degree, even though you have a job now, you WILL hit a ceiling – I don’t care what anyone else says – especially if you want to do progressive work with decent budgets, and maintain some shred of control over your projects. You have to get a degree, no matter how much school may suck, and then spend years doing the sh*t, then, when you are recognized (hopefully), you can entertain the thoughts that are currently leading you astray from school.

Simmer down Dedalus, swallow your pride, fix what you can and get the damned degree. Trust me – you will be glad you did. If you really can’t stand your current arch program – get a degree in anything (as stated before) – you will still be better off. If you don’t, you are liable to get trampled with college enrollment at an all time high. The societal conditions no longer exist in America for the drop-out architectural hero, no matter how good their portfolio is.


(Apologies for grammar, coarse language and if I offended you – I’m living the dropout nightmare day to day, and it’s a sensitive topic – hope I helped some)

move to cali..you aint need no degree

Dear whodamantom,

In addition to any work you might like to post, could you also put up some pictures of yourself? If you are a creative genius AND hot, that is a huge turn-on and I am always looking for my next date. Am very attracted to men who are good at what they do and who have egos that won't fit into the same room as me. If you are European, dirty and promise to treat me like shit, I am likely to start stalking you, lol

j/k

Seriously though, oscar gets a gold star for sharing. Sorry about your luck, dude.

i'm must confess I'm scared of you oscar. But good post.

Ok, so you're saying you're only 1 year away from graduation, and you're the Top Student in your school? Why on earth wouldn't you want to go back for that one year and bask in this amazing admiration of faculty and peers?

i think bob dylan summed up my thoughts on this post quite nicely...

idiot wind blowin every time you move your mouth
blowin down the backroads headin south
idiot wind blowin everytime you move your teeth
you're an idiot babe
its a wonder that you still know how to breathe.
bob dylan(widely recognized at his school even though he dropped out)- idiot wind

last time i checked one of the prereq's for march degree was an undergraduate degree. get real...

sorry for the tangent.

hey vado, because of you i have Bob's 'Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts pleasantly bouncing in my head...

a sincere thanks.

vado, that's perfect. best dylan use yet.

a prayer to the gods of architecture for oscar.

aand well i think theres nothing to add for whodamantom.....

anyone with any sense has already left this post.

PEOPLE PLEASE STOP RESPONDING TO THIS POST!
MY EMAIL IS BEING BOMBARDED BY AUTO RESPONSE EMAILS!!
AHHHH!!!!

i like to do just what like the rest
i like my sugar sweet
but guarding fumes and makin haste
just aint my cup of meat...

hey solar!!!

one of the studio proffessor once told a friend... you´ve got what cannot be thought, now it´s time to learn how to use it..

it is right to think you can drop out and make it without the degree, it is also right to just get the degree,, fill a requirement and then go your own way.

If you are as great as you think you are, why ask questions? You sound like a scared little boy. I didn't even read the rest of the posts, but can asure you that no matter who you are....and how ever talented you are....you have no balls.

There are rules and paths in life, set to accomplish goals and build a carrer..... i.e. high school-b.arch-m.arch-license-principal-published.

No one can make you follow this. There is no set formula to becoming an architect, or even a set definition of what an architect is.

I set your own path.....do what you want to do.......quit freakin talking about it.

Get er Done

So has whodamantom posted his work anywhere that I missed? I'm dying to see his extreme greatness. I hope for his sake his IS the next ANDO.

We don't know what we don't know. (six sigma training, arrrgh) Help us know Tom. Shut all the doubters up. It's all in your court to show us you da man tom. Or don't post pics and we'll know you da fake tom

Sure, he was a bit 'overconfident' - but this constant flaming doesn't do him any good now does it?!

Good on oscar for sharing, probably took a while (and some tears) to type all that, good for him. (though could be a her, you never know...)

vada, glad to see you refrain from taking part in this sort of debate in any concrete form, no really, I'm not being sarcastic :)

Oh and I too, am dying to see some examples of this amazing work!!!

mr. retro

please list the dylan albums you own

does anyone think that the prof might have said this to weed out ppl that might not be cut out for arch? i've always felt it's a profession where wreckless persistance and hardwork are manditory for success. maybe the prof felt that someone that would be so head-in-the-clouds and trying to cut corners wouldn't make it...?