Hi all,
I am a college student...and I am thinking about to major in Architecture....it seems like I am interested in it....
But I am still not sure why should I choose it?..I mean you have to spend a lot of years to become a licensed architect, it will be like very time-cousming.... and stuff like that......
Could you please tell me what are the good things about being an Architect comparted to other careers?
Is it all about the money or what?
Are you guys are just following your passion?....
Can you give me any inspirations??
Oh my God!
I just read several posts under "you know you are/were an architect when...."
Are they are ture??? Is being an architect is that horrible?
I better stop contemplating about going into Architecture.... :O
Many are, as you put it, just following passion. Many more see it as the most practical/necessary/stable of the more artistic careers we have considered. Nobody wants to be starving artist, and despite the constant complaints, architecture is a reasonable middle-class career path. I personally went into architecture because my dad said there was no way in hell his was paying for his daughter to go to art school and then end up working in shops all her life. Architecture was the most artistic thing I could talk him into financing.
Yes, there are parts of it that really are that bad. Many architects get insufferable egos, and are very hard to work with/for. But then again, you're not doing customer service where you have to deal with thousands of people's shitty days either, so it could be a lot worse.
- I suspect you can recreate the kind of material you found in "you know you are/were an architect when...." from just about any other pool of people in any other field. Don't let that thread influence you unduly -- although you probably should understand that a lot of those humorous posts have a basis in reality.
There's a lot to recommend a career in architecture, but you should go into that decision with your eyes wide open. Spend some time researching what a 'typical' architect does to earn a living and don't base your decision on the hype surrounding some of the famous members of our profession. For the vast majority of us, it's definitely NOT about the money -- most of us do what we do because we can't imagine doing anything else with our lives. Do some research at Salary.Com to learn how this profession stacks up with some of the others from a pay standpoint.
You also may want to look into one of the summer programs designed to help people considering architecture as a career understand what the profession entails ... Google "architecture summer programs" to get started in that inquiry.
But, like most other things in life, if you love something enough, most of the other stuff doesn't really matter all that much.
the thing w/ architecture is that anyone that's been in it for a few years obviously really loves it, cause there ain't no other reason to be in it.
and like in any other profession, a lot of what you end up doing depends on where YOU take it. you could do bathroom details for decades or you might just end up building some of your own work.
And clearly not many people know the answer. Maybe they just fell into it :-)
For me, it gives you a job that allows you to put some of yourself into it. How many other jobs allow you that? And it is a subject that spans across disciplines - art, history, maths, engineering, philosophy, geography, psychology... that's great for someone like me who never really wanted to specialise in one thing. And working with the built environment you have a chance to make the world better, almost all of us live and learn and work and be entertained in buildings - architects imagine and design big things that become knitted into our culture.
Don't worry about "You know you're an architect when...". Most architecture students secretly quite like to boast how late they worked and how lazy the non-architecture students are in comparison ;-)
it is possible if that is your goal. but it isn't normal to do so while also making good architecture, which is a shame.
if you are looking for a way to express yourself artistically without starving then there is a certain amount of room for that; in some firms, some of the time. ocassionally. when there's time. say, sunday afternoon...
actually the coolest thing about architecture is that it's definition is quite malleable, and you can shape your career along just about any route you see fit. Most people don't really, but the option is there. that isn't the case for a lot of careers.
Because they automatically think that being an architect makes you more intense, more creative, more professional, and just way cooler than them. In girls this inspires admiration. In guys this inspires fear.
I could understand it would intimidate guys who are not in the professional fields; what about those who are (doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, dentists etc etc etc). I don't see how architects can be more professional or more intense than those I have mentioned.
I guess it really depends what the guy does.
as for intimidation - rationalist got it right - more intense, more creative. [profession / major aside] Most guys that aren't particulary intense and/or creative are either turned off by the prospect of a girl that is, or simply not up to the challange, so to speak ;)
i think of it this way.....what makes us love what we do...at the end when we set between the crowd we go like thats my boy...
you r proud of it...and makes you feel happy...
Do you need a license to work in real esate management ? Do we need a degree in RE?
Is there any one who made a transition from architecture to real estate business?
Can architects do business in real estate?
Is it a good job or what's your impression about people working in real estate?
What do you mean by 'real estate'? If you mean by 're management' like firms that manage large buildings, leases, etc., then absolutely NO!! They are not at all related, for the most part. Real Estate is primarily about sales, leases, and loans - nothing to do with the actual design or construction of the building.
Go get a business degree in real estate.
If you are talking about developing real estate (finding the site, accessing the viability of a project, getting loans, hiring an architect to design, etc.,) it could help, but most developers are not architects - none that I know of (some employ architects, but aren't themselves).
Generally speaking, though, the two fields are like the owner of a sports team (the real estate gang) and the players (the architects). One can't be without the other, one's a lot more fun, but the owner's make more money with less stress, it's just less exciting.
I hold both a B.Arch and an MBA ... I'm also a licensed architect.
Those are very good credentials for a career in a) real estate management or b) real estate development or c) architecture.
I've done all three ... I enjoy being an architect the most ... I made the most money doing real estate development.
Trace may be wrong about the stress thing ... real estate developers have a LOT of risk they must manage ... much more than architects ... when you option a piece of land for $700,000 (non refundable) you have to find a way to make it work ... it doesn't always work.
I actually know a fair number of architects who work in real estate development ... most are very successful ... very few have been total washouts ... but, they knew why they went that way and they accepted that their role is not the same as that of the architect.
However, I always felt that my influence over the quality of the architecture was much greater when I was on the real estate side of the table than when I was on the architect's side ... something about controlling the purse and the calendar.
Hey man, I’m a second year student going through school now. Freshman year we started with 300 kids in our program, sophomore year we are down to 160. It is not for every one. Of those 170 only like 50 will go on to the 5-year program. It is a great major, if you have the drive for it. It is wicked expensive though. Most majors just buy their book and they are done. If you choose this major be ready to know the people at the art stop on a first name basis and be ready to drop all your $ on bass wood and chipboard. However, at the end of your first big crit, when you watch one of your good ideas come to fruition, it is defiantly worth all the sleepless nights.... good luck with your decision guy.....
In addition to being an licensed architect, I am intersted in pursuing a career in real estate...
I am a college student right now.... I found out that most schools don't offer master degrees in real estate field...
Should I get a MBA after March? or what should I do if i want to do sth in real estate?
Any thoughts???
Those two fields are a bit related....I am just thinking...about doing a part-time job in real estate...if I have time when I work as an architect....May be kind of investment or sth?
wannabe: i've never met an architect with enough free time to hold another job. You'd really have to choose only one of the routes quizzical outlined.
And yes, all professions are inherently very stressful. Being a doctor, lawyer, engineer is obviously as tough as being an architect.
While Id suggest that architecture offers fewer (monitary) rewards for the effort, it does offer one reward that few other professions can: the faint but tantalizing hope that you might be a part of a team that brings an idea into the realm of built reality.
This process is akin to sprinting a marathon. It is not easy, and it is certainly not fun, and you are usually exhausted (unless you are naturally gifted at it) - but in the end, the satisfaction and pride of walking through a succesfully completed building is tremendous and compels you to go through it all again.
wannabe had asked about 'real estate management', which I look at as completely different than 'real estate development'.
There's some overlap, but in my experience 'developers' work had, have tons of stress, etc., and are usually self taught or hold some random degree.
'Real estate management' I tend to think of companies with business suits that maintain property, sell it, lease it, etc. The guys 'developers' employ or hire to do the day to day business stuff.
So, in my mind, they are completely different. One's closer to a 'realtor/broker', the other is closer to an entrepreneur.
I'd just make sure you understand the differences (better than I do). 'Real Estate' is a vast term.
I do know of one developer that has a degree in architecture, but he has never, as far as I know, had anything to do with designing his buildings (he hires firms to do it).
Not enough time in the day to do everything, at least not at once.
My advice would be: if you want to design some, then get your architecture degree, if you want to be the business guy and make bank, get your MBA (I'd look at somethign like Columbia's arch dev program).
I've been in the field for a number of years and I have to admit it is a love/hate thing. You need to realize not everyone in the profession designs buildings and some are specialized in specific areas(mostly in large firms)-construction administration, marketing, estimating, project management..... Smaller firms will give you more challenges and more influence, but sometime much less pay.
If you are in program offering a B-Arch degree run with it and get your license then go back as quizzical (and many others) to get your MBA.
If you're in a pre-arch program, then you will need to do some serious evaluating, as the MArch is a long ways out. If no arch program, but want to be part of the process there is always construction management, architectural tech or even a arch drafter.
The construction end of the business rakes in some $$ and often more than most of us, but then again who ever heard of losing a toe from a foamcore model being dropped on it.
I have the 4yr Arch design degree (4+2) with several years of experience working for corporate architecture & related industries to architecture. I have done fairly well, though very little design. The pay, beni's and hours are great when you are raising a family. Plus you have weekends off to work on you own projects.
Recently I've decided to return to college and pursue a Masters in Real Estate Developement. I'm looking at this a Develop/Design/Build approach so I can pursue some design on my own terms, hopefully. Maybe Quizzical can elaborate about his experience and some of the pitfalls and blessing.
If any of you are looking for inspiration as to who is a Developer/Architect take a look at Jonathan Seagals' work in San Deigo. This is my new hero, but I still like Frank's work.
my partner is a developer and struggles seriously with managing design and meeting with bankers, real estate agents, lawyers and investors on top of picking materials, chatting with the lighting specialists and the contractors...
will see how it goes, but right now it is mostly myself and soon a third partner who do the architect-ing. i am glad to see segal and others like him, but really seriously wonder how he manages it. my own belief is that you gotta pick one or the other to focus on and hire someone to deal with the other...
Segal is doing a great job. I'll have to assume he's got a great team (that recent project in Dwell, where his 'team' assembled various parts of the building to save costs - so if he's got physical labor help, he's most likely got architects working for him).
why Architecture?
Hi all,
I am a college student...and I am thinking about to major in Architecture....it seems like I am interested in it....
But I am still not sure why should I choose it?..I mean you have to spend a lot of years to become a licensed architect, it will be like very time-cousming.... and stuff like that......
Could you please tell me what are the good things about being an Architect comparted to other careers?
Is it all about the money or what?
Are you guys are just following your passion?....
Can you give me any inspirations??
Any input is appreciated!!!
Oh my God!
I just read several posts under "you know you are/were an architect when...."
Are they are ture??? Is being an architect is that horrible?
I better stop contemplating about going into Architecture.... :O
Many are, as you put it, just following passion. Many more see it as the most practical/necessary/stable of the more artistic careers we have considered. Nobody wants to be starving artist, and despite the constant complaints, architecture is a reasonable middle-class career path. I personally went into architecture because my dad said there was no way in hell his was paying for his daughter to go to art school and then end up working in shops all her life. Architecture was the most artistic thing I could talk him into financing.
Yes, there are parts of it that really are that bad. Many architects get insufferable egos, and are very hard to work with/for. But then again, you're not doing customer service where you have to deal with thousands of people's shitty days either, so it could be a lot worse.
- I suspect you can recreate the kind of material you found in "you know you are/were an architect when...." from just about any other pool of people in any other field. Don't let that thread influence you unduly -- although you probably should understand that a lot of those humorous posts have a basis in reality.
There's a lot to recommend a career in architecture, but you should go into that decision with your eyes wide open. Spend some time researching what a 'typical' architect does to earn a living and don't base your decision on the hype surrounding some of the famous members of our profession. For the vast majority of us, it's definitely NOT about the money -- most of us do what we do because we can't imagine doing anything else with our lives. Do some research at Salary.Com to learn how this profession stacks up with some of the others from a pay standpoint.
You also may want to look into one of the summer programs designed to help people considering architecture as a career understand what the profession entails ... Google "architecture summer programs" to get started in that inquiry.
But, like most other things in life, if you love something enough, most of the other stuff doesn't really matter all that much.
It's all true. Now back to work! Or you'll never finish your Sunday work!
the thing w/ architecture is that anyone that's been in it for a few years obviously really loves it, cause there ain't no other reason to be in it.
and like in any other profession, a lot of what you end up doing depends on where YOU take it. you could do bathroom details for decades or you might just end up building some of your own work.
garpike-
sorry. i'll get back to those redlines.
why not? i love LA.
why Architecture?
That's a damn good question
And clearly not many people know the answer. Maybe they just fell into it :-)
For me, it gives you a job that allows you to put some of yourself into it. How many other jobs allow you that? And it is a subject that spans across disciplines - art, history, maths, engineering, philosophy, geography, psychology... that's great for someone like me who never really wanted to specialise in one thing. And working with the built environment you have a chance to make the world better, almost all of us live and learn and work and be entertained in buildings - architects imagine and design big things that become knitted into our culture.
Don't worry about "You know you're an architect when...". Most architecture students secretly quite like to boast how late they worked and how lazy the non-architecture students are in comparison ;-)
does it impress the guys if a girl was to say she's an architect?
No...it's actually rather intimidating
wannabe, you looking to make money?
it is possible if that is your goal. but it isn't normal to do so while also making good architecture, which is a shame.
if you are looking for a way to express yourself artistically without starving then there is a certain amount of room for that; in some firms, some of the time. ocassionally. when there's time. say, sunday afternoon...
actually the coolest thing about architecture is that it's definition is quite malleable, and you can shape your career along just about any route you see fit. Most people don't really, but the option is there. that isn't the case for a lot of careers.
why would it be intimidating?
Because they automatically think that being an architect makes you more intense, more creative, more professional, and just way cooler than them. In girls this inspires admiration. In guys this inspires fear.
I could understand it would intimidate guys who are not in the professional fields; what about those who are (doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, dentists etc etc etc). I don't see how architects can be more professional or more intense than those I have mentioned.
I guess it really depends what the guy does.
why architecture? sleep is over-rated.
as for intimidation - rationalist got it right - more intense, more creative. [profession / major aside] Most guys that aren't particulary intense and/or creative are either turned off by the prospect of a girl that is, or simply not up to the challange, so to speak ;)
i think of it this way.....what makes us love what we do...at the end when we set between the crowd we go like thats my boy...
you r proud of it...and makes you feel happy...
Do you need a license to work in real esate management ? Do we need a degree in RE?
Is there any one who made a transition from architecture to real estate business?
Can architects do business in real estate?
Is it a good job or what's your impression about people working in real estate?
Thanks!
What do you mean by 'real estate'? If you mean by 're management' like firms that manage large buildings, leases, etc., then absolutely NO!! They are not at all related, for the most part. Real Estate is primarily about sales, leases, and loans - nothing to do with the actual design or construction of the building.
Go get a business degree in real estate.
If you are talking about developing real estate (finding the site, accessing the viability of a project, getting loans, hiring an architect to design, etc.,) it could help, but most developers are not architects - none that I know of (some employ architects, but aren't themselves).
Generally speaking, though, the two fields are like the owner of a sports team (the real estate gang) and the players (the architects). One can't be without the other, one's a lot more fun, but the owner's make more money with less stress, it's just less exciting.
nice analogy trace. bring on the 'roids.
I hold both a B.Arch and an MBA ... I'm also a licensed architect.
Those are very good credentials for a career in a) real estate management or b) real estate development or c) architecture.
I've done all three ... I enjoy being an architect the most ... I made the most money doing real estate development.
Trace may be wrong about the stress thing ... real estate developers have a LOT of risk they must manage ... much more than architects ... when you option a piece of land for $700,000 (non refundable) you have to find a way to make it work ... it doesn't always work.
I actually know a fair number of architects who work in real estate development ... most are very successful ... very few have been total washouts ... but, they knew why they went that way and they accepted that their role is not the same as that of the architect.
However, I always felt that my influence over the quality of the architecture was much greater when I was on the real estate side of the table than when I was on the architect's side ... something about controlling the purse and the calendar.
Hey man, I’m a second year student going through school now. Freshman year we started with 300 kids in our program, sophomore year we are down to 160. It is not for every one. Of those 170 only like 50 will go on to the 5-year program. It is a great major, if you have the drive for it. It is wicked expensive though. Most majors just buy their book and they are done. If you choose this major be ready to know the people at the art stop on a first name basis and be ready to drop all your $ on bass wood and chipboard. However, at the end of your first big crit, when you watch one of your good ideas come to fruition, it is defiantly worth all the sleepless nights.... good luck with your decision guy.....
quizzical...Thanks for your comment...
In addition to being an licensed architect, I am intersted in pursuing a career in real estate...
I am a college student right now.... I found out that most schools don't offer master degrees in real estate field...
Should I get a MBA after March? or what should I do if i want to do sth in real estate?
Any thoughts???
Those two fields are a bit related....I am just thinking...about doing a part-time job in real estate...if I have time when I work as an architect....May be kind of investment or sth?
wannabe: i've never met an architect with enough free time to hold another job. You'd really have to choose only one of the routes quizzical outlined.
And yes, all professions are inherently very stressful. Being a doctor, lawyer, engineer is obviously as tough as being an architect.
While Id suggest that architecture offers fewer (monitary) rewards for the effort, it does offer one reward that few other professions can: the faint but tantalizing hope that you might be a part of a team that brings an idea into the realm of built reality.
This process is akin to sprinting a marathon. It is not easy, and it is certainly not fun, and you are usually exhausted (unless you are naturally gifted at it) - but in the end, the satisfaction and pride of walking through a succesfully completed building is tremendous and compels you to go through it all again.
or at least I hope so...
wannabe had asked about 'real estate management', which I look at as completely different than 'real estate development'.
There's some overlap, but in my experience 'developers' work had, have tons of stress, etc., and are usually self taught or hold some random degree.
'Real estate management' I tend to think of companies with business suits that maintain property, sell it, lease it, etc. The guys 'developers' employ or hire to do the day to day business stuff.
So, in my mind, they are completely different. One's closer to a 'realtor/broker', the other is closer to an entrepreneur.
I'd just make sure you understand the differences (better than I do). 'Real Estate' is a vast term.
I do know of one developer that has a degree in architecture, but he has never, as far as I know, had anything to do with designing his buildings (he hires firms to do it).
Not enough time in the day to do everything, at least not at once.
My advice would be: if you want to design some, then get your architecture degree, if you want to be the business guy and make bank, get your MBA (I'd look at somethign like Columbia's arch dev program).
Wannabe-
I've been in the field for a number of years and I have to admit it is a love/hate thing. You need to realize not everyone in the profession designs buildings and some are specialized in specific areas(mostly in large firms)-construction administration, marketing, estimating, project management..... Smaller firms will give you more challenges and more influence, but sometime much less pay.
If you are in program offering a B-Arch degree run with it and get your license then go back as quizzical (and many others) to get your MBA.
If you're in a pre-arch program, then you will need to do some serious evaluating, as the MArch is a long ways out. If no arch program, but want to be part of the process there is always construction management, architectural tech or even a arch drafter.
The construction end of the business rakes in some $$ and often more than most of us, but then again who ever heard of losing a toe from a foamcore model being dropped on it.
I have the 4yr Arch design degree (4+2) with several years of experience working for corporate architecture & related industries to architecture. I have done fairly well, though very little design. The pay, beni's and hours are great when you are raising a family. Plus you have weekends off to work on you own projects.
Recently I've decided to return to college and pursue a Masters in Real Estate Developement. I'm looking at this a Develop/Design/Build approach so I can pursue some design on my own terms, hopefully. Maybe Quizzical can elaborate about his experience and some of the pitfalls and blessing.
If any of you are looking for inspiration as to who is a Developer/Architect take a look at Jonathan Seagals' work in San Deigo. This is my new hero, but I still like Frank's work.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
it eez all abouz having ze dream ! Architects are dreamers...are you a dreamer?
my partner is a developer and struggles seriously with managing design and meeting with bankers, real estate agents, lawyers and investors on top of picking materials, chatting with the lighting specialists and the contractors...
will see how it goes, but right now it is mostly myself and soon a third partner who do the architect-ing. i am glad to see segal and others like him, but really seriously wonder how he manages it. my own belief is that you gotta pick one or the other to focus on and hire someone to deal with the other...
Segal is doing a great job. I'll have to assume he's got a great team (that recent project in Dwell, where his 'team' assembled various parts of the building to save costs - so if he's got physical labor help, he's most likely got architects working for him).
wannabe ,also cos Architects do it with models.
if architecture were easy, it'd be your mom.
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