I'm 20 years old and I work for an architect as a draftsman. We do lots of small commercial remodelings, camp sites, day cares, shopping centers & lots of headaches. I would like some advice. I've been working for about a year and a half but all the professors at school seem like they encourage us to quit architecture. Ever since I was little, i always saw myself being an architect. Now, that I'm in the industry (so to speak,) I am wondering if it is for me. I know job satisfaction is a big deal, but at the same time so is money. At least for someone like me, who grew up with 4 younger brothers with a household income of less than 40k. Im beggening to feel a little old and kind of discouraged with the salary an architect supposebly makes. After I get a masters degree, if I stay with it, i will have worked for an architect for about 6 years. Realistacally, how much could I expect to be paid starting.
Also, what are some other careers that are a little easier that arch. In our first year classes, the workload is ridiculous, even the teaching assistants say that it was never this bad. Im wondering will I have the energy for the long run. What are some other interesting careers that would be ideal for someone who wants to make at least 60k starting and about 100k within 10 yrs?
hmm..i dunno how much passion you have for architecture..like what the others say..do it only if you truly love it. otherwise it's not worth it.
i'm not in the field yet but looking at salary polls, etc..you should be earning more than 40k eventually, especially for you with 6 years of experience. 30-40k is more on the low end for salary range for architects. I mean once you have more than 7 yrs of experience, i think the salary is quite decent. but ask real architects, not me.
what do you mean by 'easier' than arch? certainly architects work long hours but if you enjoy the work, then i'm certain the work work is 'easier' than an easier job that might not be as rewarding. whatever is interesting is up to you. 'interesting' is different for anyone so it's up to you do decide what's interesting for you.
i think IT ppl (with a bachelors) or engineers usually make at least 60k starting out. but they're starting to get outsourced a lot. but i could never imagine myself doing that engineering or be in the IT field. They have to work a lot too. Money never comes easily.
sound like you need to work somewhere more interesting than the current office...if there is no passion for the projects you are working on you might as well be crunching numbers for more money...
don't listen to a professors opinion if they are jaded about the profession through their own choices.
I agree with Sashimi, if you're not passionate about it, dont do it. Coming out of undergrad most of my friends were starting at around 30k for their internships. I started at 40k, but that is also because i'm working at a corporate firm and not a boutique one.
all the people i know who started making 60k are engineers/IT people or in the med field. Its pretty rare for anyone in the design field to start at 60k.
The consuming hours are just the nature of the design field, and you should maybe reevaluate how much time you're willing to put in before you go all the way. Your first year is always the toughest because its a huge adjustment period. Maybe look into other design fields if you are having second thoughts.
MBA - starting from a top 20 school should earn at least 100k starting. I've heard of someone getting a BMW convertible for a signing bonus
Lawyers - starting from a top 20 should be probably at least $150k now.
Doctors - no idea, really, but I'd guess they start at easily $250k, but have a lot of overhead
So, you can see, professions that are similarly difficult in school pay more starting than most architects will ever make.
Up to you which is the best path and what's important. I love archtiecture, but I could never be satisfied with what the profession is really like.
If you want easy money or a balance between easy workload and decent pay, I'd look at graphic and web design. Salaries start about the same as architects, but it's a billion times less stressful, in school and in the real world. If you learn some good programming skills or find a niche you are good at, you can make a pretty good living.
i appreciate all of the advice. I wonder, however, will architecture school be equally as challanging as law school, business or even med school. The workload for an architecture student is unbelievable. In our first year (2 credit hour class) the teaching assistants say that we should be getting at least 5 credit hours for all of the work. As of now I have about 56 hours, and to get a professional degree it will probably take me another 5 years (since I work at the same time.) How does law school work, I've heard about pre-law, what does that mean? Could I get out of law school, roughly in the same amount of time? And is a career in law enjoyable?
if you go to law school or medical school just for the money, you probably won't graduate. law school and medical school are both very time consuming and tough. they require a lot of passion as well. if you don't enjoy reading your brains out every night, then law is probably not for you and going into the profession isn't worth it. Medical school is long and is very competitive, so make sure you have a strong desire to do medicine growing up.
also keep in mind, people who major in business and start a business fail most of the time. just because you get a business degree doesn't mean you'll automatically be earning a lot of money. look at architects starting their own firms. A lot of times they fail or they actually lose more money than they gain.
ultimately, it's really what you enjoy and are passionate for.
Well, MY wife did law school at a top program. She worked very hard, but NEVER pulled an all-nighter. Straight out of law school she was earning 3 to 4 times what I was making after a couple years as an intern. Hated her job though, while I loved mine.
I think what is 'hard' is only applicable to the individual. Personally, I think all the schools are tough. Some are good at some thigns, some at others.
I think I could have done law and business without a problem, as I find them both fascinating (probably would have, had I known the astronomical differences in salaries), but not medical. The medical professions just seem boring to me, unless you make it to the ultra elite, like neurology, but that's one in a million.
Passion is a huge part, but keep in mind, at some point, you will need other things to keep you going because every profession sucks now and then. For me, architecture just sucked more than I thought and you make nothing, so I moved on. For others, that's not the case.
I know a Harvard grad lawyer that is just in love with her job. Lucky chick.
I'd still look at graphic design/industrial design. Barely any stress, it's fun and rewarding, some great stuff out there, and you easily make what architects do with a fraction of the schooling/testing. Also things like industrial design, but I know less about that field.
j - all the lazy dumbass kids from my high school are all in law school. they'll probably be the ambulance chasers who end up suing your doctor friends in medical malpractice suits.
my ,wife was doing med at a top program and she averaged about 3 to 4 hours sleep over a three year period...and she was in Houston for it...boring it was not.
my sister is currently doing her masters+phd in pharmacology and neuroscience and yes it sure is not easy. She averages 4 hours of sleep everyday, and it gets even worse when papers are due.
Sure she will make over 100k when she graduates with a post-doc, but i could never sit and do all that reading for the love of my life.
if you pride yourself in being a balanced individual who can manage the rigor of the rational and the ambiguity of the intuitive, you might look into a joint MArch/MBA...just an option
took 2 yrs of basics, now 1st yr in arch. but... asking for advice
I'm 20 years old and I work for an architect as a draftsman. We do lots of small commercial remodelings, camp sites, day cares, shopping centers & lots of headaches. I would like some advice. I've been working for about a year and a half but all the professors at school seem like they encourage us to quit architecture. Ever since I was little, i always saw myself being an architect. Now, that I'm in the industry (so to speak,) I am wondering if it is for me. I know job satisfaction is a big deal, but at the same time so is money. At least for someone like me, who grew up with 4 younger brothers with a household income of less than 40k. Im beggening to feel a little old and kind of discouraged with the salary an architect supposebly makes. After I get a masters degree, if I stay with it, i will have worked for an architect for about 6 years. Realistacally, how much could I expect to be paid starting.
Also, what are some other careers that are a little easier that arch. In our first year classes, the workload is ridiculous, even the teaching assistants say that it was never this bad. Im wondering will I have the energy for the long run. What are some other interesting careers that would be ideal for someone who wants to make at least 60k starting and about 100k within 10 yrs?
Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
hmm..i dunno how much passion you have for architecture..like what the others say..do it only if you truly love it. otherwise it's not worth it.
i'm not in the field yet but looking at salary polls, etc..you should be earning more than 40k eventually, especially for you with 6 years of experience. 30-40k is more on the low end for salary range for architects. I mean once you have more than 7 yrs of experience, i think the salary is quite decent. but ask real architects, not me.
what do you mean by 'easier' than arch? certainly architects work long hours but if you enjoy the work, then i'm certain the work work is 'easier' than an easier job that might not be as rewarding. whatever is interesting is up to you. 'interesting' is different for anyone so it's up to you do decide what's interesting for you.
i think IT ppl (with a bachelors) or engineers usually make at least 60k starting out. but they're starting to get outsourced a lot. but i could never imagine myself doing that engineering or be in the IT field. They have to work a lot too. Money never comes easily.
sound like you need to work somewhere more interesting than the current office...if there is no passion for the projects you are working on you might as well be crunching numbers for more money...
don't listen to a professors opinion if they are jaded about the profession through their own choices.
I agree with Sashimi, if you're not passionate about it, dont do it. Coming out of undergrad most of my friends were starting at around 30k for their internships. I started at 40k, but that is also because i'm working at a corporate firm and not a boutique one.
all the people i know who started making 60k are engineers/IT people or in the med field. Its pretty rare for anyone in the design field to start at 60k.
The consuming hours are just the nature of the design field, and you should maybe reevaluate how much time you're willing to put in before you go all the way. Your first year is always the toughest because its a huge adjustment period. Maybe look into other design fields if you are having second thoughts.
Good luck!
MBA - starting from a top 20 school should earn at least 100k starting. I've heard of someone getting a BMW convertible for a signing bonus
Lawyers - starting from a top 20 should be probably at least $150k now.
Doctors - no idea, really, but I'd guess they start at easily $250k, but have a lot of overhead
So, you can see, professions that are similarly difficult in school pay more starting than most architects will ever make.
Up to you which is the best path and what's important. I love archtiecture, but I could never be satisfied with what the profession is really like.
If you want easy money or a balance between easy workload and decent pay, I'd look at graphic and web design. Salaries start about the same as architects, but it's a billion times less stressful, in school and in the real world. If you learn some good programming skills or find a niche you are good at, you can make a pretty good living.
i appreciate all of the advice. I wonder, however, will architecture school be equally as challanging as law school, business or even med school. The workload for an architecture student is unbelievable. In our first year (2 credit hour class) the teaching assistants say that we should be getting at least 5 credit hours for all of the work. As of now I have about 56 hours, and to get a professional degree it will probably take me another 5 years (since I work at the same time.) How does law school work, I've heard about pre-law, what does that mean? Could I get out of law school, roughly in the same amount of time? And is a career in law enjoyable?
if you go to law school or medical school just for the money, you probably won't graduate. law school and medical school are both very time consuming and tough. they require a lot of passion as well. if you don't enjoy reading your brains out every night, then law is probably not for you and going into the profession isn't worth it. Medical school is long and is very competitive, so make sure you have a strong desire to do medicine growing up.
also keep in mind, people who major in business and start a business fail most of the time. just because you get a business degree doesn't mean you'll automatically be earning a lot of money. look at architects starting their own firms. A lot of times they fail or they actually lose more money than they gain.
ultimately, it's really what you enjoy and are passionate for.
yeah, my wife did med school and I was there for the whole thing...makes architecture school seem like a walk in the park.
all about PASSION sucka!
Well, MY wife did law school at a top program. She worked very hard, but NEVER pulled an all-nighter. Straight out of law school she was earning 3 to 4 times what I was making after a couple years as an intern. Hated her job though, while I loved mine.
I think what is 'hard' is only applicable to the individual. Personally, I think all the schools are tough. Some are good at some thigns, some at others.
I think I could have done law and business without a problem, as I find them both fascinating (probably would have, had I known the astronomical differences in salaries), but not medical. The medical professions just seem boring to me, unless you make it to the ultra elite, like neurology, but that's one in a million.
Passion is a huge part, but keep in mind, at some point, you will need other things to keep you going because every profession sucks now and then. For me, architecture just sucked more than I thought and you make nothing, so I moved on. For others, that's not the case.
I know a Harvard grad lawyer that is just in love with her job. Lucky chick.
I'd still look at graphic design/industrial design. Barely any stress, it's fun and rewarding, some great stuff out there, and you easily make what architects do with a fraction of the schooling/testing. Also things like industrial design, but I know less about that field.
j - all the lazy dumbass kids from my high school are all in law school. they'll probably be the ambulance chasers who end up suing your doctor friends in medical malpractice suits.
my ,wife was doing med at a top program and she averaged about 3 to 4 hours sleep over a three year period...and she was in Houston for it...boring it was not.
my sister is currently doing her masters+phd in pharmacology and neuroscience and yes it sure is not easy. She averages 4 hours of sleep everyday, and it gets even worse when papers are due.
Sure she will make over 100k when she graduates with a post-doc, but i could never sit and do all that reading for the love of my life.
if you pride yourself in being a balanced individual who can manage the rigor of the rational and the ambiguity of the intuitive, you might look into a joint MArch/MBA...just an option
http://www.aia.org/nwsltr_aiaj.cfm?pagename=aiaj_a_0404_dualdegrees
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