It could always be worse...

http://voices.yahoo.com/5-worthless-college-degrees-avoid-6007374.html?cat=9

There will always be an ebb and flow of profileration in architecture based on the economy. Architects bear the brunt of a recession....

"If there's not a job offer waiting when you graduate, then it can be very frustrating because it can be very hard to maneuver into another career path with this degree due to its narrow focus," says Lynn.

I completely disagree. An architecture degree can be a great benefit in pursuing other careers. It fosters a way of thinking that's transferable to other disciplines without much friction. With all the talk of 'Design Thinking' that now seems to have trickled out of business schools and into local chambers of commerce, the 'narrow focus' argument just doesn't ring true.  

I agree with @stevenWard

If anything this YaHoo! article should serve as a guide to which degrees you should get.  Especially by the time you finish school.  I remember adhering to these 'best of' lists when I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life.  Now look at me!

I third Steven Ward,

The deans at my college asked the architecture school to provide an introductory seminar/studio for the rest of the school to help teach iterative problem solving and critiquing.  In particular the pre-med advisors, engineering and business deans were keen on encouraging students to take the studios.

There's nothing wrong with architecture. Architecture is only as good as your roads.

If you have bad roads, you have bad architecture. If you have good roads, you have good architecture.

'Good' and 'bad' are highly subjective— wide-open freeways and expressways are good when looking at "developing economies" but they become troubling and problematic in the context of "advanced economies." Likewise, narrow and over-developed claustrophobic streets can be a burden in the reverse.

Compare Rio De Janeiro to Amsterdam. 

Steven Ward, that was the first thing that came to my mind as well when I read the article. I recall some sort of stat from a few years back pointing out that (at least in Canada) something like less than half of students who graduate from undergraduate architecture programs actually get their license, in large part because they can transfer their critical thinking/design thought process to a vast array of fields.

Even more rediculous is the following sentence: "If you like the idea of pursuing the building industry, but want to keep your career options at a maximum, then a bachelor's degree in business administration could be a more employer-friendly choice." Skimming through the rest of the article this recommendation keeps coming up to go into business - not sure who this woman is but she comes off as narrow-minded.

As hard as it is trying to find a job, mediocre pay, stressful work, I think studying architecture was one of the best and most rewarding decisions I've made in my life.  It was like opening a pandora's box. 

"says Vicki Lynn, senior vice president of Universum, a global talent recruiting company that works with many Fortune 500 companies"

I'm not saying she is an expert but lets face it, on this site a bunch of interns and architects agreeing that their major in college is unwanted outside of this field, is probably asssbackwards somehow.

What a stupid and boring article.

It's really the recent grads 2010 - present that are getting the jobs

That was a terrible article. Discouraging people from studying Architecture, Archaeology  Religion, Philosophy  etc... is asinine. I suppose some people will never see the value of ideas when they can't be tabulated with money.

@ nicholas cecchi, money is a little bit important you know.

What a shallow article in my own opinion when you consider that the article judges profession choices based on $$$ factors and economic rewards. People should be architects because they love the profession, the skills required and the possibilities of creating something noble for the community, not because of the money. Well I guess its a good thing after all that that article is there to somehow push away those who prioritise economic rewards instead of true passion for the work. Just my opinion on the article!

" ...the possibilities of creating something noble for the community..."

Is this for-profit jail, for-profit hospital, or for-profit academia you have in mind? Nobility in architecture is akin to toilet-training your dog: Hopefully the fleabag shits on someone else's property. 

"shallow article" and "yahoo!" article are kind of one in the same.

Recent Grad here (2012) , this article is total bull shit.  I got a job quicker than any of my friends with LSA  majors from U of M that werent in business or engineering.  Architecture is fine.

@med. I agree, money is a little bit important, but it is a poor metric to base major life choices around, like your career. Now a job, that would be a fine thing to base on money.

Rusty: 

"" ...the possibilities of creating something noble for the community..."

Is this for-profit jail, for-profit hospital, or for-profit academia you have in mind? Nobility in architecture is akin to toilet-training your dog: Hopefully the fleabag shits on someone else's property. "

If you are taking about profit regarding the economic surplus/benefit a proyect makes, you are interpreting me wrong. What I mean about a noble act in architecture is about actions and decisions that create a built environment in a way that address inefficiencies in what we have now (Im taling to you from my perspective as an architect that has lived and practiced in the US and South America maily). What is the carbon footprint of your building? How does your building impact that natural resources we have today? How do you create spaces that provide social interaction, community and equity in places that lack them? I do believe that these are community and global PRIORITIES we have to adhere to now... so when these priorities are overlooked in order to increase economical profit of a project... thats not noble. Just my opinion.