Architectural education and architectural practise can be very different. You should be more focused on engineering than on designing in most offices. The design is either defined by the principals or an army of busy interns producing millions of design alternatives. Fact is, between 25 and 35 years (at least) you will work mainly 45 hours a day on the computer (2D or 3D drafting, filling excel spreadsheets, tendering, writing protocol, etc,) From 35 years on you can climb up hierarchy and get project manager (of course only in large offices). That will be a more managing job.
So personally, I am still passionate about architecture but as a job it's nasty. You rather "communicate" with the computer than with people..

Well, supercity sounds extremely bitter and I wouldn't let it represent the whole profession in all places. The truth is that yes if you are stuck in bum fuck no-where Nebraska, you will more than likely be stuck in the position that supercity is in. But, the truth is that architecture is a business and you just have to figure out a way to get to where you want to be. If you want to be at a design firm, then find a place that works for you, but there are far fewer places that you can be. You can work at a smaller design firm or at a starchitects office. If you are more technical, then there are plenty of opportunities and you can basically work anywhere you want.

Do things to keep yourself interested. Competitions, etc.

My passion for architecture has never wavered. However, I knew I would not pursue a traditional architecture profession my last year of grad school (7 years of arch ed here).

I have very, very happy with my decisions and that includes my education (although them loans suck).

My advice would be to evaluate what will make you happy. What do you want or think you want to be happy? For me, that was not struggling financially. I found a way to do things that I enjoy (not as much as architecture, though, but still design).
The goal has been to design, build and market my own architecture without being financially stressed.



My advice overall has always been: if you are questioning whether architecture is for you, then it ain't

I disagree with trace -- it's very good to question whether architecture is for you or not -- because when you do, you start thinking through all the things you love about it, and even hate, but in the end it reminds you of why you are doing it and why it's the best thing for you. Never feel afraid that you're questioning whether you want to do this or not -- that doesn't make architecture the wrong choice for you; that makes you intelligent.

for me, school generally sucked. Sure, I loved the designing, the drawing, and the building, and I did pretty well and made projects I still love and am proud to have in the ole portfolio... but all the REST of it sucked. The stress level was so incredibly high I didn't have the time, energy, or brainpower to enjoy myself in any capacity or even to absorb more than 1/10th of the things I was paying people to teach me. I never slept, I basically spent the years in a haze of anxiety and nowadays I regret not being able to have the true college experience that many other people I know had.

However, the PROFESSIONAL life has been very fun so far! I get to do the parts I love -- design, draw, and build -- and get PAID for it AND go home and sleep! Despite deadlines, client presentations, and bosses, I have never once felt anywhere near the stress I felt during school, which is somewhat sustaining to me... no matter how stressed I get about something I can always say to myself "whatever, you've had it way worse than this and you made it through." I can't oversell the importance of nightly full sleep -- the ability to do this alone still makes me happy, years after my graduation.

And let me tell it to you straight -- that teaching thing is NOT a picnic. It's a shitload of work, and when you work out the hourly pay on that $43,000 it's peanuts. You get summers off but almost every teacher I know does summerschool or coaches in the summers to get the extra cash -- sure, you start at 43k but you also top out not too much higher than that (usually around 60k) unless you have a Master's and can bump up to the next pay scale -- but in that case, you will be paying for more schooling anyway. Soooo... it's not such a peach. Architecture salary is pretty comparable, but the high end of pay is much higher than where teachers top out.

I've never had a passion for architecture. I got into it because I enjoy graphic problem solving (drafting), and was reasonably skilled at it. I can't really think of any other way I would like to earn a living though. It is challenging and interesting work.

My passion has always been music, but I can't imagine a scenario where I would be happy doing that as a profession. An amatuer musician or any artist has the best of both worlds, they are free to express themselves any way they wish, with no clients or anyone to tell them they must do it differently. Architecture is almost never that way, it is very much driven as a service to other people.

Well, JsBach has a point but I would say that you wouldn't need to split your passions the way that he/she does. I'm passionate about music, but I do not play any instruments. It's part of the culture that I am absorbed by and it is an important part of my life. I am a painter and photographer as well as an architect and I do find it liberating from the grind of the commercial architecture practice. The thing is that I definitely have a passion for architecture and it only supports and inspires my other work. I let my painting and photography influence the designs that I produce as well and it liberates me from the architectural logic of the herd and architectural medias influence. This is not always helpful though. It can isolate me and I am aware of it (obviously). So, I reel it in when needed.

If anything, I find that the heirarchy of a firm could really make the process of designing buildings much more enjoyable than school. In school, people want to pour themselves into their projects and make it their own (as they should because they want to learn about themselves and the design process). But in a firm, you have a role and the decisions are easier to make than in the "team" setting of academia because it is not "yours".

I would say to sisforscoop, find ways to incorporate your other passions into architecture. There are varying influences for everyone in architecture and you should be no different.