I’m a twenty-two year old graduate with my B.S.D. in Architecture. I decided to take a year off in-between graduate school so I can experience the real world profession first hand. I’ve been working for a firm for almost a year now and it’s a j-o-b. I was thrown in commercial due to the residential slump and now work on grey/vanilla shells. Exciting stuff let me tell yea! The work environment is morgue like. Sixteen people and I can literally hear a pin hit the floor at times. It’s a face down and work type of place with the awkward water cooler conversations. I do not mind though. At a handful of firms I have worked at this is the first one where I have been actually designing and given responsibilities. I have learned, and continue to learn a lot everyday, but I feel off course.
I’m at a point now where I am contemplating if I should try to find my way back before its too late. I feel that architecture has been my biggest let down professionally. We are whores all looking for work with little (if any) emphasis on design. Plus is this what architecture all about? Soulless buildings that developer’s ctrl+c and ctrl+v, ctrl+v, ctrl+v, ctrl+v on land that could have been so much more. The lack of professional conversation has not been helping me. I have no one to talk to regarding my struggles on the subject. I converse with two “friends” from undergraduate school that are wandering without a head and I am not following.
Now accepted to a two year graduate program I don’t know if I should attend. I’ve been thinking about switching careers to optometry. It's always been second on my list if architecture did not work out. I feel that I am selling myself short and getting disheartened prematurely. Quitting is something I am not known for. I can’t wake up tomorrow and say ‘no more’. I can't throw my investments of sweat, tears, blood and hard work out the window and start from scratch. I can’t do it. My true love is architecture, and it’s pissing me off!!
Maybe, since you said you’re learning and have been given responsibilities, you can use the experience as a footstool to future goals. When you go into work, don’t go into ‘work’! Go into Mission 1 (or something a little more or less psychotic to your fitting) and become absorbed in the areas that will help you become a better type of professional you want to be.
This means creating or revisiting your career and/or life plan.
Just an idea.
I would hold off on grad school until your belief in the field’s potential in your life increases.
mantaray's comment is very very true. Optometry would have just as much boredom involved, I'm sure.
However, with both - and with every career - there are better jobs out there. Don't be afraid to look, and use your experience of where you are now to galvanise your effort in finding a better position. Be sure to talk about it in interviews and explain how you were frustrated and how that's made you committed to giving so much more. That should inspire any employer to hire you, especially since you'll have the difficult, monotonous part down to a tee.
I always wonder about people who have completely different career aspirations... If you think you would be happy doing either, I find that odd. It makes me wonder what your aspirations are. Perhaps optometry is the way to go. I can't compare either.
On the other hand, imagine you are a photography graduate. You have passion, drive and zeal. You look for a job, you cant find anything at the time, and for no fault of your own, you start working for one of those places in a shopping mall that takes free photos of children in stupid costumes, who then attempts to charge the parents $80 for an A5 portrait.
Where you work sounds like the architectural equivalent. No wonder you are'nt happy.
optometry? seriously? assuming you are not having us all on, well shit your 22 and if you are in america you live in one of the most consequence-free places in the world, where taking a break or starting a new career are absolutely no problem. it is not the same here in asia (offices don't hire people over a certain age, and it is impossible to go back to do master's degree once work is begun)...
so, take a leap. one way or another. but don't sit still. and if it all falls to shit, so what. you can just start again, back in a place just like you are now...but that won't likely happen. like i said, in 'merica life is easy, so don't sweat it.
btw, why not just drop architecture? life is too short to go around thinking you owe anything to anyone or to a career just because of some time invested...humans have a hard time with this...is persychological...but shit if it makes any sense to me if it ain't floating your boat no more...
why do you think you need to go back to school? it sounds like you need to just find a firm that has work that you are interested in.
you werent going to be the head designer of a skyscraper at 22, you will have to pay your dues no matter where you go. if architecture is truly your passion, then that should be ok with you
careers take many many years to build
you wont reach your peak the second you leave school
stick with it if architecture is truly what you want to do. but if you dont like doing the details and mundane stuff, i dont think that will ever completely go away, so maybe you are right and need to go somewhere else if you dont like it enough
i know very little about the optometry profession, but it seems there might be some mundane stuff in that line of work as well
but if that is your passion, it wont be mundane
diabase has a good point. i don't think it's so much the profession as much as where you are working. the range of possibilities as an architecture graduate is absolutely huge and there's no reason to do what you are doing now for the next 50 years.
residential designer, interior designer, construction documents specialist, spec writer, CAD consultant, in-house architect, development manager, construction manager, architectural theorist, professor, writer, critic, really the job possibilities are endless.
myself, i have a very short attention span and have never worked more than two years anywhere in my life. i always switch between different job scenarios to learn new things and expose myself to different ways of working: corporate and then start-up offices, architecture and then interior design offices, north american and then asian offices, construction oriented and then design oriented offices. that's how i combat the boredom that working in a typical office would bring.
that said, i think the typical office does have a large degree of "slaving away" necessary to take care of the nuts and bolts that carry no glamour. the illusion that every architect gets to design on their own terms and become a starchitect is one that i find too pervasive. the fact of the matter is that most projects require thankless design work that is too unsexy to be recognized. someone has to draw up the equipment plans for a hospital, or co-ordinate the HVAC ducting for a shopping mall, etc. and that ends up being a lot of architects.
two exceptions to this i think - either you are 1) so freaking talented that you will become an all star in short time and do become a designer on your own terms, or 2) work for yourself and cultivate a clientele that will allow you the freedom to do work that you enjoy.
i am smart enough to know that i am not 1, so i do 2. for you, figure out what it is that you like about architecture and develop a plan as to how to go about finding a job that has more of that element.
and remember that you probably cannot do 1 or 2 from spaceman spiff in the first year or 2 after you graduate.
it takes time, and wont necessarily happen in a week or a month
to be honest though
if you like the work you are doing, the thankless stuff isnt as bad. try finding a firm that has work you are interested in.
let me tell you, working on equipment plans or shop drawings of building you find interesting is a lot easier to do
if it is the type of project you would eventually like to design or manage on your own, learning the nuts and bolts of it is a good way to start
should also mention that i had to choose from divergent paths many years ago - architecture school and law school. had a 99 on the LSAT and would have been well suited for law, but i did not see myself enjoying the work or the people in the profession. what i did like was creativity and the concept of coming up with a tangible "thing" starting with a blank page.
of course, one could say that lawyers can craft great arguments for cases, or draw up masterful contracts, but that just wasn't going to do it for me. so if you do have a true love for the profession, stick with it. but know that it'll be financially tougher than optometry also. i don't regret my decision one bit.
"I always wonder about people who have completely different career aspirations"
Me too.
Maybe that's the key. Go 'look into yourself'. The two professions seem completely unrelated and maybe once you find what the drastic split is/ why the drastic split is, this will help you decide how to procede in your chosen career.
Went through some similar pains myself. After 5 years in the profession I was pretty sure all architects were evil. Or at least the majority of them. And really looking at the proportion of the few "good" offices versus the many many crappy offices definately didn't help.
However I did manage get motivated (and sober) and have now gotten a job at a firm I think does good meaningful work, and have tossed in a nice 5 week trip to Vienna to regenerate my enthusiasm for the built environment.
The deal I have with myself is "2 more years, if after all that and I'm still pissed, I can leave, knowing that I tried".
So I leave for Europe in late May, and start at the new office in July.
Pretty good stuff, but it took some planning and some motivation to just jump in and change things.
Graduate school was a consideration for me as well, but an expensive one. And since the profession (not the study) is what is giving you the most discomfort, perhaps that is where you need to broaden your experience.
All ideals have disappeared. No more thoughts of grandeur. It's all about the money now. I have done alot of projects but nothing to write home about. Some of the projects are in the multi-million dollar construction cost range. I still love Architectecture and think maybe someday...
In the meantime, I'll be collecting money from this MONSTER corporate office and enjoy my bmw driving to either Santa Barbara or Napa for the weekend.
ckp,
good choice Vienna is bloody gorgeous, while you're there go check out Prague, Budapest or Cracow, they're all beautiful cities and a heck load cheaper than Vienna.
optometry, no question. You've already got a degree, most likely grad school will just be 'practice'.
Work for 10 years, save a small fortune, then you can go develop and do what you want (I actually have a client that started as a doctor and now is a developer/investor).
Gives you all the flexibility in the world for your future.
In same situation as you are, but I know that this is not going to be my only job the rest of my life. Do a competition for GOD'S sake and carve your own path. It's a huge risk but the payoff will feel that much greater, or failure will give you an ulcer or a heart attack.
Apr 23, 08 10:34 pm ·
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Took the Path Less Traveled... and I Think I’m Lost!
I’m a twenty-two year old graduate with my B.S.D. in Architecture. I decided to take a year off in-between graduate school so I can experience the real world profession first hand. I’ve been working for a firm for almost a year now and it’s a j-o-b. I was thrown in commercial due to the residential slump and now work on grey/vanilla shells. Exciting stuff let me tell yea! The work environment is morgue like. Sixteen people and I can literally hear a pin hit the floor at times. It’s a face down and work type of place with the awkward water cooler conversations. I do not mind though. At a handful of firms I have worked at this is the first one where I have been actually designing and given responsibilities. I have learned, and continue to learn a lot everyday, but I feel off course.
I’m at a point now where I am contemplating if I should try to find my way back before its too late. I feel that architecture has been my biggest let down professionally. We are whores all looking for work with little (if any) emphasis on design. Plus is this what architecture all about? Soulless buildings that developer’s ctrl+c and ctrl+v, ctrl+v, ctrl+v, ctrl+v on land that could have been so much more. The lack of professional conversation has not been helping me. I have no one to talk to regarding my struggles on the subject. I converse with two “friends” from undergraduate school that are wandering without a head and I am not following.
Now accepted to a two year graduate program I don’t know if I should attend. I’ve been thinking about switching careers to optometry. It's always been second on my list if architecture did not work out. I feel that I am selling myself short and getting disheartened prematurely. Quitting is something I am not known for. I can’t wake up tomorrow and say ‘no more’. I can't throw my investments of sweat, tears, blood and hard work out the window and start from scratch. I can’t do it. My true love is architecture, and it’s pissing me off!!
welcome to the club...
i think you're still a little too young to give up. do a little more meandering. you can always be an optimusprimeologist later.
I am only a student myself but
Maybe, since you said you’re learning and have been given responsibilities, you can use the experience as a footstool to future goals. When you go into work, don’t go into ‘work’! Go into Mission 1 (or something a little more or less psychotic to your fitting) and become absorbed in the areas that will help you become a better type of professional you want to be.
This means creating or revisiting your career and/or life plan.
Just an idea.
I would hold off on grad school until your belief in the field’s potential in your life increases.
monotonous work is part of the job.
learning to do it quickly and correctly is invaluable, though.
monotonous work is part of every job.
mantaray's comment is very very true. Optometry would have just as much boredom involved, I'm sure.
However, with both - and with every career - there are better jobs out there. Don't be afraid to look, and use your experience of where you are now to galvanise your effort in finding a better position. Be sure to talk about it in interviews and explain how you were frustrated and how that's made you committed to giving so much more. That should inspire any employer to hire you, especially since you'll have the difficult, monotonous part down to a tee.
Good luck!
I always wonder about people who have completely different career aspirations... If you think you would be happy doing either, I find that odd. It makes me wonder what your aspirations are. Perhaps optometry is the way to go. I can't compare either.
On the other hand, imagine you are a photography graduate. You have passion, drive and zeal. You look for a job, you cant find anything at the time, and for no fault of your own, you start working for one of those places in a shopping mall that takes free photos of children in stupid costumes, who then attempts to charge the parents $80 for an A5 portrait.
Where you work sounds like the architectural equivalent. No wonder you are'nt happy.
sure learning to cope with the repetitive stuff is important, but don't stay until your enthusiasm is gone. move on.
optometry? seriously? assuming you are not having us all on, well shit your 22 and if you are in america you live in one of the most consequence-free places in the world, where taking a break or starting a new career are absolutely no problem. it is not the same here in asia (offices don't hire people over a certain age, and it is impossible to go back to do master's degree once work is begun)...
so, take a leap. one way or another. but don't sit still. and if it all falls to shit, so what. you can just start again, back in a place just like you are now...but that won't likely happen. like i said, in 'merica life is easy, so don't sweat it.
btw, why not just drop architecture? life is too short to go around thinking you owe anything to anyone or to a career just because of some time invested...humans have a hard time with this...is persychological...but shit if it makes any sense to me if it ain't floating your boat no more...
why do you think you need to go back to school? it sounds like you need to just find a firm that has work that you are interested in.
you werent going to be the head designer of a skyscraper at 22, you will have to pay your dues no matter where you go. if architecture is truly your passion, then that should be ok with you
careers take many many years to build
you wont reach your peak the second you leave school
stick with it if architecture is truly what you want to do. but if you dont like doing the details and mundane stuff, i dont think that will ever completely go away, so maybe you are right and need to go somewhere else if you dont like it enough
i know very little about the optometry profession, but it seems there might be some mundane stuff in that line of work as well
but if that is your passion, it wont be mundane
diabase has a good point. i don't think it's so much the profession as much as where you are working. the range of possibilities as an architecture graduate is absolutely huge and there's no reason to do what you are doing now for the next 50 years.
residential designer, interior designer, construction documents specialist, spec writer, CAD consultant, in-house architect, development manager, construction manager, architectural theorist, professor, writer, critic, really the job possibilities are endless.
myself, i have a very short attention span and have never worked more than two years anywhere in my life. i always switch between different job scenarios to learn new things and expose myself to different ways of working: corporate and then start-up offices, architecture and then interior design offices, north american and then asian offices, construction oriented and then design oriented offices. that's how i combat the boredom that working in a typical office would bring.
that said, i think the typical office does have a large degree of "slaving away" necessary to take care of the nuts and bolts that carry no glamour. the illusion that every architect gets to design on their own terms and become a starchitect is one that i find too pervasive. the fact of the matter is that most projects require thankless design work that is too unsexy to be recognized. someone has to draw up the equipment plans for a hospital, or co-ordinate the HVAC ducting for a shopping mall, etc. and that ends up being a lot of architects.
two exceptions to this i think - either you are 1) so freaking talented that you will become an all star in short time and do become a designer on your own terms, or 2) work for yourself and cultivate a clientele that will allow you the freedom to do work that you enjoy.
i am smart enough to know that i am not 1, so i do 2. for you, figure out what it is that you like about architecture and develop a plan as to how to go about finding a job that has more of that element.
and remember that you probably cannot do 1 or 2 from spaceman spiff in the first year or 2 after you graduate.
it takes time, and wont necessarily happen in a week or a month
to be honest though
if you like the work you are doing, the thankless stuff isnt as bad. try finding a firm that has work you are interested in.
let me tell you, working on equipment plans or shop drawings of building you find interesting is a lot easier to do
if it is the type of project you would eventually like to design or manage on your own, learning the nuts and bolts of it is a good way to start
should also mention that i had to choose from divergent paths many years ago - architecture school and law school. had a 99 on the LSAT and would have been well suited for law, but i did not see myself enjoying the work or the people in the profession. what i did like was creativity and the concept of coming up with a tangible "thing" starting with a blank page.
of course, one could say that lawyers can craft great arguments for cases, or draw up masterful contracts, but that just wasn't going to do it for me. so if you do have a true love for the profession, stick with it. but know that it'll be financially tougher than optometry also. i don't regret my decision one bit.
"I always wonder about people who have completely different career aspirations"
Me too.
Maybe that's the key. Go 'look into yourself'. The two professions seem completely unrelated and maybe once you find what the drastic split is/ why the drastic split is, this will help you decide how to procede in your chosen career.
Went through some similar pains myself. After 5 years in the profession I was pretty sure all architects were evil. Or at least the majority of them. And really looking at the proportion of the few "good" offices versus the many many crappy offices definately didn't help.
However I did manage get motivated (and sober) and have now gotten a job at a firm I think does good meaningful work, and have tossed in a nice 5 week trip to Vienna to regenerate my enthusiasm for the built environment.
The deal I have with myself is "2 more years, if after all that and I'm still pissed, I can leave, knowing that I tried".
So I leave for Europe in late May, and start at the new office in July.
Pretty good stuff, but it took some planning and some motivation to just jump in and change things.
Graduate school was a consideration for me as well, but an expensive one. And since the profession (not the study) is what is giving you the most discomfort, perhaps that is where you need to broaden your experience.
monotony can be hot, it's all about how you think about it
Jump in to my nightmare while the water is warm!
All ideals have disappeared. No more thoughts of grandeur. It's all about the money now. I have done alot of projects but nothing to write home about. Some of the projects are in the multi-million dollar construction cost range. I still love Architectecture and think maybe someday...
In the meantime, I'll be collecting money from this MONSTER corporate office and enjoy my bmw driving to either Santa Barbara or Napa for the weekend.
ckp,
good choice Vienna is bloody gorgeous, while you're there go check out Prague, Budapest or Cracow, they're all beautiful cities and a heck load cheaper than Vienna.
Yeah, I think I'm going to spend about a week in Prague. I'm f-ing excited. I would really love to hop over to Budapest for a bit.
There is nothing like going into a foreign country for a while to get your brain to switch some serious gears.
5 weeks in Europe, while expensive, is a hell of alot cheaper than 2 years of grad school.
Well, that's how I've justified it to my husband anyway.
optometry, no question. You've already got a degree, most likely grad school will just be 'practice'.
Work for 10 years, save a small fortune, then you can go develop and do what you want (I actually have a client that started as a doctor and now is a developer/investor).
Gives you all the flexibility in the world for your future.
In same situation as you are, but I know that this is not going to be my only job the rest of my life. Do a competition for GOD'S sake and carve your own path. It's a huge risk but the payoff will feel that much greater, or failure will give you an ulcer or a heart attack.
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