I hold bachelor/master degrees from scotland/england in economics/politics and business/info tech. and have long considered an architecture career. The closest thing I have to a design background is my info. tech. which involved animation, web design, graphic design etc., which formed the catalyst of my interest.
Anyway, I applied last year to 4 schools (UC Berk, SCI-Arc, Harvard and UVa), and applying for the 3-year M.Arch. As I am ccoming to this without any architecture training, or any experience with US Schools, the profession, or the requirements, I hope you would bear in mind my naivety in the following questions:
1.
- The main reason I have delayed pursuing architecture was because I have heard many horror stories about
-how it does not pay well, and
-you spend 5 years just designing small compartmentalised spaces, and might never get your 'break' and
-you would be dreaming if you ever thought you could design the next bilbao museum or IFC tower.
What are your thoughts on this?
As you can imagine, if Im going to jump ship into a different profession, the last thing I need is for it to have a long qualification time, after which, I can't even get a job or expect a half-decent salary!
2. I think of SCI-Arc as the equivalent of the Architectural Association, but I dont know much about it. Ive read some rather negative things on the web about SCI-Arc such as employers blacklisting it for potential hires. Needless to say, this is all depressing stuff. Is there any truth to this, and would attending SCI-Arc adversely affect employment?
3. Can you launch into other careers such as Animation/Media related jobs with an architecture background, or would it limit you to architecture roles only?
4. I would graduate at about 32-33, could this be a hinderance to employment?
1a-horror stories? that's just to scare off the phonies.
1b-pay? that sucks, unless you are partner I guess
1c-no break? depends on you, be pro-active, show interest in all aspects of the job, don't wear headphones at the job etc.
1d-yes we can!
2 it's mostly about being on the same wave-length, so find offices that are open to the ideas of Sci-Arc (if that's where you want to study), who teach there or are alumni if you want to be sure. Never personally heard of blacklisting schools without judging the persons' portfolio. It's like working at McDonald's as a vegetarian.
3 other careers? check the "working out of the box" stories in the features section. It is mostly about developing a creative problem solving attitude, that can be applied anywhere.
4 it depends on your attitude and skills, if you have prior working experience in similar fields, are serious and ambitious it shouldn't be any problem.
...or start your own office, with financial/political/business and info.tech experience what more do you need?
Yes, you are entering a profession with substantially lower pay and higher risks than the economics/politics/business things you are qualified to do now. There is even the possibility that you will spend years in the field only to become disillusioned and bitter. And those aren't reasons for not going for it. They are reasons for taking the opportunity to use school to really, deeply explore what it is that you want to do, and contemplate how you are going to do it. Figure out what your principles are and what you want out of your career, and don't settle for anything less. There will always be the temptation to sign up for the job you don't really want, just to get some resume experience, thinking you'll "pay your bills" for now and move on to the job you "really want" later. DON'T do it! If you want to make a career out of compromising your dreams and selling out your principles, you can make a lot more money doing it in a career other than Architecture and Design. If you are really fed up with the career after 5-10 years, you can always go back to business/politics/economics and be making in a few years money that you would be fortunate to make at the top of your career in architectural professions. But really, your previous experience in business/politics puts you at a huge advantage regarding the ability to actually work on the projects of your dreams, once you figure out what those dreams are, despite what might seem like a handicap in design school in the short run. Go for it!
I want to thank everyone for their replies. If I may, I wish to expand on an area very important to my concerns: financial security.
1.
When you guys say 'the pay sucks', HOW BAD are we talking here?
Are you talking literally hand-to-mouth?
2.
What are the repercussions of an economic crisis? On the one hand, one architect told me he's actually gotton more work, another who has 30-odd years experience under his belt says in recessions, architects and their projects are the first to go. If thats so, how do you deal with this severe lack of job security?
3.
The irony is that thinking as an economist, I firmly believe the best asset classes are and always have been land. Markets can go up and down, but real estate is always there in the end. Is there some way to merge my interest with architecture with real estate so I don't have to take on the risks you have described?
4.
I dont think I will have the luxury of jumping ship again if this doesnt work out. Finance, unlike other fields, isnt forgiving to those who leave it even for a while, so I dont see how I could go back to finance if things dont work out. My question is, can you cite any examples of people who have used an architecture background merged with finance/economics?
5.
Finally, despite my background I am not great with math, nor technically minded. I haven't done Calculus in ages, and so, Im wondering how important are advanced math disciplines to an M.Arch? Is it likely I would struggle? Some people tell me I don't need much more than arithmetic and angles, other says algebra and advanced calculus and understanding of physics is a necessity.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Mar 20, 09 7:49 am ·
·
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.
Switch to Architecture - no design background!
Hello,
I hold bachelor/master degrees from scotland/england in economics/politics and business/info tech. and have long considered an architecture career. The closest thing I have to a design background is my info. tech. which involved animation, web design, graphic design etc., which formed the catalyst of my interest.
Anyway, I applied last year to 4 schools (UC Berk, SCI-Arc, Harvard and UVa), and applying for the 3-year M.Arch. As I am ccoming to this without any architecture training, or any experience with US Schools, the profession, or the requirements, I hope you would bear in mind my naivety in the following questions:
1.
- The main reason I have delayed pursuing architecture was because I have heard many horror stories about
-how it does not pay well, and
-you spend 5 years just designing small compartmentalised spaces, and might never get your 'break' and
-you would be dreaming if you ever thought you could design the next bilbao museum or IFC tower.
What are your thoughts on this?
As you can imagine, if Im going to jump ship into a different profession, the last thing I need is for it to have a long qualification time, after which, I can't even get a job or expect a half-decent salary!
2. I think of SCI-Arc as the equivalent of the Architectural Association, but I dont know much about it. Ive read some rather negative things on the web about SCI-Arc such as employers blacklisting it for potential hires. Needless to say, this is all depressing stuff. Is there any truth to this, and would attending SCI-Arc adversely affect employment?
3. Can you launch into other careers such as Animation/Media related jobs with an architecture background, or would it limit you to architecture roles only?
4. I would graduate at about 32-33, could this be a hinderance to employment?
Thank you for your time and hopefully - replies!
1a-horror stories? that's just to scare off the phonies.
1b-pay? that sucks, unless you are partner I guess
1c-no break? depends on you, be pro-active, show interest in all aspects of the job, don't wear headphones at the job etc.
1d-yes we can!
2 it's mostly about being on the same wave-length, so find offices that are open to the ideas of Sci-Arc (if that's where you want to study), who teach there or are alumni if you want to be sure. Never personally heard of blacklisting schools without judging the persons' portfolio. It's like working at McDonald's as a vegetarian.
3 other careers? check the "working out of the box" stories in the features section. It is mostly about developing a creative problem solving attitude, that can be applied anywhere.
4 it depends on your attitude and skills, if you have prior working experience in similar fields, are serious and ambitious it shouldn't be any problem.
...or start your own office, with financial/political/business and info.tech experience what more do you need?
good luck
Mainly regarding point #1:
Yes, you are entering a profession with substantially lower pay and higher risks than the economics/politics/business things you are qualified to do now. There is even the possibility that you will spend years in the field only to become disillusioned and bitter. And those aren't reasons for not going for it. They are reasons for taking the opportunity to use school to really, deeply explore what it is that you want to do, and contemplate how you are going to do it. Figure out what your principles are and what you want out of your career, and don't settle for anything less. There will always be the temptation to sign up for the job you don't really want, just to get some resume experience, thinking you'll "pay your bills" for now and move on to the job you "really want" later. DON'T do it! If you want to make a career out of compromising your dreams and selling out your principles, you can make a lot more money doing it in a career other than Architecture and Design. If you are really fed up with the career after 5-10 years, you can always go back to business/politics/economics and be making in a few years money that you would be fortunate to make at the top of your career in architectural professions. But really, your previous experience in business/politics puts you at a huge advantage regarding the ability to actually work on the projects of your dreams, once you figure out what those dreams are, despite what might seem like a handicap in design school in the short run. Go for it!
Hello,
I want to thank everyone for their replies. If I may, I wish to expand on an area very important to my concerns: financial security.
1.
When you guys say 'the pay sucks', HOW BAD are we talking here?
Are you talking literally hand-to-mouth?
2.
What are the repercussions of an economic crisis? On the one hand, one architect told me he's actually gotton more work, another who has 30-odd years experience under his belt says in recessions, architects and their projects are the first to go. If thats so, how do you deal with this severe lack of job security?
3.
The irony is that thinking as an economist, I firmly believe the best asset classes are and always have been land. Markets can go up and down, but real estate is always there in the end. Is there some way to merge my interest with architecture with real estate so I don't have to take on the risks you have described?
4.
I dont think I will have the luxury of jumping ship again if this doesnt work out. Finance, unlike other fields, isnt forgiving to those who leave it even for a while, so I dont see how I could go back to finance if things dont work out. My question is, can you cite any examples of people who have used an architecture background merged with finance/economics?
5.
Finally, despite my background I am not great with math, nor technically minded. I haven't done Calculus in ages, and so, Im wondering how important are advanced math disciplines to an M.Arch? Is it likely I would struggle? Some people tell me I don't need much more than arithmetic and angles, other says algebra and advanced calculus and understanding of physics is a necessity.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.