After 5 years of experience in architectural firms in varying roles of design intern, assistant architect, architect and project coordinator, I am now 100% sure that I do not want to continue in this field. I loved the feeling of being in a creative field but now working as project coordinator I am succumbing to the boredom caused by similar set of work. Honestly I am not such a bright person to be pulled into top 5% of the talented pool of designers and I am quite good at technical roles of industry but I cant take it any more. Whether you do a large project or small project, your role as a coordinator remains same. I cannot deal with exact similar types of problems for another 10-15 years of my life. Its too boring. Period.
Huhh!
So please tell me what other options do I have?
PS: No offense to architecture and architects. May be I am not fit for such beautiful field.
curtkram
Aug 11, 15 11:41 am
sales. architects work with people who sell carpet, wallcovering, concrete sealers, all sorts of other things. you get to drive around a lot and meet interesting people. poor starving architects will love you when you show up with a sammich for a lunch'n'learn.
Wilma Buttfit
Aug 11, 15 11:47 am
Nobody here knows what else you are interested in or good at, so who knows?
JeromeS
Aug 11, 15 1:10 pm
Guess what- everything is the same, no matter where you go, what you do. That's how people make money; create a process, repeat until it doesn't make money, change process...
Non Sequitur
Aug 11, 15 1:13 pm
I hear there is good money in big game hunting guides.
Redjester
Aug 11, 15 1:43 pm
Interior Design, Landscape architecture, City Planning, Video Game Design, or if all else fails give advertising a go. Advertising has nothing to do with architecture, but if you're creative, sharp, and a people person, the job is pretty easy.
So it is true that every job is boring, some are however slightly rewarding, pay really well or afford a lot of time off, architecture provides none of these if you aren't in that rockstar 5% like u said.it's why everyone has to drink the koolaide of "architecture is for those passionate." Passionate about swallowing bullshit every day.If you treasure time off try sneaking into teaching by teaching CAD at community college or looking into government jobs. If you want money try using those technical skills for a developer. If you want something rewarding open up your own business doing something. You aren't alone thinking this is bullshit, as soon as I was honest with my friends and told them what I actually do at work they were horrified with how boring and stressful but much be. You can do more and are worth more than drawing wall types with gypsum and dense glass board in different arrangements.
Your first step should be to get out of architecture firms (duh right?) but it was never so apparent as when I was looking for a new job last year and on indeed.com the first job was for a intern architect who was expert with Revit and needed a degree and 3-5 years experience for 15$/hr The very next post, I kid you not, was for a Revit tech with 1-2 years experience with no degree for 35$/hr at a large corporate contractor. Run my friend! Run!!
curtkram
Aug 11, 15 4:22 pm
it's why everyone has to drink the koolaide of "architecture is for those passionate."
we call it 'bourbon' or 'scotch.' i don't think anyone is still drinking kool-aide.
JeromeS
Aug 11, 15 4:23 pm
I just hired someone for an entry level, no experience job (not in architecture) at $16 an hour.
Volunteer
Aug 11, 15 4:33 pm
I would look first at related jobs where your experience and education would be useful such as interior design, industrial design, sports equipment design, landscape architecture, civil engineering, city planning, construction management, real estate, or teaching. Some of these areas would require additional training, some very little retraining, or none at all.
no_form
Aug 11, 15 4:45 pm
Become a forest ranger. Government work is stable and had good benefits.
Wilma Buttfit
Aug 11, 15 5:19 pm
golf pro.
JLC-1
Aug 11, 15 5:20 pm
stage design, make believe architecture
quizzical
Aug 11, 15 5:26 pm
ri_ha: "I cannot deal with exact similar types of problems for another 10-15 years of my life."
Every line of work involves repetition -- learning to do the same work better and more efficiently is what makes anybody, in any career, more valuable to society and able to enjoy improved compensation.
If you're not happy where you are, I suggest you look for a position at another design firm that perhaps undertakes a wider array of project types that you would find more interesting. While the actual duties you would perform there might be quite similar to what you're doing at your current firm, at least the quality and diversity of the projects would be greater and you could take satisfaction in knowing you contributed to an excellent result.
Good luck.
dia
Aug 11, 15 6:16 pm
If you are a crab in a bucket, and you want to get out of the bucket, don't ask the other crabs in the bucket for advice on how to get out.
Miles Jaffe
Aug 11, 15 6:26 pm
Independent tow truck, sideline as repo man.
Good_Knight
Aug 11, 15 7:21 pm
There is no hope. All is lost.
archiwutm8
Aug 14, 15 8:10 am
dia, you insensitive person, I'm allergic to crab.
After 5 years of experience in architectural firms in varying roles of design intern, assistant architect, architect and project coordinator, I am now 100% sure that I do not want to continue in this field. I loved the feeling of being in a creative field but now working as project coordinator I am succumbing to the boredom caused by similar set of work. Honestly I am not such a bright person to be pulled into top 5% of the talented pool of designers and I am quite good at technical roles of industry but I cant take it any more. Whether you do a large project or small project, your role as a coordinator remains same. I cannot deal with exact similar types of problems for another 10-15 years of my life. Its too boring. Period.
Huhh!
So please tell me what other options do I have?
PS: No offense to architecture and architects. May be I am not fit for such beautiful field.
sales. architects work with people who sell carpet, wallcovering, concrete sealers, all sorts of other things. you get to drive around a lot and meet interesting people. poor starving architects will love you when you show up with a sammich for a lunch'n'learn.
Nobody here knows what else you are interested in or good at, so who knows?
Guess what- everything is the same, no matter where you go, what you do. That's how people make money; create a process, repeat until it doesn't make money, change process...
I hear there is good money in big game hunting guides.
Interior Design, Landscape architecture, City Planning, Video Game Design, or if all else fails give advertising a go. Advertising has nothing to do with architecture, but if you're creative, sharp, and a people person, the job is pretty easy.
Architecture Visualization? (Renderings, walkthroughs, etc)
So it is true that every job is boring, some are however slightly rewarding, pay really well or afford a lot of time off, architecture provides none of these if you aren't in that rockstar 5% like u said.it's why everyone has to drink the koolaide of "architecture is for those passionate." Passionate about swallowing bullshit every day.If you treasure time off try sneaking into teaching by teaching CAD at community college or looking into government jobs. If you want money try using those technical skills for a developer. If you want something rewarding open up your own business doing something. You aren't alone thinking this is bullshit, as soon as I was honest with my friends and told them what I actually do at work they were horrified with how boring and stressful but much be. You can do more and are worth more than drawing wall types with gypsum and dense glass board in different arrangements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hiNWwPAfV4
I would say start here...
Your first step should be to get out of architecture firms (duh right?) but it was never so apparent as when I was looking for a new job last year and on indeed.com the first job was for a intern architect who was expert with Revit and needed a degree and 3-5 years experience for 15$/hr The very next post, I kid you not, was for a Revit tech with 1-2 years experience with no degree for 35$/hr at a large corporate contractor. Run my friend! Run!!
it's why everyone has to drink the koolaide of "architecture is for those passionate."
we call it 'bourbon' or 'scotch.' i don't think anyone is still drinking kool-aide.
I just hired someone for an entry level, no experience job (not in architecture) at $16 an hour.
I would look first at related jobs where your experience and education would be useful such as interior design, industrial design, sports equipment design, landscape architecture, civil engineering, city planning, construction management, real estate, or teaching. Some of these areas would require additional training, some very little retraining, or none at all.
Become a forest ranger. Government work is stable and had good benefits.
golf pro.
stage design, make believe architecture
ri_ha: "I cannot deal with exact similar types of problems for another 10-15 years of my life."
Every line of work involves repetition -- learning to do the same work better and more efficiently is what makes anybody, in any career, more valuable to society and able to enjoy improved compensation.
If you're not happy where you are, I suggest you look for a position at another design firm that perhaps undertakes a wider array of project types that you would find more interesting. While the actual duties you would perform there might be quite similar to what you're doing at your current firm, at least the quality and diversity of the projects would be greater and you could take satisfaction in knowing you contributed to an excellent result.
Good luck.
If you are a crab in a bucket, and you want to get out of the bucket, don't ask the other crabs in the bucket for advice on how to get out.
Independent tow truck, sideline as repo man.
There is no hope. All is lost.
dia, you insensitive person, I'm allergic to crab.