I have recently graduated from my first in Architecture. I have always been interested in Architecture and Design and since I was 9 (I am not lying) I decided that it is what I want to do as I grow up. At high school, I was always been the one taking leadership roles. I was always active and ready to present, give public speeches and attend wherever I could. My best skills were communication, presentation and organisational. I was always attending extracurricular activities and societies and I was feeling more than happy and productive. It was my peak, if I can say so and at the same time I was getting ready for Architecture, while attending art classes.
Everything was fine, I got an offer from the universiy I had an aim to study at and during my 3 years of stuies I didn't do as much as I was and therefore I wasn't feeling happy. I realised that everyone around me preffered to be isolated in their own world or in their own "project". I honestly did not like it. I was still attending societies that developed my leadership, managerial and organisational skills. At uni I enjoyed more than everything presenting my work and solving problems to my and my coursemates' projects and briefly explaining them through rough sketches where they are wrong in my opinion and what they need to change. It happened that many people liked my ideas and they were implementing them in their designs. Moreover, I liked group projects where I was always taking the leader's role and helping my groupmates. Sometimes though, I was thinking that my coursemates are not really ambitions because they were too stressed about uni. They weren't even sleeping and eating properly, and in your 20s that's disturbing considering the unhelathy inpact on body and mind.
However, Architecture as a course did not let me feel as active, as I used to be. I enjoyed diversity in studying different subjects at school because it was broadening my horizon. Apparently, in my course I felt more repetitive work and focused on nothing else but Architecture and all this reflected a lot on my personality and my confidence. Believe me, feeling active and surrounded always by new information, makes me productive and I give 100% of myself. Anyway, I graduated after 3 years of studies and did many internships during my summers, as well as I was participating architectural workshops. I started my year out experience but I realise I am keen on the management side - meeting with clients, presenting and giving solutions.
I am thinking of a career switch, where I can develop my peronal skills and complement my interests. Next year I am considering to do my Masters and I am writing to you to ask for an advice. What would you suggest me to study after Architecture and which courses do you think will appreciate a person with an academic background in archhitecture and extracurricular experience in leader and management positions? I have read different articles about making a career switch from Architecture to filming, writing, involving yourself with technologies and so on, but I am not interested in this, so it will not be an option.
I am just in this position where, I am still young (21) and do not want to end up losing my time in a field where I do not feel satisfied because I won't feel productive and there won't be any benefit neither for me, nor for my current or prospect employers.
PS: I know many people here judge a lot and if anyone who would like judge me, would like to comment... I would kindly ask to appreciate your time and keep your comment for someone else.
archi_dude
Sep 17, 17 7:21 pm
I would honestly offer the advice of working a bit in whatever it is you want to do. This will accomplish two things, you'll see first hand if your expectations match the reality of whatever field you are interested in and you might either choose a different field and be able to get a masters in that or you might find out that you don't even need to get another degree and save yourself the debt. In terms of not wasting your time or money I'd recommend it. Jumping to a masters means that without even experiencing what working is truly like you've taken a leap of faith and invested all options into one area that could be entirely disagreeable to you.
ecnal
Sep 17, 17 9:27 pm
Sounds like you thought you wanted to do architecture, but the reality (as is often the case) is quite different to the romanticised version.
You're young. You should be travelling the world to broaden your thinking, and in doing so perhaps understand where you may be able to contribute to society.
I'd also ask...have you worked a crappy job in your life yet? Like, flipping burgers, working on a checkout at a supermarket or something?
Non Sequitur
Sep 17, 17 11:05 pm
You don't have a career at 21... only a few choice internships. Take a few years off and try to get into an office that will let you see every step in a project. Don't just blindly jump to an M.arch until you know more about what we do.
You can always use your m.arch SOP to seek broader horizons for thesis research.
rroxxy27
Sep 18, 17 2:21 am
Thank you to all the people who answered.
I forgot to add that the country I'm coming from it's unacceptable to finish university only with bachelors and it's even more unacceptable to travel around the world on your own (especially if you are a girl) and especially when you don't have your own capital of money. Less or more it is considered as waste of time accompanied by waste of money. I have been raised in a society where people plan their life in advance and invest in their future life with a good education. It's about the proportions in life. It's the mathematics in life : youth+hard work=good old years.
Don't judge, it's just a cultural difference and I'm 21, so it will be difficult to change my mindset and I do think it is dangerous.
rroxxy27
Sep 18, 17 2:32 am
*I do think it is dangerous to travel alone. Also, I'm scared to be alone and maybe the fact that architecture is less or more for introverts, contributed to my situation.
ecnal
Sep 18, 17 3:09 am
Well that's a bit of a catch 22 from what I can understand. How are you supposed to have an idea of what you would ACTUALLY like to do in life without experiencing life first? Generally, I think anyone who locks on to a career straight out of school is in for a hard time. It took me 10 years out of high school to start studying architecture, and thankfully so... I would not have had the motivation, the appreciation of alternate work (crap alternate work!), the understanding and interest in culture that all spurs me on as an architect.
Then again, culturally I had the freedom to make my own choices (totally floundering/messing around for a decade) and didn't owe some sort of baggage/debt to my family.
randomised
Sep 18, 17 3:17 am
Or just try to please everyone, force yourself to fit in and marry, settle down and be a stay at home mum and be miserable for the rest of your life and complain about it on archinect. It's up to you, every other week or so you make a similar post on here, use the advice people try to give you or not...I'll await your next post in a week or two where you are tired of your career being a consultant or something. This is pointless.
rroxxy27
Sep 18, 17 8:26 am
First, yes I have opened a few topics and second I didn't know there is a limitation. I don't find anything bad in asking for advice not for someone judging me due to the fact I'm kinda lost right now. Asking for an advice from people who are more experienced than me is actually the best thing a young person can do. I am happy that you have spent your life not regreting your education and career choice but this doesn't give you the right to be so rude. I don't know if you are a woman or a man but there is nothing miserable in a woman to be the two main things she has to be - a mother and a wife. Do you consider your mom being miserable because she formed a family with your dad and you came up? Pretty sad to hear these kind of words from people like you.
randomised
Sep 18, 17 9:36 am
It's just that you seem unwilling to make the changes you say you want to make and instead open a thread about your issues every other week, nothing really changes, and you come up with excuses like cultural background etc, they are only limitations if you allow them to be, look at Malalia. Just do something, writing lengthy posts here isn't going to change anything for you...it's only going to make you more miserable reading all these advices and doing nothing in return. You're not 21 forever, whatever the store wants you to believe...
randomised
Sep 18, 17 10:10 am
I didn't mean to be rude but just not sugarcoat it. There's nothing wrong with being a mother or a wife if that's what you want to be. But if you don't want to be just a mum or a wife there's tons of other things you could be doing as well. I'm actually a part-time stay at home dad, raising my son while my girlfriend brings home the best bacon, so I know of the importance of family, sacrifice and dedication. Just go for it and stop whining :-)
SiSilot
Sep 18, 17 5:53 am
Have you considered something like real estate company? Or be a manager in a large architecture firm. There is no easy job for a young graduate to be a leader, but architecture as a industry is certainly much more than designing projects
Non Sequitur
Sep 18, 17 6:58 am
Fuck cultural limitations. If you want to travel and take some time to plan ahead, then do it. Don't use that as an excuse to stay the course if you have doubts.
Nats
Sep 18, 17 7:18 am
Sounds like you want to be a project manager. Architects do take on this role in smaller practices but in larger ones its often left to a specialist project manager. Look into getting a qualification in that perhaps.
rroxxy27
Sep 18, 17 8:28 am
I was considering doing an MBA or project management but still wanted to read what people might have to say.
spiketwig
Sep 18, 17 1:39 pm
Agree - what you describe is a project manager. You could do this either within an architecture office (so, M.Arch) or within a contractors office (maybe a construction management type degree?) Only thing is no one will let you manage a project until you have some experience...working on projects. So it might take you some time to get where you want to be, and it's going to be at a job not with another degree.
ecnal
Sep 18, 17 8:44 am
Whatever you do, I suspect further education would likely find you in a similar position you are in now.
You could stay on a merry-go-round of study - work - start to dislike work - change career/study.
And that may be fine. Young people are meant to have multiple careers, statistically speaking.
I would recommend it a good idea to take a pause, a year or two, to work somewhere unrelated, perhaps part time, perhaps volunteer somewhere in your other time, perhaps travel a little. It's the perspective gained through the time you would give yourself to contemplate that would be invaluable.
Lastly- think it's reasonably offensive for you to say a women needs to be the two main things etc, a mother and a wife... So many assumptions there that would bear thinking about. Like I said, perspective.
Dear all,
I have recently graduated from my first in Architecture. I have always been interested in Architecture and Design and since I was 9 (I am not lying) I decided that it is what I want to do as I grow up. At high school, I was always been the one taking leadership roles. I was always active and ready to present, give public speeches and attend wherever I could. My best skills were communication, presentation and organisational. I was always attending extracurricular activities and societies and I was feeling more than happy and productive. It was my peak, if I can say so and at the same time I was getting ready for Architecture, while attending art classes.
Everything was fine, I got an offer from the universiy I had an aim to study at and during my 3 years of stuies I didn't do as much as I was and therefore I wasn't feeling happy. I realised that everyone around me preffered to be isolated in their own world or in their own "project". I honestly did not like it. I was still attending societies that developed my leadership, managerial and organisational skills. At uni I enjoyed more than everything presenting my work and solving problems to my and my coursemates' projects and briefly explaining them through rough sketches where they are wrong in my opinion and what they need to change. It happened that many people liked my ideas and they were implementing them in their designs. Moreover, I liked group projects where I was always taking the leader's role and helping my groupmates. Sometimes though, I was thinking that my coursemates are not really ambitions because they were too stressed about uni. They weren't even sleeping and eating properly, and in your 20s that's disturbing considering the unhelathy inpact on body and mind.
However, Architecture as a course did not let me feel as active, as I used to be. I enjoyed diversity in studying different subjects at school because it was broadening my horizon. Apparently, in my course I felt more repetitive work and focused on nothing else but Architecture and all this reflected a lot on my personality and my confidence. Believe me, feeling active and surrounded always by new information, makes me productive and I give 100% of myself.
Anyway, I graduated after 3 years of studies and did many internships during my summers, as well as I was participating architectural workshops. I started my year out experience but I realise I am keen on the management side - meeting with clients, presenting and giving solutions.
I am thinking of a career switch, where I can develop my peronal skills and complement my interests. Next year I am considering to do my Masters and I am writing to you to ask for an advice.
What would you suggest me to study after Architecture and which courses do you think will appreciate a person with an academic background in archhitecture and extracurricular experience in leader and management positions? I have read different articles about making a career switch from Architecture to filming, writing, involving yourself with technologies and so on, but I am not interested in this, so it will not be an option.
I am just in this position where, I am still young (21) and do not want to end up losing my time in a field where I do not feel satisfied because I won't feel productive and there won't be any benefit neither for me, nor for my current or prospect employers.
PS: I know many people here judge a lot and if anyone who would like judge me, would like to comment... I would kindly ask to appreciate your time and keep your comment for someone else.
I would honestly offer the advice of working a bit in whatever it is you want to do. This will accomplish two things, you'll see first hand if your expectations match the reality of whatever field you are interested in and you might either choose a different field and be able to get a masters in that or you might find out that you don't even need to get another degree and save yourself the debt. In terms of not wasting your time or money I'd recommend it. Jumping to a masters means that without even experiencing what working is truly like you've taken a leap of faith and invested all options into one area that could be entirely disagreeable to you.
Sounds like you thought you wanted to do architecture, but the reality (as is often the case) is quite different to the romanticised version.
You're young. You should be travelling the world to broaden your thinking, and in doing so perhaps understand where you may be able to contribute to society.
I'd also ask...have you worked a crappy job in your life yet? Like, flipping burgers, working on a checkout at a supermarket or something?
You don't have a career at 21... only a few choice internships. Take a few years off and try to get into an office that will let you see every step in a project. Don't just blindly jump to an M.arch until you know more about what we do.
You can always use your m.arch SOP to seek broader horizons for thesis research.
Thank you to all the people who answered.
I forgot to add that the country I'm coming from it's unacceptable to finish university only with bachelors and it's even more unacceptable to travel around the world on your own (especially if you are a girl) and especially when you don't have your own capital of money. Less or more it is considered as waste of time accompanied by waste of money. I have been raised in a society where people plan their life in advance and invest in their future life with a good education. It's about the proportions in life. It's the mathematics in life : youth+hard work=good old years.
Don't judge, it's just a cultural difference and I'm 21, so it will be difficult to change my mindset and I do think it is dangerous.
*I do think it is dangerous to travel alone. Also, I'm scared to be alone and maybe the fact that architecture is less or more for introverts, contributed to my situation.
Well that's a bit of a catch 22 from what I can understand. How are you supposed to have an idea of what you would ACTUALLY like to do in life without experiencing life first? Generally, I think anyone who locks on to a career straight out of school is in for a hard time. It took me 10 years out of high school to start studying architecture, and thankfully so... I would not have had the motivation, the appreciation of alternate work (crap alternate work!), the understanding and interest in culture that all spurs me on as an architect.
Then again, culturally I had the freedom to make my own choices (totally floundering/messing around for a decade) and didn't owe some sort of baggage/debt to my family.
Or just try to please everyone, force yourself to fit in and marry, settle down and be a stay at home mum and be miserable for the rest of your life and complain about it on archinect. It's up to you, every other week or so you make a similar post on here, use the advice people try to give you or not...I'll await your next post in a week or two where you are tired of your career being a consultant or something. This is pointless.
First, yes I have opened a few topics and second I didn't know there is a limitation. I don't find anything bad in asking for advice not for someone judging me due to the fact I'm kinda lost right now. Asking for an advice from people who are more experienced than me is actually the best thing a young person can do. I am happy that you have spent your life not regreting your education and career choice but this doesn't give you the right to be so rude. I don't know if you are a woman or a man but there is nothing miserable in a woman to be the two main things she has to be - a mother and a wife. Do you consider your mom being miserable because she formed a family with your dad and you came up? Pretty sad to hear these kind of words from people like you.
It's just that you seem unwilling to make the changes you say you want to make and instead open a thread about your issues every other week, nothing really changes, and you come up with excuses like cultural background etc, they are only limitations if you allow them to be, look at Malalia. Just do something, writing lengthy posts here isn't going to change anything for you...it's only going to make you more miserable reading all these advices and doing nothing in return. You're not 21 forever, whatever the store wants you to believe...
I didn't mean to be rude but just not sugarcoat it. There's nothing wrong with being a mother or a wife if that's what you want to be. But if you don't want to be just a mum or a wife there's tons of other things you could be doing as well. I'm actually a part-time stay at home dad, raising my son while my girlfriend brings home the best bacon, so I know of the importance of family, sacrifice and dedication. Just go for it and stop whining :-)
Have you considered something like real estate company? Or be a manager in a large architecture firm. There is no easy job for a young graduate to be a leader, but architecture as a industry is certainly much more than designing projects
Fuck cultural limitations. If you want to travel and take some time to plan ahead, then do it. Don't use that as an excuse to stay the course if you have doubts.
Sounds like you want to be a project manager. Architects do take on this role in smaller practices but in larger ones its often left to a specialist project manager. Look into getting a qualification in that perhaps.
I was considering doing an MBA or project management but still wanted to read what people might have to say.
Agree - what you describe is a project manager. You could do this either within an architecture office (so, M.Arch) or within a contractors office (maybe a construction management type degree?) Only thing is no one will let you manage a project until you have some experience...working on projects. So it might take you some time to get where you want to be, and it's going to be at a job not with another degree.
Whatever you do, I suspect further education would likely find you in a similar position you are in now.
You could stay on a merry-go-round of study - work - start to dislike work - change career/study.
And that may be fine. Young people are meant to have multiple careers, statistically speaking.
I would recommend it a good idea to take a pause, a year or two, to work somewhere unrelated, perhaps part time, perhaps volunteer somewhere in your other time, perhaps travel a little. It's the perspective gained through the time you would give yourself to contemplate that would be invaluable.
Lastly- think it's reasonably offensive for you to say a women needs to be the two main things etc, a mother and a wife... So many assumptions there that would bear thinking about. Like I said, perspective.
Do your Masters in Real Estate Development!