I have realised that I am not smart enough to be a successful architect. By observing other people in the office it seems that being a smooth talker, great marketer and skilled negotiator is a minimum requirement to make it in this profession. Myself I am a hard worker, but with little social skills and mediocre talent. Sounds like the typical CAD monkey right? Well that's what I am doing, right out of school.
What other career options related to architecture are there for someone like me? Perhaps something more technical like construction management, cost estimating, spec writing? How does one make the transition?
geezertect
Nov 4, 17 6:00 pm
Plenty of different skill sets in this profession. You may think you don't have the gift of BS, etc., but after you've been at it a while and have honed your technical knowledge, you may surprise yourself and find that your self-confidence turns you into a success without your realizing it.
The question is never whether you are smart enough to be an architect, but whether you are dumb enough to want to be one.
AlinaF
Nov 4, 17 6:22 pm
It then seems that I am dumber than the dumb people who have chosen to go into this profession. If I am stuck doing the boring dirty work all my life then I might as well switch to a more lucrative job, like estimating.
thatsthat
Nov 5, 17 9:06 pm
You should be a CAD monkey right out of school because most schools don't really teach their students much of value. Therefore your biggest contribution at the moment is your CAD skills. As you get more involved in the process, and further into your career, you'll gain a larger understanding of how things really work. Like geezertect put it, you'll gain self-confidence as you learn more. You'll be a CAD monkey your entire career if you choose not to better yourself or make an effort to learn.
archi_dude
Nov 4, 17 6:01 pm
Construction Management - look for entry “project engineer” jobs or work for a contractor Cost estimating - take a few courses from a CC, work for a contractor, then work for constructiin firms Spec writing - Dear lord why? But anyway you could just do that at your firm since no one wants that gig. Anyway all those options might be a slight drop in pay but will easily in a few years rocket you past mid-career architect salaries...except spec writer unless you made a consulting business.
Miles Jaffe
Nov 4, 17 7:07 pm
What you've realized without knowing it is that you are too smart to be an architect. Lots of people spend decades grinding out other people's crap before they wake up. Congrats.
x-jla
Nov 6, 17 8:40 pm
+++Miles
randomised
Nov 5, 17 2:44 pm
Sorry to break it to you, but you'll also have to be a smooth talker, great marketer and skilled negotiator if you want to be successful at construction management. The only spec writer I know hardly talks, just looks at drawings with the occasional phone call for clarification although mostly emails, doesn't know how to sell himself besides doing quality work and doesn't negotiate (his fees). Don't know how to get his kind of job though, it never interested me...Cost estimators? No clue what they do, but it's always too low to create architecture.
zonker
Nov 5, 17 5:38 pm
I'm an average Joe that works for an "A" player genius architect with an "A" player genius co-worker - they both think i'm dummern a rock - but I do all the heavy Revit lifting - if one of them starts doing my work, then i'm a redundancy and I will have to "resign in disgrace"
archi_dude
Nov 5, 17 10:04 pm
Xenakis, why do you do this to yourself with all your jobs? You've posted before in detail about what you do, you'd be so valued and appreciated in so many firms. Even if it just Revit you really do know what you are doing and in this job market some really good firms would be happy to have you.
s=r*(theta)
Nov 7, 17 12:06 pm
X, Why havent you got your license yet? Man! you cud teach revit partime at some tech school and get your license as well and move up to a pm or maybe even run the production department at some of these boutique firms. I started my career as an autcad nut. worked for 4yrs as a drafter til one day I saw the work up the ladder in arch is dead, so i just manned up and went back to school and finished my degree and just recently my license.
AlinaF
Nov 13, 17 9:38 am
S=r*(theta) did getting your license get you any further or you still doing CAD most of the time?
s=r*(theta)
Nov 13, 17 1:46 pm
Although I still do a lot of "heavy lifting" of "cad work", Yes, getting the license is the fundamental essential of what is expected of you as an architect from you employer, client, colleagues and yourself. the difference between my and your "cad work" for the most part is I am either handed a project (sometimes from scratch, sometimes at SD, sometimes at DD) w/ program criteria, financials, deadline etc.and told see you when cd's are 95% complete. were you are probably handed a sheet of
redlines and expected to pick them up
zonker
Nov 5, 17 10:22 pm
Arch-dude - true - the traditional architects, I've always had trouble with - I work best with young architects who understand BIM and don't see it as a duscombulated hurricane of chaos - this is 2017, not 1992 -
zonker
Nov 5, 17 10:23 pm
Arch-dude - true - the traditional architects, I've always had trouble with - I work best with young architects who understand BIM and don't see it as a duscombulated hurricane of chaos - this is 2017, not 1992 -
s=r*(theta)
Nov 7, 17 12:09 pm
why dont you learn both? autocad
and revit, I mean truth be told, and im making this stat up, but it seems firms are using revit but only 18% or less actually using bim and probaly on 4% of projects. correct me if im wrong. but bim and revit are 2 diff things.
Ben Hensel
Nov 6, 17 11:30 am
I'm sorry to hear that you feel architecture is not right for you, though I hope your decision is not being made based on insecurities. I too have had similar feelings in the past, though almost all of the time its just an illusion put fourth by anxiety. Truth is, every one of us is a schmuck, and those architects who you perceive to be better than also face struggles and have short comings. Honestly, you probably will be better equipped than many to be an architect with the technical experience you are gaining. Learning to be confident in yourself and take a risk will be what moves you forward.
That being said, if you are interested in other professions around architecture, I can think of a few. MEP's are needed right now. Out here in Indiana, its very hard to find one who is dedicated to architecture. The other commenters are also right about Revit - you can easily find a job specializing in that tool, and you will be compensated very well. Even working for a contractor for a while is a great option.
Getting started is hard, but almost none of us completely know what we are doing when we begin. I hope all is well for you soon.
randomised
Nov 6, 17 2:42 pm
Getting started is hard, but almost none of us completely know what we are doing when we begin. I hope all is well for you soon.
I still don't know what I'm doing most of the time, there's no right or wrong way of doing things, it's about doing something instead of doing nothing and getting paid for that something...
I have realised that I am not smart enough to be a successful architect. By observing other people in the office it seems that being a smooth talker, great marketer and skilled negotiator is a minimum requirement to make it in this profession. Myself I am a hard worker, but with little social skills and mediocre talent. Sounds like the typical CAD monkey right? Well that's what I am doing, right out of school.
What other career options related to architecture are there for someone like me? Perhaps something more technical like construction management, cost estimating, spec writing? How does one make the transition?
Plenty of different skill sets in this profession. You may think you don't have the gift of BS, etc., but after you've been at it a while and have honed your technical knowledge, you may surprise yourself and find that your self-confidence turns you into a success without your realizing it.
The question is never whether you are smart enough to be an architect, but whether you are dumb enough to want to be one.
It then seems that I am dumber than the dumb people who have chosen to go into this profession. If I am stuck doing the boring dirty work all my life then I might as well switch to a more lucrative job, like estimating.
You should be a CAD monkey right out of school because most schools don't really teach their students much of value. Therefore your biggest contribution at the moment is your CAD skills. As you get more involved in the process, and further into your career, you'll gain a larger understanding of how things really work. Like geezertect put it, you'll gain self-confidence as you learn more. You'll be a CAD monkey your entire career if you choose not to better yourself or make an effort to learn.
Construction Management - look for entry “project engineer” jobs or work for a contractor
Cost estimating - take a few courses from a CC, work for a contractor, then work for constructiin firms
Spec writing - Dear lord why? But anyway you could just do that at your firm since no one wants that gig.
Anyway all those options might be a slight drop in pay but will easily in a few years rocket you past mid-career architect salaries...except spec writer unless you made a consulting business.
What you've realized without knowing it is that you are too smart to be an architect. Lots of people spend decades grinding out other people's crap before they wake up. Congrats.
+++Miles
Sorry to break it to you, but you'll also have to be a smooth talker, great marketer and skilled negotiator if you want to be successful at construction management. The only spec writer I know hardly talks, just looks at drawings with the occasional phone call for clarification although mostly emails, doesn't know how to sell himself besides doing quality work and doesn't negotiate (his fees). Don't know how to get his kind of job though, it never interested me...Cost estimators? No clue what they do, but it's always too low to create architecture.
I'm an average Joe that works for an "A" player genius architect with an "A" player genius co-worker - they both think i'm dummern a rock - but I do all the heavy Revit lifting - if one of them starts doing my work, then i'm a redundancy and I will have to "resign in disgrace"
Xenakis, why do you do this to yourself with all your jobs? You've posted before in detail about what you do, you'd be so valued and appreciated in so many firms. Even if it just Revit you really do know what you are doing and in this job market some really good firms would be happy to have you.
X, Why havent you got your license yet? Man! you cud teach revit partime at some tech school and get your license as well and move up to a pm or maybe even run the production department at some of these boutique firms. I started my career as an autcad nut. worked for 4yrs as a drafter til one day I saw the work up the ladder in arch is dead, so i just manned up and went back to school and finished my degree and just recently my license.
S=r*(theta) did getting your license get you any further or you still doing CAD most of the time?
Although I still do a lot of "heavy lifting" of "cad work", Yes, getting the license is the fundamental essential of what is expected of you as an architect from you employer, client, colleagues and yourself. the difference between my and your "cad work" for the most part is I am either handed a project (sometimes from scratch, sometimes at SD, sometimes at DD) w/ program criteria, financials, deadline etc.and told see you when cd's are 95% complete. were you are probably handed a sheet of redlines and expected to pick them up
Arch-dude - true - the traditional architects, I've always had trouble with - I work best with young architects who understand BIM and don't see it as a duscombulated hurricane of chaos - this is 2017, not 1992 -
Arch-dude - true - the traditional architects, I've always had trouble with - I work best with young architects who understand BIM and don't see it as a duscombulated hurricane of chaos - this is 2017, not 1992 -
why dont you learn both? autocad and revit, I mean truth be told, and im making this stat up, but it seems firms are using revit but only 18% or less actually using bim and probaly on 4% of projects. correct me if im wrong. but bim and revit are 2 diff things.
I'm sorry to hear that you feel architecture is not right for you, though I hope your decision is not being made based on insecurities. I too have had similar feelings in the past, though almost all of the time its just an illusion put fourth by anxiety. Truth is, every one of us is a schmuck, and those architects who you perceive to be better than also face struggles and have short comings. Honestly, you probably will be better equipped than many to be an architect with the technical experience you are gaining. Learning to be confident in yourself and take a risk will be what moves you forward.
That being said, if you are interested in other professions around architecture, I can think of a few. MEP's are needed right now. Out here in Indiana, its very hard to find one who is dedicated to architecture. The other commenters are also right about Revit - you can easily find a job specializing in that tool, and you will be compensated very well. Even working for a contractor for a while is a great option.
Getting started is hard, but almost none of us completely know what we are doing when we begin. I hope all is well for you soon.
Getting started is hard, but almost none of us completely know what we are doing when we begin. I hope all is well for you soon.
I still don't know what I'm doing most of the time, there's no right or wrong way of doing things, it's about doing something instead of doing nothing and getting paid for that something...
Oh, Hi.