I just wanted to ask if anyone else hate their career. I have been working for three years and I cant find any meaning in this job. I find it depressive to repeat over and over again concept designs until you impress the boss. Also when the boss totally ignores that you have put effort and just brainstorm something else. Finally when the clients don't know what they want and they make you go through hell until they decide they want the most simple and most afforable house ever.. Finally the most interesting part in this shitty process would be the structure, the representation and the 3D visuals! anyone feeling the same?
poop876
Jun 27, 19 3:51 pm
No! You are old enough to know that you don't always get a cookie for your efforts.
Non Sequitur
Jun 27, 19 4:11 pm
Nope, not here. Quit now or find another office to work at.
senjohnblutarsky
Jun 27, 19 4:35 pm
I avoid residential work for some of these reasons. Find a different job. There's plenty of good, engaging work out there.
lindaa123
Jun 28, 19 2:47 am
most buildings here are residential. but thats not the point. its the process it takes months to go forward and backward
senjohnblutarsky
Jun 28, 19 7:08 am
You’re concerned about a few months?? When I left my previous job in 2015, we still had a job from 2007 active in the office. The office I switched to had an active project from 2004. Some projects linger. Facts of life. But a couple months of back and forth is laughable. I’ve had owners sit on drawings for a couple months before they even looked at them.
RJ87
Feb 5, 21 9:56 am
The joke in our office is that almost everyone has that one project that they can't get to go away. Whether is soils, the city, a bald eagle living on site, etc. We call them career jobs, they're inevitable.
midlander
Jun 27, 19 9:22 pm
nope, lots of fun stuff to do. try a different office working on projects you admire.
OneLostArchitect
Jun 27, 19 9:27 pm
switch jobs. You will be happier
lindaa123
Jun 28, 19 2:35 am
i only have architecture degree so the other option would be to serve coffee
SneakyPete
Jun 28, 19 2:09 pm
Switch JOBS, not careers.
reminiscences
Jun 27, 19 10:10 pm
Maybe it's helpful to analyze why you're idea wasn't picked by your team/boss. That would help you grow and come up with smarter solutions and gain more knowledge/solve more complex problems. If you're producing better solutions than everyone and it's still not getting picked because of my way or the highway attitude from senior staff-its time to find a new office. That rarely happens in my experience, unless the office is hell-bent on losing money or has too egoistic an approach.
I've rarely had dull days in my career, where I wasn't challenged with something new to solve everyday working with some really smart and driven people.
lindaa123
Jun 28, 19 2:33 am
its not that someones else idea is picked an dnot mine. Also here we work on Bim and i feel like im good at it and im kind of in my comfort zone, so i dont learn the actual architecture. so option do i stay in a place with a good boss, relative good salary (in this country speaking ) and learn nothing concptual or go to another firm which they focus more on building and ideas? so that i can gain confidence and take some projects on my own too and get be more in dependent money wise too
lindaa123
Jun 28, 19 2:34 am
although the next boss could be an asshole?
lindaa123
Jun 28, 19 2:32 am
its not that someones else idea is picked an dnot mine. Also here we work on Bim and i feel like im good at it and im kind of in my comfort zone, so i dont learn the actual architecture. so option do i stay in a place with a good boss, relative good salary (in this country speaking ) and learn nothing concptual or go to another firm which they focus more on building and ideas? so that i can gain confidence and take some projects on my own too and get be more in dependent money wise too
randomised
Jun 28, 19 4:26 am
If you don’t like what you’re doing do something about it.
lindaa123
Jun 28, 19 4:48 am
like what?
randomised
Jun 28, 19 5:50 am
change attitude, jobs or careers...
Non Sequitur
Jun 28, 19 6:09 am
^in that specific order.
lindaa123
Jun 28, 19 7:00 am
attitude and job maybe its an option although not sure about that either. but i cant change career now I'm 30. I will have to spent another 5 years in education and waste more money. hopefully one day i will be at a place i feel safe and bored!! this degree ruined my adult life.
Non Sequitur
Jun 28, 19 7:28 am
Maybe you need to re-evaluate your expectations before going all nuclear on the profession.
lindaa123
Jun 28, 19 8:12 am
correction: not bored
1likejam
Jun 28, 19 8:35 am
it sounds like your just making excuses. your rebuttal to every suggestion is essentially "I can't because its too hard/too much work/ it might be worse" . If you dont like the type of work your office does ; move to an office that works in different sectors or works in a different. If you don't like the profession, change jobs to a related field without needing to retrain. if you dont like architecture then move to another field.
poop876
Jun 28, 19 10:35 am
Too late to change careers at 30? Get the fuck out! My wife changed her career at 35 because she wasn't happy with her old one! What about people that move in their 40's, 50's to different country and start from scratch. You are just finding excuses not to do shit!
lindaa123
Jun 28, 19 4:18 pm
moving country is an option in any age and i think its good. but to change career you need these :money, 5 year to waste, people who will support you and patience. what was ur wife old career and what's her new?
Everyday Architect
Jun 28, 19 4:30 pm
"but to change career you need [to stop making excuses and get to work]" ... fify
randomised
Jun 28, 19 5:57 pm
"Working out of the Box is a series of features presenting architects who have applied their architecture backgrounds to alternative career paths."
midlander
Jun 28, 19 10:14 pm
whining on the internet is boring and meaningless.
just... go do something fun, stop thinking about work. reflect a bit why you insist on pretending you are trapped when you literally are free to change.
if you can't find anything you want to do outside work for a break maybe this is a more serious problem that needs support from someone who knows you well.
N.TW
Jun 29, 19 12:46 am
I think everyone has a feeling of hopelessness from time to time. Remember it’s just a job and if you make time outside of work to do things you love it helps a lot. Also like I have to remind myself exercise is so important. And you are not stuck at this job. I have been working for about 5 years out of school now and have one built project which I managed from day 1. I still do not get a huge input on the initial design and it’s something I recognize I need a lot of work to grow and get skilled with. I work with some amazingly talented people who are great at developing ideas initially. But they have been doing it for 20 plus years. So take a step back, take a vacation...find a hobby. Don’t give up yet, give it a little more time. Try to enjoy the weekend!
lindaa123
Jun 29, 19 4:08 am
thank you for yout positive words! i know exersice helps alot but it doesnt solve the actual issue. It's great that you find your co workers talented. I dont find mine anything but competitive. plus we are only 3 people. anyway i just wanted to talk to people who can understand me. sorry for the negativity. There's alot of opportunities out there and i will
lindaa123
Jun 29, 19 4:10 am
i will manage to find it*
G4tor
Jun 29, 19 2:09 am
Everything becomes boring and meaningless after a while...
eg15
Jul 1, 19 10:44 am
When I got bored at my last firm, I changed jobs and got interested again. The different type of projects seemed to suit me better. I guess this is what I would do if I were you.
I'm not quite sure what kind of 'meaning' you are looking for in architecture. I believe 99% of the jobs (not just in architecture) are meaningless, and its fine. Make sure that your job/career isn't the only thing that defines YOU. Find 'meaning' outside of your office.
The idea that one should love their job is a very recent conception.
tduds
Feb 4, 21 2:38 pm
Derailing this slightly - I think the sentiments in this thread are representative of the Great Lie told to so many in our generation: Do something you love and you'll never "work" a day in your life.
That's absolute bullshit and it's time to drop it. Every job is still a job, and even the most rewarding thing in the world has its fair share of hard, frustrating days. The real advice is to realize that, no matter what you do, a significant chunk of your work is going to be hard work. Ideally, you'll find a career that you're so engaged in that you can handle with the 75% of it that sucks because the other 25% is life-affirming. That's where I'm at with Architecture. It's a huge part of my identity and my greatest passion, but it's also just a damn job.
square.
Feb 4, 21 2:48 pm
yes, yes, yes. i like to think our (assuming you're a millennial) generation is doing a lot to unpack this myth, or at the least is beginning to question is seriously for the first time in a few generations (the assumption used to be, before the mid 20th century, that most work sucked, although there is a lot of interesting debate here in labor and socialist intellectuals between those who think work provides some inherent dignity-morris, marx, etc- and those who argue for a more broad reduction in work- think more recent ubi discussions).
some more reading: the new republic has had a great series on this called "work sucks;" i highly recommend.
Only recently I came to realise that for most architects architecture is an end, but for everyone else that hires architects, it is just a means to an end...
Wood Guy
Feb 4, 21 5:07 pm
Rando, most architects get mad when I say that design is just the first part of a construction project. But thinking of it that way doesn't diminish the architecture, it just puts it into perspective.
citizen
Feb 4, 21 3:44 pm
Fill in the blank:
Working as a(n) ___________________ is boring and meaningless. Sometimes. Or most times. Depending on the situation. And the person.
b3tadine[sutures]
Feb 4, 21 3:51 pm
Working as an assassin is never boring and meaningless. Sometimes. Or most times. Depending on the situation. And the person.
tduds
Feb 4, 21 4:08 pm
You know how much of being an assassin is just waiting around?
citizen
Feb 4, 21 4:08 pm
"You gotta be kidding me. Yet another foreign dictator who's ticked off a shadow government... blah blah blah. So, which disguise this time? Hipster rabbi, elderly barista, or brainy cheerleader? And maybe I'll use the garrote this time; my silencer's on the fritz. (BOOM BOOM! That was embarrassing; my bad!) Another day, another dollar...."
JLC-1
Feb 4, 21 4:30 pm
you guys have to watch AVA.
Wood Guy
Feb 4, 21 5:05 pm
Tduds, my thoughts exactly, watching every semi-realistic-seeming assassin show or movie ever. Sooo much sitting around and waiting.
citizen
Feb 4, 21 5:13 pm
Just watched the trailer, JLC. Fantastic cast! I think I will watch it...
SneakyPete
Feb 5, 21 2:26 pm
Killing Eve is decent, too.
JLC-1
Feb 4, 21 5:38 pm
I think ++ is the fastest ignore user I've done in here, what a boring prick.
Chad Miller
Feb 4, 21 6:02 pm
It could be worse - he could be a cowardly troll like you ++. Lets see some of your great design work. Post up or shut up.
x-jla
Feb 4, 21 6:34 pm
++, it sounds more like a you problem. The ability to find meaning and awe in the ordinary is not a flaw, it’s a quality, maybe even the purpose of this all.
Chad Miller
Feb 4, 21 6:41 pm
Oh be quite you sad little cowardly anonymous troll.
square.
Feb 4, 21 7:51 pm
fastest climbing of the dunking pyramid, too.
Everyday Architect
Feb 4, 21 8:52 pm
Oh man, I missed the escalation into the ban/nuke.
tduds
Feb 4, 21 9:00 pm
Wow that happened fast.
Non Sequitur
Feb 4, 21 9:12 pm
Not sure where ++ came from... it was an account from 2005 with only 2 comments (from that time) prior to today's rant(s).
square.
Feb 5, 21 9:19 am
sort of sad- i thought i had some good comments in there.
monosierra
Feb 5, 21 9:55 am
Sounded like a FOG employee or fan who took things too personally.
JLC-1
Feb 5, 21 4:29 pm
what happened?
monosierra
Feb 5, 21 5:34 pm
++ got banned I guess?
quasi-arch
Feb 4, 21 9:58 pm
Threads like this come up pretty often on this forum, and I watch with interest as I share some of the sentiments. That said, genuinely asking how any of you have adjusted your attitude or expectations to counteract the negativity (see other thread titled this haha). I’ve certainly become more pessimistic over the years and possibly short-tempered during the pandemic...
square.
Feb 5, 21 9:22 am
i would read the new republic article i posted above, seconding tduds dismantling of the myth of "do what you love." there's no need to conceive of architecture as your ultimate passion; unfortunately this attitude is cultivated in school, and leads to the type of disillusionment you're experiencing. i've absolutely been there, and am still there some days, but what has helped me is re-framing my job as something that primarily provides for my needs, and occasionally offers something interesting, which is more than a lot of work can say. with this pressure off, it frees my expectations of the job, and also gives me bandwidth to pursue my other personal interests outside of work, the things that i really do for the love of it.
Non Sequitur
Feb 5, 21 9:22 am
strange, I've become much more optimistic.
quasi-arch
Feb 5, 21 11:29 am
square, thanks, I will check out that article. I'm definitely at the point where I can treat my job as a job, as you say, but I haven't yet felt the relief of the pressure. If anything, there's this constant, low-level of persistent stress about what I need to get done the next day or what CA disaster is about to arise... Is that occasional interesting/exciting experience or day worth it? I expect every job/profession has it's own package of monotony (grass is always greener...)
flatroof
Feb 5, 21 11:53 am
Depending on the type of work/office, that persistent stress never ends and just drains you the longer you stay at a job. Mainly the dread has made me lose focus and lose interest. Currently in TI/roll out hell and I'm just firing off sets one after the other each with its unique set of disasters. Wish my job was just monotonous 40hr weeks at this point. Sucks but I need to see the pandemic through to pay the bills and hiring picks back up again.
square.
Feb 5, 21 12:01 pm
i have to say, i have found a great work situation, which has reduced the stress greatly. i know a lot of offices aren't like this, but they do exist, and getting yourself in one can do a lot to change your situation.
Hi everyone
I just wanted to ask if anyone else hate their career. I have been working for three years and I cant find any meaning in this job. I find it depressive to repeat over and over again concept designs until you impress the boss. Also when the boss totally ignores that you have put effort and just brainstorm something else. Finally when the clients don't know what they want and they make you go through hell until they decide they want the most simple and most afforable house ever.. Finally the most interesting part in this shitty process would be the structure, the representation and the 3D visuals! anyone feeling the same?
No! You are old enough to know that you don't always get a cookie for your efforts.
Nope, not here. Quit now or find another office to work at.
I avoid residential work for some of these reasons. Find a different job. There's plenty of good, engaging work out there.
most buildings here are residential. but thats not the point. its the process it takes months to go forward and backward
You’re concerned about a few months?? When I left my previous job in 2015, we still had a job from 2007 active in the office. The office I switched to had an active project from 2004. Some projects linger. Facts of life. But a couple months of back and forth is laughable. I’ve had owners sit on drawings for a couple months before they even looked at them.
The joke in our office is that almost everyone has that one project that they can't get to go away. Whether is soils, the city, a bald eagle living on site, etc. We call them career jobs, they're inevitable.
nope, lots of fun stuff to do. try a different office working on projects you admire.
switch jobs. You will be happier
i only have architecture degree so the other option would be to serve coffee
Switch JOBS, not careers.
Maybe it's helpful to analyze why you're idea wasn't picked by your team/boss. That would help you grow and come up with smarter solutions and gain more knowledge/solve more complex problems. If you're producing better solutions than everyone and it's still not getting picked because of my way or the highway attitude from senior staff-its time to find a new office. That rarely happens in my experience, unless the office is hell-bent on losing money or has too egoistic an approach.
I've rarely had dull days in my career, where I wasn't challenged with something new to solve everyday working with some really smart and driven people.
its not that someones else idea is picked an dnot mine. Also here we work on Bim and i feel like im good at it and im kind of in my comfort zone, so i dont learn the actual architecture. so option do i stay in a place with a good boss, relative good salary (in this country speaking ) and learn nothing concptual or go to another firm which they focus more on building and ideas? so that i can gain confidence and take some projects on my own too and get be more in dependent money wise too
although the next boss could be an asshole?
its not that someones else idea is picked an dnot mine. Also here we work on Bim and i feel like im good at it and im kind of in my comfort zone, so i dont learn the actual architecture. so option do i stay in a place with a good boss, relative good salary (in this country speaking ) and learn nothing concptual or go to another firm which they focus more on building and ideas? so that i can gain confidence and take some projects on my own too and get be more in dependent money wise too
If you don’t like what you’re doing do something about it.
like what?
change attitude, jobs or careers...
^in that specific order.
attitude and job maybe its an option although not sure about that either. but i cant change career now I'm 30. I will have to spent another 5 years in education and waste more money. hopefully one day i will be at a place i feel safe and bored!! this degree ruined my adult life.
Maybe you need to re-evaluate your expectations before going all nuclear on the profession.
correction: not bored
it sounds like your just making excuses. your rebuttal to every suggestion is essentially "I can't because its too hard/too much work/ it might be worse" . If you dont like the type of work your office does ; move to an office that works in different sectors or works in a different. If you don't like the profession, change jobs to a related field without needing to retrain. if you dont like architecture then move to another field.
Too late to change careers at 30? Get the fuck out! My wife changed her career at 35 because she wasn't happy with her old one! What about people that move in their 40's, 50's to different country and start from scratch. You are just finding excuses not to do shit!
moving country is an option in any age and i think its good. but to change career you need these :money, 5 year to waste, people who will support you and patience. what was ur wife old career and what's her new?
"but to change career you need [to stop making excuses and get to work]" ... fify
"Working out of the Box is a series of features presenting architects who have applied their architecture backgrounds to alternative career paths."
whining on the internet is boring and meaningless.
just... go do something fun, stop thinking about work. reflect a bit why you insist on pretending you are trapped when you literally are free to change.
if you can't find anything you want to do outside work for a break maybe this is a more serious problem that needs support from someone who knows you well.
I think everyone has a feeling of hopelessness from time to time. Remember it’s just a job and if you make time outside of work to do things you love it helps a lot. Also like I have to remind myself exercise is so important. And you are not stuck at this job. I have been working for about 5 years out of school now and have one built project which I managed from day 1. I still do not get a huge input on the initial design and it’s something I recognize I need a lot of work to grow and get skilled with. I work with some amazingly talented people who are great at developing ideas initially. But they have been doing it for 20 plus years. So take a step back, take a vacation...find a hobby. Don’t give up yet, give it a little more time. Try to enjoy the weekend!
thank you for yout positive words! i know exersice helps alot but it doesnt solve the actual issue. It's great that you find your co workers talented. I dont find mine anything but competitive. plus we are only 3 people. anyway i just wanted to talk to people who can understand me. sorry for the negativity. There's alot of opportunities out there and i will
i will manage to find it*
Everything becomes boring and meaningless after a while...
When I got bored at my last firm, I changed jobs and got interested again. The different type of projects seemed to suit me better. I guess this is what I would do if I were you.
I'm not quite sure what kind of 'meaning' you are looking for in architecture. I believe 99% of the jobs (not just in architecture) are meaningless, and its fine. Make sure that your job/career isn't the only thing that defines YOU. Find 'meaning' outside of your office.
The idea that one should love their job is a very recent conception.
Derailing this slightly - I think the sentiments in this thread are representative of the Great Lie told to so many in our generation: Do something you love and you'll never "work" a day in your life.
That's absolute bullshit and it's time to drop it. Every job is still a job, and even the most rewarding thing in the world has its fair share of hard, frustrating days. The real advice is to realize that, no matter what you do, a significant chunk of your work is going to be hard work. Ideally, you'll find a career that you're so engaged in that you can handle with the 75% of it that sucks because the other 25% is life-affirming. That's where I'm at with Architecture. It's a huge part of my identity and my greatest passion, but it's also just a damn job.
yes, yes, yes. i like to think our (assuming you're a millennial) generation is doing a lot to unpack this myth, or at the least is beginning to question is seriously for the first time in a few generations (the assumption used to be, before the mid 20th century, that most work sucked, although there is a lot of interesting debate here in labor and socialist intellectuals between those who think work provides some inherent dignity-morris, marx, etc- and those who argue for a more broad reduction in work- think more recent ubi discussions).
some more reading: the new republic has had a great series on this called "work sucks;" i highly recommend.
https://newrepublic.com/articl...
Only recently I came to realise that for most architects architecture is an end, but for everyone else that hires architects, it is just a means to an end...
Rando, most architects get mad when I say that design is just the first part of a construction project. But thinking of it that way doesn't diminish the architecture, it just puts it into perspective.
Fill in the blank:
Working as a(n) ___________________ is boring and meaningless. Sometimes. Or most times. Depending on the situation. And the person.
Working as an assassin is never boring and meaningless. Sometimes. Or most times. Depending on the situation. And the person.
You know how much of being an assassin is just waiting around?
"You gotta be kidding me. Yet another foreign dictator who's ticked off a shadow government... blah blah blah. So, which disguise this time? Hipster rabbi, elderly barista, or brainy cheerleader? And maybe I'll use the garrote this time; my silencer's on the fritz. (BOOM BOOM! That was embarrassing; my bad!) Another day, another dollar...."
you guys have to watch AVA.
Tduds, my thoughts exactly, watching every semi-realistic-seeming assassin show or movie ever. Sooo much sitting around and waiting.
Just watched the trailer, JLC. Fantastic cast! I think I will watch it...
Killing Eve is decent, too.
I think ++ is the fastest ignore user I've done in here, what a boring prick.
It could be worse - he could be a cowardly troll like you ++. Lets see some of your great design work. Post up or shut up.
++, it sounds more like a you problem. The ability to find meaning and awe in the ordinary is not a flaw, it’s a quality, maybe even the purpose of this all.
Oh be quite you sad little cowardly anonymous troll.
fastest climbing of the dunking pyramid, too.
Oh man, I missed the escalation into the ban/nuke.
Wow that happened fast.
Not sure where ++ came from... it was an account from 2005 with only 2 comments (from that time) prior to today's rant(s).
sort of sad- i thought i had some good comments in there.
Sounded like a FOG employee or fan who took things too personally.
what happened?
++ got banned I guess?
Threads like this come up pretty often on this forum, and I watch with interest as I share some of the sentiments. That said, genuinely asking how any of you have adjusted your attitude or expectations to counteract the negativity (see other thread titled this haha). I’ve certainly become more pessimistic over the years and possibly short-tempered during the pandemic...
i would read the new republic article i posted above, seconding tduds dismantling of the myth of "do what you love." there's no need to conceive of architecture as your ultimate passion; unfortunately this attitude is cultivated in school, and leads to the type of disillusionment you're experiencing. i've absolutely been there, and am still there some days, but what has helped me is re-framing my job as something that primarily provides for my needs, and occasionally offers something interesting, which is more than a lot of work can say. with this pressure off, it frees my expectations of the job, and also gives me bandwidth to pursue my other personal interests outside of work, the things that i really do for the love of it.
strange, I've become much more optimistic.
square, thanks, I will check out that article. I'm definitely at the point where I can treat my job as a job, as you say, but I haven't yet felt the relief of the pressure. If anything, there's this constant, low-level of persistent stress about what I need to get done the next day or what CA disaster is about to arise... Is that occasional interesting/exciting experience or day worth it? I expect every job/profession has it's own package of monotony (grass is always greener...)
Depending on the type of work/office, that persistent stress never ends and just drains you the longer you stay at a job. Mainly the dread has made me lose focus and lose interest. Currently in TI/roll out hell and I'm just firing off sets one after the other each with its unique set of disasters. Wish my job was just monotonous 40hr weeks at this point. Sucks but I need to see the pandemic through to pay the bills and hiring picks back up again.
i have to say, i have found a great work situation, which has reduced the stress greatly. i know a lot of offices aren't like this, but they do exist, and getting yourself in one can do a lot to change your situation.