Evil Top Ten list – I hate you | Life of an Architect

Evil Top Ten list – I hate you

On March 22, 2010, in Career, Life in General, My Work, Observations, by Bob Borson

Julius Caesar

I have been struggling lately with a post I wrote some time ago about the top ten reasons to not be an architect and the top ten reasons to be an architect. When I wrote these, it was a response to another blog I saw where the author was really down on the profession of architecture and had prepared a list of reasons why someone should not consider architecture as a career. I thought the list was terrible and when I finished reading the list, I determined that he must not be a very good architect; if your terrible at your job, you probably don’t like it regardless of what it is. Right?

The only way I would write my own reasons for not being an architect would be after I had written one containing a list of reasons why you should be an architect – so that’s what I did. The problem since then is that these are the two most popular posts (or at least the most viewed) I have written – with the list of reasons NOT to be an architect in the lead – by a mile.

“Et tu Brute?”

Shakespeare wrote this now famous line describing the moment when Julius Caesar saw Brutus amongst the traitors who stabbed him; in my case, the role of Julius Caesar will be played by Architecture, I will be Brutus, and the first post I read that led to me writing my own list of reasons will be Cassius. If I remember my history, things did not go well for Brutus and he took his own life.

In the 23 days since I wrote the first list, it has had almost 8,000 views (that I know of). I have been contacted by several other sites asking if they could copy the list and add their own comments. A German design magazine wants to run it in their magazine. In addition, I know that it’s also been published in Italy, Portugal, and Brazil. At first I was really excited because I had just started writing my blog and these lists were generating a tremendous amount of interest in my site which lead to them being exposed to my other posts. I had no expectation that these two posts would be popular and quite honestly, I didn’t have anything clever to write about so I took the easy road and wrote these top ten lists.

Maybe the reason I feel so guilty about writing the list of reasons not to be an architect is that despite being a party to trashing the profession that I love, I am happy that people have found my blog. I told someone just a few days ago that I write my posts for other people to read and that it was important to me to get more and more people reading this blog, otherwise I should just keep a diary. I care about what I write and I want people to feel something when they read it – move them to thinking or understanding something differently. To stop writting now seems unfathomable, but maybe I am at a crossroads. Do I keep writing and try to stay relevant so people are interested and keep coming, keep writing but at my own pace and schedule (and unplug from the para-metrics that tell me if anyone is coming and what they are reading), or quit all together.

I’m not sure what I’d vote for just now, but I never thought that what people wanted from me the most was a top ten list…..I feel cheap, like veneer…

So if your reading this post, I would like for every architect (or architect in training) to list one reason in the comment section below, or email me at bob@lifeofanarchitect.com, about what you like about being in this profession. I will collect all the answers and publish them. Since I have so many readers from non-english speaking countries, I will do my best to translate your comment.

Thanks.

About the author

Bob Borson

Dallas architect who specializes in modern design. I'm AIA, Leed AP, NCARB certified, and previous Dallas AIA Young Architect of the Year (2009).

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Tagged with: Top Ten lists

8dogsbarking

The one thing I enjoyed doing is getting engrossed in a design problem with a coworker who was on the same page as myself, but alas, all I do is manage pumped up egos with large wallets and little minds. I am Architecture’s victim. To wait 30 years to do what I like is lunacy. Architects shouldn’t be called on to manage projects, it strips our soul of the innocence that allow us to create beautiful, sublime spaces.
Publicweb

I hate Architecture. It is the shittyest profession in the world. Yes I am Ncarb, AIA registered in three states. Now this shitty profession has caused me to lose my home and any form of security that I thought I had. You are better off working at mcdonalds After 10 yearss of education and 3 years of internship and 9 f’ing test. I made $23,000 last year. The same amount I made part time in school to become an architect. Yes I saw that you said that the guy that hated architecture was a not a very good architect. Maybe so or not. I have won multipule awards, done cumminity service projects gotten lots of press. I have done an average of 60 projects per year for ten years running before THEY F’ed up the finincal system. I say this world deserves the very shitty buildings that they get. Architects are not valued in this world and that is why all these stupid up start churches are in prefab metal buildings. That is a world that they can have. I hope that they enjoy it. I will evelate my soul cutting grass for the city while These stupid asses rot in their cheap uninteresting prefab metal buildings. I do not reccomend this stupid profession to anyone. Except those that like Talkitecture. Talk about it and sound cool and educated.
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

I am very sorry to hear that things have/ are going so poorly and thank you for sharing your experience and story. People need to hear both sides of the story and yours is certainly different from my own experience.

All the best to you, I hope you find something that makes you happy.
http://twitter.com/LansingAtDCCADD Lansing Pugh

Yes, well, of course, this is just the sort blinkered philistine pig ignorance I’ve come to expect from you non-creative garbage. You sit there on your loathsome, spotty behinds squeezing blackheads, not caring a tinker’s cuss about the struggling artist. You excrement! You lousy hypocritical whining toadies with your lousy colour TV sets and your Tony Jacklin golf clubs and your bleeding masonic handshakes! You wouldn’t let me join, would you, you blackballing bastards. Well I wouldn’t become a freemason now if you went down on your lousy, stinking, purulent knees and begged me.
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

Lansing,
Ha! – at first I didn’t understand your response and I thought, has his profile been hacked? Now I realize this is a fairly accurate recreation of the ‘Architect’s Sketch’ from Monty Python when John Cleese berates his clients for not understanding or valuing the design he created for them.

Whew! Nicely done.
izzy darlow

wow.

Know that It’s not my intention to be vulgar, and I don’t say this flippantly (to you or Publicweb) but if a wound’s festering and gangrenous, It’s time to consider amputation.

With that, the thing that I like most about the profession is the fact that it uses all of my mental and physical faculties. What’s great about this characteristic, is the fact that it isn’t dependent upon any specific outcome of any application of those faculties.

Hopefully, that makes sense.

Anyway…
archiblech

I like being an architect, but I do not enjoy interacting with the older generation of female architects. Mainly the ones who have reached a position of authority. Maybe they are so aggressive, and have a by “hook or crook” attitude because they are in a male dominated profession, and have been conditioned to think this way. However that doesn’t give you the right to be unethical, manipulative, and just plain rude and unpleasant. This is why I don’t enjoy being an architect. Because as a female, with a strong personality, I seem to run into this problem at every firm. Usually every one else loves having me around, except that one women. All I want is to be able to practice architecture, get along with my co-workers, and walk by you without feeling nauseous. Architecture really is an inbred society, where architects work, befriend, and marry other architects. However, you rarely see “Ms. Ima Architect, at the happy hour. That’s because you burned your own bridge, trying to prove what a hard ass you are.
shtrum

Hi Bob.

Ran across your site from somewhere else about a week ago, and have been perusing old posts during my lunch hour. This one in particular spoke to me.

At 46 years old, i may be done with architecture. Have done the firm thing, non-profit urban renewal thing, competitions, etc.. Long story short, it’s just not fun anymore. And with this economy, prior problems that were once cracks in the profession are now showing up as fractures (especially in your city, where i’ve heard mention that 50% of Dallas architects lost their jobs). So it’s not surprising that your most popular post dealt with the negatives.

That said, i’ll toss in one thing i like/dislike about the profession. Like: the dual right side/left side brain thing, of taking a creative concept and making it real. Dislike: the (unfortunate) issue that this rarely actually happens.

So anyway, look forward to more posts. BTW, my 2 sons are also into the hex bug phenomena (na? non?) . . . i agree, they are way cool.
archamy

Bob-

I am a 34 year old woman who just graduated with my Masters Degree in architecture. This is for several reasons actually…. I got married and had children young and am now developing my career. You could say that I went about it ‘backwards’. Husband and kids came first and then college…. What I love the most about architecture, personally, is that I have lived a lot of life at 34 and architecture gives me a creative outlet that is reflective of that. I have two beautiful daughters and a loving, supportive husband of 11 years and I believe that my design aesthetic has been made better, earlier in my development as an architect. I truly love the creative process and the kinetic energy that explodes through my brain when I feel like I am ‘on’ to something…..

What do I dislike…. I dislike basic office politics and the ‘red tape’ of building code. I believe the building codes are good for human protection but when the code becomes directive and all-consuming the project suffers. I wish, here in America any way, that the building code and the creative process could strike more of a balance…… utopia, I know, but a girl can always dream!
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

and what a dream that is! but it sure sounds good to me
http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com Bob Borson

things are definitely tough and nobody I know would think twice about hanging it up if it’s not fun anymore. Most of the time I can write off the pay and the hours because other things make up for it – mostly I enjoy what I do and find it rewarding. You take those last two out of the mix and I would find something else to do as well.

Best of luck