Within the last few months, the number of emails I have received from people asking whether or not they should get out of architecture has been staggering. Equally surprising are the emails I receive that ask for direction on whether or not they should go into the field of architecture. The answer to both questions is easy –
Maybe.
For some people, the first question I ask them – the ender question, is always the same:
“Why do you want to be an architect?”
If the answer is I have always wanted to be an architect, I move on to the next few questions. A person’s motivation for becoming an architect is singularly important. I went to college to become an architect while my friends simply went to college. My resolve and dedication towards becoming an architect was tempered by many all-nighters, 207 credit hours (187 required for my degree), no fraternity for me – nobody who graduated from the University of Texas School of Architecture the same time as I did was in a fraternity (or sorority) – you didn’t have the time.
It was hard to get to where I am at right now and the people who were doing it because they thought it would be cool, for the money, or some other reason other than ‘I have always wanted to be an architect” didn’t make it. If there is something else out there calling to you, architecture probably isn’t for you. I haven’t regretted my decision ever.
Ever.
Sure, there have been loads of times when I wished I didn’t work as much as I do, made more money; I even get tired of the ladies who are “architect groupies ” following me around. It’s tough but I have always wanted to be an architect.
This is a portion from an email I recently received which actually got me thinking about this post. The person who sent this I know loves to design and thinks about it all the time. It’s how she spends her free time, she travels to locations and looks at the buildings, she tracks down designers in these locations and goes and meets them.
I really love this stuff, but know that I might have problems working for clients. I can see my temperament not quite matching up with that process. I’m a bit stubborn. And also impatient.
It’s hard, I always wanted to be an artist, and now I can’t figure out how to be a designer.
The traits that she describes won’t keep her from becoming an architect or designer – in fact, I would also suggest that these are important traits that any successful designer should have. Also, if her (your) stubbornness and impatience are so uncontrollable as to be a real problem, she’ll have issues in any profession other than ‘Hermit’. In my response email to her, I included a list of quality architecture programs near her and should she decide to pursue a Master’s degree in architecture, I think she’ll do really well.
As to the emails that are asking if they should get out out of architecture – that one is more difficult to address. Architects aren’t the only professionals that are suffering right now. In my mind, it’s similar to changing jobs because you don’t like someone where you are working – not a real good reason if it’s the only one because you probably won’t like someone at the next job either.
I still like to try and find out why a person who has gone through the process to become an architect is thinking about leaving. Have your motivations for being an architect changed? Is it circumstantial? Maybe it’s simply that you want to make more money or you simply hate the job that you do. I can appreciate why someone would like to make more money but are you worth more money doing what you currently do? For example, in my circumstance, I am well paid for a 10 person residential firm considering my name isn’t on the front door. If I wanted to be paid more, my first couple of possible moves would involve looking at larger firms or more commercially focused production firms, not becoming a personal injury lawyer. For me it would be about trying to find a balance and still continue practicing architecture, not changing professions.
I’ve always been pretty good at shooting the bull and have been told I would have been awesome at sales. The very idea of selling anything just to be selling anything would literally make me shrivel up and die. To my way of thinking, I would be better served by investing ALL of my time and resources into winning the lottery before selling paper or plastic o-rings. While both would probably ruin me and force me into living in a cardboard refrigerator box in some alley, going into sales would probably add “crazy” and “pavement licker” to my resume.
When trying to select an appropriate image for this post, my mind started wandering a bit and it landed on John Picacio. John and I went to UT Architecture School together and we both spent time in Europe traveling together in 1990. John and I were never all that close but even 20 years later I still remember John’s sketches; they were ridiculously good. I still see one sketch in particular in my mind’s eye. John and I were in Siena, Italy and John was drawing the Piazza del Campo and he was using the white of the paper as much as his sketch pen to bring the buildings to life. Unbelievable. We lost touch after awhile but I always thought he was so good at drawing, why would he be an architect? Apparently John came to the same conclusion and is a internationally recognized and award winning illustrator.
And I say good for him.
John could always draw better than the people teaching our drawing classes and he figured out that this was something he would rather do than pursue a career in architecture and it’s worked out pretty well for him I’d say. So if you’re interested in becoming an architect because it’s all you’ve ever wanted to do than I would heartily urge you to continue on towards your goal. If you want to become an architect for the groupies, money and fast cars, you might want to reevaluate your options. I’m not suggesting that it can only be one or the other but if you’re already unsure, you’ve got one of the more difficult roads in front of you. It isn’t great for me right now but I’m terrible and I’m pretty awesome *Air Punch*
What would you say to someone contemplating a change? Things will get better but will it be worth sticking around? Doctor’s are starting to run into problems but we’ll always need them. Lawyer’s have their issues too, but unlike architects who are working themselves towards irrelevancy, at least Lawyer’s make it so we can’t get rid of them. Architecture defines me and I wouldn’t like to have to envision myself doing something else – but what about the people who don’t know? What would you tell them?
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Bob, I am currently an Architecture student in Portland, OR, and went back to school at the age of 48 – that woman in your office is an inspiration. And your correct-if you love what you do or aspire to do, it's never too late.
Dang I’m with you, just a tiny bit behind you in years worked. I started off with other ideas but switched over because I liked the creative side, the “design”. Yeah, that was based on taking a course in college. I had no idea what the profession was like. I know now. No design, maybe 1-2%. Bosses who know struggle with smart business decisions (ie, slashing already low prices, taking partial payments as paid-in-full). And it’s just full of regulations, ordinances, codes, and monotony.
So, I need suggestions. What are you wanting to do now? Will you not even bother with the rest of the exams?
You are spot on, 8dogsparking. This is what this thread really comes down to. If you have a passion for the subject and enjoy the profession, then go for it.
However, if there is hesitancy and no real drive to practice as an architect then it would be absolute folly to pursue it.
Understand the profession, not Mies and Le Corbusier’s design theory and you will have the answer…
I agree with your comments completely. You really have to have a love for it or the time commitment and the (comparatively) low pay will eat you up. Personally, I have wanted to be an architect since I was a teenager and have loved the process of becoming one and now just being one. That is not to say that there aren't days when you hate the profession, or wish it were a more respected field, or want more money (or groupies), but overall there is still nothing but love in my heart.
On a related note, I feel like we as architects need to do a better job of informing the public about our relevancy. Architects offer invaluable benefits to clients and society at large and yet we do a poor job communicating those benefits to the community (a.k.a. potential future clients).
No groupies is a deal breaker. Back to work on my time machine.
Seriously, I agree that it's never too late. But as you point out, there's a certain amount of inertia that comes with responsibility. I've spent my entire adult life on college campuses, as student and faculty. Honestly, I don't know if I want to be a student again. Not in the formal sense anyway.
What a great Blog post! I feel the same way, and that was always my reason for becoming an architect. I still love what I do, and I would never think of doing anything else. I know my track has taken me in a little bit different direction (accessibility consulting), but I still dabble on the architectural design when asked to. I hope you are feeling better!
P.S. I don't remember John…must not have been in any of the same studios with him
I really enjoyed this post, thank you so much for sharing what´s in your mind! I have been an architect for almost 2 years and it took me a long time to become one because of my responsabilities as a mother and wife, i wanted to become an architect because of the artistic part of it, i always loved painting! and design. Now that i have my degree things look different from the idea i had in my mind when i was a student. It seems hard to find a balance between the thecnical part of the profession and the artistic part of it at least for me. Things are difficult here in Costa Rica for architects as well and sometimes i feel this wasnt a good time to graduade, but here i am, and now i have to deal with the reality. Maybe i am a little bit like you friend, i love painting but i like architecture as well and i hope i can find that balance between architecture, art and the crisis. Thank you again!
Andreea,
Being in school is great and your timing will most likely prove fortuitous. My friends would always ask me – “how can you stand being up at school ALL the time?” I loved being up there and never felt like I was missing out on what they were doing. Well, except for the parties and the girls. There weren't as many girls in architecture when I went…..
Kudos to you Jennifer. You'll probably get out of school and things will be back in full swing. That will go a long way towards helping you feel like you made the right decision.
Thanks for reading and for commenting, I appreciate it.
as a follow up, it wouldn't be very gentlemanly for me to reveal her age but I just asked her and she went back to school at 45 years old and received her license in her 60's.
Awesome
The age with which one starts their architectural career is irrelevant other than being scary. We have a woman in our office who went back to architectural school in her – (she reads this and I would be mortified for guessing incorrectly) – let's just say she is probably the elder statesman in our office and she just received her license in 2009.
It's never to late if it's really something you love – it's just harder to financially leave one environment of familiarity and go back to school but that would be true with anything and anybody.
No – architectural historians don't have groupies, followers maybe, but not groupies.
Thanks, Bob. This is very inspiring, and this advice is relevant to all art forms. Trying to make a living creatively, that is to say, as a creative person, is hard regardless of the state of the economy. I think it's never too late to change your mind about anything, you just have to be sure, like you said, that you're changing it for the right reasons. I don't think need/want for groupies is a strong enough reason, but maybe that's because I'm a girl.
So cool that John is your pal, too! I dig his work.
John,
I think you have the right attitude. I think it is great that you are going back working towards your degree. You are exactly the type of person I was referring to that is doing this because it calls to them. You could still do whatever you wanted and the skills you have acquired over the last 11+ years will most likely serve you very well once you start practicing architecture full time.
Thanks
Very interesting. I sometimes wonder if I should become an architect. It's a purely intellectual exercise — I'm 48, have a couple of kids and a doctorate in computer science. I went into computer science because I thought it was interesting and, frankly, I was good at it. But I don't love it.
Fast forward a couple of decades… I love architecture. Of course, that doesn't mean I could do it. I'm confident that I could get the degree but do I have the artistic spark necessary to do it well? I don't know. I'll never know unless I make significant progress on my time machine.
Until then, architecture makes a very pleasant avocation. I enjoy reading about it and writing about it. Come to think of it, architectural historian might be a better fit for me. Do they have groupies?
That old saying of “you can take so-and-so out of ___ but you can't take the ___ out of so-and-so” applies here, if the individual really really likes architecture. A guy I went to architecture school now builds famous buildings out of LEGOs, a quite unique example of shifting careers but staying within the realm of architecture in some way. He now has an exhibition at the NBM: http://www.nbm.org/exhibitions-collections/exhi…
Thanks for the post. I just started my IDP, and I have 5 years of school left between my BSArch and MArch, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love what I'm doing.
Thanks heaps for this post, I have been an architecture student for a year now. I have always wanted to be an architect, and this made me sacrifice a lot of things along the way. However, I don't regret anything at all. At first I thought it was all the extra caffeine affecting my judgment, but now I feel like I'm on the right track.
Ever since graduating top of my class in 2008 with my Barch, I have contemplated this very topic. The only experience I have in the field of architecture was 2 years of sustainable consulting starting in 2006 (yes, I worked and went to school), and have since decided to get back into the design part of architecture. After almost two years of looking for an entry level position, it is hard not to think of other possibilities with my skills. I have created a freelance graphic design business, started three different blogs, took entry level chef courses, and dabbled in the world of social media. I have many, many other interests beyond architecture, so the hardest part is focusing my talent and energies on architecture without getting any results… for months and months…
Is it to late to start my career in architecture?
And if you want to know why I want to be an architect, see my latest blog post:
Thanks for this post. Architecture was my first major out of high school, but I wasn't quite ready to decide what I wanted to be, and change schools and majors after two years. I eventually graduated with a BS in Business and have worked in the financial services industry for 11+ years. When I was about to turn 30, I decided to return to school and become an architect after all. This fall, I'll be entering my 5th year of a 7 year night program. I sure picked the worst time to get into the field, but you know what, I don't care. I love it and I'm willing to wait a few more years until firms start hiring. Until then, I'll keep working in my current field and go to school at night.