Do I Regret Studying Architecture?

Recommendations make a big difference in any career... I think working as an architect is the worst nightmare you can live in your life.... And the last Cpds decision makes the architects career outputting.... Who wants to do 8 courses per year forever??? A proper joke

Wish I saw this video 10 years ago. I love architecture but if I could start over I would never pick it again

If I had to do it over, I would add an MBA and focus on leadership in addition to design. And develop multiple strings of income including writing, furniture design, and teaching, etc.

This is the most accurate description ever of the profession. If i had kids i would advice them not to become an architect

I want to puresue this major, But it takes so long ill be wasting my prime of my life not traveling and having much fun... but then Ill be doing a job I love and not a corprate job after the fact for most of my life... At what cost 🥲

thank you for being so candid. any career in the building industry is at terrible risk when the inevitable land and building cycle hits its peak and crashes every 18 years or so. have you ever read anything about this 18 year cycle? it's been going on since records began as far as i'm aware. popularised more now by the henry george school of social science. their proposed solution is basically a land value tax.

Modern Architects are hooligans.

The naked truth…

I can relate with your experience fully. As an architect in Costa Rica, with a relatively successful career, a steady work flow, and 32 years of experience, I would never encourage my kid to pursue architectural studies. I also do most of my work myself and not hire full time help, just when the demand or the job size oblige me. I am happy with where I am right now, but it took me more than 20 years to get here. I have seen a lot of colleagues not making it. It takes more than a degree: a lot of perseverance! And loads of patience and financial control.

I am trying to get a new high end residence designed and built. As I try to learn more about what I want, I find that there are almost no YT videos by architects. Of what is out there it's mostly this: 70% analysis of some Wright house, 15% green marketing word salad about sustainability and other gobbledygook that means nothing, 10% tiny house bullsh*t and cabins in impossible and impractical locales, 5% Brent Hull, who I don't think is an architect at all. Where are the architects showing all their amazing designs and projects and innovations and ideas? It's like the whole industry is dead or underground or something.

How interesting, thanks so much for this. I'm a former architect now in recovery, thank the Lord. Crikey, it's hard work, with little pay, a ton of liability and not much thanks - you'd be a mug to do it. Still, you do develop some useful skills which, if you have the courage to get out, can be applied to all kinds of things. It's quite hard to get out once you're in though.

the profession completely sucks.

Nice video. Just graduated. I haven't even got a job and now I might have a drinking problem. But, you know. Maybe there's an afterlife?

I started college for architecture but couldn’t see a future in it for me, partly per what my architect uncle told me about the roles: either owner or peon

I opted out after 30 years and now I'm a house painter. I have no regrets, I was able to raise 2 kids and buy a house, and I poured a lot of love into the work, but eventually I ended up burned out. At the end of the day, it was all about money and status-seeking, I felt. It had little to do with actually making the world a better place.

Architecture is a job that is overworked and underpaid I do not recommend anyone become an architect. If your passion is design and construction there are other jobs that pay better, project manager, quantity surveying, contract administrator

But this is in almost every field. everyone at some point has to roll with the punches. its much better to tell your kids its not easy out here in these streets.

Almost a pseudo-religious education, to make young architects believe that they should work for famous companies on extremely disadvantageous terms ... when it comes to real hourly pay rates. Architects led to believe that they can transform society single handed even stop global warming like idiotic young priests.
And then in England, when you want to give back some of your knowledge and skill, the planners, armed with correspondence or day-release degrees and NO KNOWLEDGE of architecture or even urbanism just block planning permission if you don't want to build a noddy house like all the rest.
Loads of problems with the profession particularly outside London .... but what does the architectural establishment care? after all it is an entirely London based business.
Hence crap-town suburbs spreading like melted butter through the countryside surrounding towns throughout the country.....
We are trained to be martyrs ... and look what happens.

My father was an architect , his father was an architect and so am I. It gave us the opportunity to bond over quite a unique senario. We spent many occasions debating design, etc, late into the evenings . My father often joked never to become an architect yet supported me all the way when I did. It's a bitter sweet topic for me. My grandfather passed away in a mediation meeting with my dad at his side . Recently, my father also passed relatively young , and I think it would be safe to assume the stress of his career was a contributing factor. Architecture really must be a passion to put up with all the challenges that come with career.

A man with a craft that makes him independent has nothing to regret

All of life is just social skills. You won because of your relationships like everyone else successful

Thanks, if ARCHITECT rated as a profession it's a headache,,,rate it as a calling,,have patience,,Architecture is to make the world a better place to live!I study ARCHITECTURE STARTED FROM HOME!!!THANKS for sharing your honest experience 👍

At my high school I asked my guidance counselor to get an architect, farmer and attorney. The attorney was in her mid twenties and drove a Mercedes she was also a recent head girl of my school.

Architect looks like a great career on the surface. A little digging and yeah the chance of "success" looks slim. And it, like many careers, has more to do with self-promotion. Not saying that in a negative way, nothing wrong with self-promotion.

I had some minor art talent and sold some paintings in high school. Many adults said I should have a career as an artist. But I knew other artists my age who were much better than me and most importantly much faster. They were going to be my competition in a career. I liked art, but not enough to struggle. Instead I majored in computer science because it had the most "Help Wanted" newspaper ads (1980). In Programming 101 the teacher explained what a pixel was and I instantly understood I could create anything on a computer screen. It didn't involve the eye-hand magic in painting and sculpture so the playing field seemed more level for me. Plus I got lucky in that computers of the day had such poor graphics it was of no interest to talented artists. I ended up dropping out of college to create video games. In those days the creator got to do it all. Design, graphics, audio, programming. So much fun and it paid very well.

Later went into User Interface.

I retired 21 years ago at 45. Continued to write code for fun. I 've been slow flipping houses to support my retirement. Working on house #4 now. In this I get to be a landscape architect and to some degree a building architect.

There are different ways to become an artist.

my mum has worked in architecture for 15 years as a health and saftey advisor. She has known many many architects in mid level firms and knows of 0 who would advise it. This is all true

I think architects would have a much more successful career if they embraced a much closer and collaborative relationship with builders which would result in less pretty pictures and more beautiful buildings. Locally, builders will go to a designer over an architect because of this. It's a major failure in the process. Building as a whole has so many problems on so many levels that extends throughout the entire process

The odds of being a screaming success in any industry are slim to none.

It’s a typical tournament system; so many vocations are.

So much of your story tracks similar to mine. Thanks for sharing!!!

I do regret being architect and I would never let my daughter go to this field! It is disrespected, underpaid career, think of being MD doctors or lawyers...architects are really unappreciated. USA schools produce too many architects, schools do not prepare you for the future in the industry and construction is a tuff business. Helps if you are reach, I guess clients will come to you. In general as a result of frustrations architects are not the nicest people, very competitive and not supportive of each other...Thank you very much for your video, it is honest. Ana

Absolutely love this. 👌 I think we are all born into this world with a purpose, and great to see you have found yours. As a similar age to yourself I always look back and think that architecture is one career path that I wish I had of looked more into myself. But ended up going into electrical engineering instead, and as you mentioned in your video, doors open in one direction and close in others. But things always seem to work out the way they do for a reason. Now like yourself being pushed into self employment, I feel we all have so much to give back to the younger generations, so they can learn from our experiences and pass on our knowledge to those who wish to learn. Though the system we have in place in the UK and Ireland at present is not financially viable to bring young people onboard to share that knowledge with' as it usually comes with alot of added expense to ourselves as a sole trader/ small businesses, but this idea of your channel is fantastic to share your knowledge with others who wish to learn for free. Other European countries push this more, as they see the importance of good engineering, architecture, building, trades etc. Most of the people I have learned off have either passed away or retired and if we don't pass on our knowledge which we learned ourselves and from previous generations it will be gone forever, and future generations will be starting from scratch.

I live in Switzerland in the Valais state. Basically, in less than 50 years, modern architects have destroyed the beauty of all of our cities and villages.

I've never thought of studying architecture, but this channel is interesting, i will watch some more videos :)

If you are a young Architect consider working for the government. You won't get burned out and will have plenty of vacation time. They tend to pay better than a firm and you will have a pension when you retire.

As a kid, I wanted to be an architect until I flunked algebra at 14. So I settled for graphic design. Art school was really easy, my graphic design skills were really lousy. I ended up buying and renovating very blighted Victorian houses in New Orleans i.e - working for myself. I loved it. I now bemoan the fact that now I am too old. I really miss the joy of the transformation.

Thanks

As a graphic designer of over 30 years I see many similarities with my career.

My story is similar, only I was not an architect, I didn't even have a college degree, but I managed to be a very good commercial space planner. I was doing work architects typically did, office layouts, bidding documents, permit drawings. Long story very short...

I did attend a design school one year, but taught myself drafting. An instructor there referred me to a property management company with inhouse space planning for a part time drafting job. I almost did not go because I needed a full time job, but only out of respect for the instructor did I go; you just never know. Turned out my boss (as well as the architectnascent

i gave up architecture/building after about 8 years- because of the poor design of houses and small commercial buildings customers/builders are used to and want! No consideration of energy efficiency design! we are now stuck with this bad design for 100 years!!!! and Climate Change and the 6th great extinction is now upon us!

An architect here. Funny enough I have been worked as an event & exhibition designer until I retired at 43. Along the way I also practiced architecture by designed house for my friends (Around 15 houses). The feeling of "This project is mine" is what satisfy me so I can’t imagine myself enjoying practicing architecture in a big architecture firm that will only allow me to be part of the team.
ps. Not many architects are fortunate.

Thanks for making the video

3 years into my solo architect journey, have a drafting girl to help me. Hoping someday i can call myself successfull.

Very interesting conversation

Thank you for this video! I'm a third generation Architect married to a first generation Architect, operating our own small firm in the U.S. We both graduated near the top of a very competitive class, and both were able to pass all licensing exams on the first attempt, gaining licenses by our mid-to-late 20s. However, there are many days when I feel my life would have been far better had I heeded my father's advice and chosen another path. The profession is challenging, often thankless, and the financial reward pales in comparison to the early mornings, late nights, and weekends sacrificed with family and friends to maintain the workloads. Additionally, the cost of higher education in the U.S. is a massive burden, mostly hitting us of the Millennial generation. It is predatory, oppressive, and inescapable via bankruptcy. For the past nearly 12 years of practice, my wife and I have paid between $1,500-$2,100 per month to student loans, using the odd financial win-fall to pay them down, and yet we still have 2/3 of our balance remaining due to accrued interest at absurd rates (some as high as 11% APR). That alone is the difference between a very comfortable life and what is now essentially paycheck-to-paycheck. Most of my friends with lesser degrees or none at all have a far better work-life balance, similar compensation, and far more stability. In the end, success (whether it be personal, professional, critical, or financial) is dependent on a great deal of good fortune, but I definitely wish that I knew then what I know now.

Successful architects are business man
Something don’t teach at school everybody want to be the next Koolhaas (I’m 50 ) but we barely start doing a kitchen or bathroom renovation

The story of my life
Same case in USA

I view architecture apparently different than most. I love the challenge of solving the puzzle. When people ask what I do, I tell them I draw buildings. Maybe I am over confident? I have met many that complained about architecture and told me that they wish they had gotten out early in their careers. My attitude is if there is only one architect left, why not me? I am an average architect, but apparently good enough that people keep coming to me. One of my 5th year professors told me he hoped I didn't put this "crap" out in the world after I graduated and I told him "So Sir, I won't". I worked at 3 firms before starting my own firm. I got laid off at firm 1 & 3. After getting laid off from the last firm, I thought well I am licensed and I can do everything my bosses can and if I start my own firm I will never be laid off again. If I have my own firm and business gets slow I hope I have a good enough relationship with some clients that will keep me afloat. I just turn 67 and all my friends ask me when I am going to retire, my answer is "I am not!". I do plan on slowing down, but never quitting. I tell people that architecture is like giving a small child a blank piece of paper and some crayons. I feel people get frustrated and confused, because they don't separate architecture and business. I see them as two separate things. Business can be very stressful and frustrating and you can get stressed in any business doing anything, not just architecture. I love my profession, but not always my business. I am a self employed architect, office of one, and started my firm in 1987. I tell my wife the two hardest things about self employment is Self Discipline and Self Motivation. I believe without those two things you will never be successful at any business. I started my business so I could design buildings. Having the time of my life and I feel very, very fortunate about totally enjoying what I do, as many of my friends do not enjoy their work. I don't consider architecture a job, it is my life. Thank you for sharing your stories! Tim in North Carolina in the US.

It's a tough industry. But, there are good firms out there. Never work for free and watch out for yourself. If a firm is run well they shouldn't be asking for a lot of overtime, certainly not unpaid. Work for smart people who know how to put a building together (they may be bad designers - but that's ok). Pay attention, then start your own business. There are so many arrogant jerks in this business - and that's good news for you. Be a courteous, honest and thoughtful architect and you will have more work then you will know what do with.

I started down the road of architecture from high school through to college. Jumped ship after the first year when I realised the general culture didn't sit well with me. Swapped to being an electronics engineer specialising in communications and networks, 35 years later I can say it was the best decision ever made. The funny thing part of my job is creating technical drawings for networks and equipment, so the skills I gained in my early years didn't go to waste.