Help me become an architect

In My Humble Opinion
1

Here’s the deal. I’m currently finishing up my sophomore year in college and still haven’t decided on a major. The thing is, I know that I want to become an architect. Where should I go from here? I’m under the impression that I should be going through our school’s engineering program, but from what I gather from this thread, architects and engineers work with each other, but don’t have the same job. So please, any guidance will be useful…THIS IS MY FUTURE PEOPLE!*

*As always, I’m always thankful for any advice thrown my way

2

Having gone through Architecture school myself, I have to ask why you’d want to go to the engineering school, unless your school of architecture is situated there.

An engineering degree is not the same as an architecture degree. Not even close.
Nevertheless, this is my suggestion:

If you decide that you really want to go to architecture, do it now. A lot of courses are reliant on the one before. For example, you can’t go to architecture studio 2 until you finish architecture studio 1. Most people begin the studios in their freshman year, so in a sense, you are ‘behind’ if and only if getting out in time is important to you. It is my experience that few people in architecture finish the degree ‘on time’.

If you are in Texas, I would suggest UTA or UT. There are other schools of course, but again, IMO, these are the best, but it all depends on what aspect you want to learn. UTA is (or at least was, when I went) concentrated more on the design aspect while other schools seem more interested in the technical aspect.

If you want my honest opinion, one that I would give say my nephew, ask yourself if you really, really, and I mean really want to do it. Architecture tends to not be what a lot of people think it is - the glamorous architect depicted in movies and books are few and far between. Architecture is a long road, school-wise. You’ll either go a 4+2 route or a 5 year profesional plan. You could just do the basic 4 years, but if you plan on leaving Texas it will hurt you rather than help you.

Once you graduate you have to do intern work until you qualify to take the tests (if indeed you want to be registered). Then you’ll have to take the tests (7 or 9, I can’t recall, I never went that route).

You’ll also learn that architecture is very stressfull and the pay is not as high as it should be (considering the amount of schooling and responsibilty and the long hours you put in). You’ll also learn that architecture is very feast or famine. When it’s busy there is tons of work, but when it’s dead it is d-e-a-d. Texas experienced a really bad dead period when the oil market fell (in the 80’s? 90’s? I can’t recall).

All that aside, I learned a lot about design in architecture that is useful in better paying jobs. I really enjoyed my student years and wouldn’t take them back for anything. I just found out after the fact that the real world architecture (i.e, drawing the same Corner Bakery day in and out) wasn’t for me. I wanted more than that.

One last thing:
if you do go to UTA, be sure to learn Autocad. For reasons beyond me, they still do not make it mandatory. While working for several firms I learned that UTA is hurting its students by this. If we were to get identical resumes and one had experience in autocad and one did not, you can guess who got hired…

if you have any specific questions, feel free to contact me.

3

well you are in luck.
I just happened to log on tonite and saw your question.
I am an Architect–in Seattle, WA. Have been practicing for 20+ years.

There is a very big difference between being an Architect and an Engineer. Engineers work for Architects, ie. they are consultants to the Architect, who is responsible for the entire team. Think of the Architect like a Director of a movie. He directs the work–but much, if not all of the work is done by others.

This is true in Architecture as well. You coordinate the design team through the design stages, produce construction documents together and then you work through the Contractor to produce the final building. As the Architect you basically are about process—not about a product. Yes I realize that you produce drawings, and eventually a building–but the vast majority of your work is process.

If you are comfortable with conceptual ideas and process and directing that process and are creative then I would suggest you stay on the Architecture side. If your natural personality lends itself more towards the analytical, and product rather than process, you are likely better suited for Engineering (although I know tons of very creative, process oriented Engineers!—it is not exclusive to Architecture by any means).

As an Architect you have to be conversant in the discplines like Structural, MEP, etc–but you don’t have to be fluent in those arenas. But you need enough of a background that you can discuss those fields with the respective engineers. So a strong math or engineering background is helpful. However you also need to be creative and very comfortable drawing freehand, etc. Again none of these are specific requirements–I know many Architects who are terrible at math, and who can’t sketch. But in general having those skills will assist you if you choose to go into Architecture.

If you are all about money…well lets just say I would suggest you find another profession. Architects make decent money–no denying that. But compared to other professions that have the same educational requirements such as law or medicine the financial rewards aren’t there.

Overall I love what I do for a living. I love the creative process and knowing that something I have conceived of in my head is built and people enjoy it. That alone is a very heady experience. I look forward to my work.

What specific questions do you have about Architecture–or about the educational process to become an Architect? Ask away and I will see what I can do to respond

4

Bad News Baboon, the university that I am attending is a small liberal arts university with no school of architecture. The engineering program that I was talking about is not a program in a true sense, only a group of students that take the engineering classes (in other words, you don’t have to be accepted into a school of engineering for this program). I guess this is something I should’ve specified in my original post. Since my school doesn’t offer a B.S. in Architecture (or some equivalent) would I be better off transferring? How difficult would it be for me to transfer into another school (UT’s acceptance rate of trasfers is incredibly low, and I’m sure that the School of Architecture is even more difficult to get into, don’t know about UTA though) and would my mediocre 3.1 GPA be anything to worry about in this respect?

Hakuna Matata, for me, money is not the issue; from what I understand, architects make decent pay, but also have alot of freedom in their jobs (correct me if I’m wrong on either of these points), which is something I really want. I’ve always loved sketching (and I’m decent at it), but aside from that, I guess I only have general understanding of what an architect does. I’d be really interested to hear what your job entails, the pros and cons of it, and why you think that it suits you best.

5

Well, I actually double majored in Architecture and Civil Engineering for awhile.

I ended up dropping Architecture.

[/quote]

…for me, money is not the issue; from what I understand, architects make decent pay, but also have alot of freedom in their jobs (correct me if I’m wrong on either of these points), which is something I really want.

[/quote]

I think you are actually wrong on both points. Architects don’t really make that much money until they become established. And they don’t become established until they work for an established architect for awhile.

I would forget about graduating and becoming I.M.Pey or Frank Lloyd Wright within a few years.

6

Well, I actually double majored in Architecture and Civil Engineering for awhile.

I ended up dropping Architecture.

I think you are actually wrong on both points. Architects don’t really make that much money until they become established. And they don’t become established until they work for an established architect for awhile.

I would forget about graduating and becoming I.M.Pey or Frank Lloyd Wright within a few years.

7

struggling, frustrated graduate architect checking in, so take this with a grain of salt.

i love design. it’s my life. i love the IDEA of architecture. but the reality of the profession is something different entirely.

i’ve been out of school for almost 5 years now. i’ve worked at 3 different firms. everywhere i go seems promising at first, but i always end up on the most boring , lame-ass projects and get stuck there. the problem with the profession is that it’s very difficult to pay the bills with interesting work, at least in the midwest. the cool, modern houses come along, but we end up losing money on those because we really, really want to do them, but the owners aren’t millionaires, and architects just shoot themselves in the foot with low fees.

so we do these horrible prototype hotels and low-ball senior housing stuff for slimy developers. it’s quick, easy, and that makes up for the hassle of dealing with these jerkoffs, at least in my boss’s eyes. so my day is filled with all technical junk, code work, dealing with idiots, and design is something that i sort of remember doing way back when.

i’d try a new place, but the pay is about as good as i’m going to get around here (which still isn’t great), the benefits are good, and there’s always that slim chance we’re going to get back to those interesting projects.

i’ve always wanted to just chuck it all and start designing and building furniture. but i have bills, i just bought a house, and i don’t have much money in the bank.

not to hijack, but what did you end up doing, baboon?

8

oh, and i’ve realized most architects are horrible, horrible people to work with (and for).

if you want easy-going, architecture is NOT for you.

9

I’m not an architect, but it seems like 90% of my friends are. (really!)

Anyway, these guys, who work for several big firms here in the Dallas area, do a lot of stuff like movie theaters and other commercial work. They don’t get to do “cool” stuff nearly as often as they’d like. They do a lot of process work. They do a lot of customer interaction. They do a lot of AutoCAD. As guys with about 7-10 years of experience, they make in the upper 40K to the lower 60K range, I’m guessing. They work a lot of overtime. People are impressed by their career more than most. None of them have their stamp/are licensed professional architects. One of them has his MS in Architecture, the rest have BS in whatever the 4 of the 4+2 degree is.

All in all, it seems like a decent job, much like any other professional ones, if a tad low-paying for what you do.

10

{QUOTE}Hakuna Matata, for me, money is not the issue; from what I understand, architects make decent pay, but also have alot of freedom in their jobs (correct me if I’m wrong on either of these points), which is something I really want. I’ve always loved sketching (and I’m decent at it), but aside from that, I guess I only have general understanding of what an architect does. I’d be really interested to hear what your job entails, the pros and cons of it, and why you think that it suits you best.
[/QUOTE]

sorry–didn’t get back online here til today. Yes Architects make decent pay–after about 10-15 years. Engineers make pretty good money right out of the box–but they level off after a few years. Architects make pretty poor pay (again relative to the educational level) right out of the box–but there really isn’t a top end. I make pretty decent money now–but I have also been practicing for 20+ years. And I currently have plenty of freedom now–but it wasn’t always the case. I experienced what the others have stated here as well right out of school. Although my experience is that most Architects tend to be pretty nice people–not sure who or where Down by Law worked–but that has never been my experience!

What does an Architect do. Well I will answer this in respects to what I do with 20 years of experience. The scenario outlined by the younger grads here will give you a pretty good perspective of your first 5-10 years out of school. It is not what you would be led to believe by watching any movies which portray Architects that is for sure.

I do large multi-family and mixed use projects. Typically these are in urban settings and are hi rise buildings, or they are ski lodges (yes I realize a tough job-but someone has to do them!). I am fairly high in my company and am usually the Project Architect on most of my jobs. Sometimes I am the Designer and sometimes I am the Project Manager. My experience has been those are the three main jobs to aspire to within a firm. I would suggest you become comfortable doing all three.

So I work on the range of a project from Concept Design to Construction Administration. There are several design phases of a project. Concept Design, Schematic Design, Design Development, Contract Documents, Bidding, and Construction Administration. In my opinion a good Architect should be well versed in each of these phases. I know too many designers who have no idea how to put a building together and know too many technical Architects who can’t design their way out of a paper bag. The more well rounded you are–the better chance you have of making a good career in Architecture.

Why does it suit me? Well I love the range of people/personalities I encounter during any one day. Currently I have one project under construction and another in Design Development. So I can take phone calls or meet with Iron workers, electricians, plumbers on one end, then meet with the CEO of the developer in the next hour or arguing some code issue with the Building Official, while you have deadlines to your Civil, MEP and Structural Engineers due. So it can be hectic but it is fast paced–it is never dull. At least it isn’t dull at my level—I recall thinking how dull it was when I was first starting out. You only get to deal with a very small piece of the pie the first couple years out of school. And frankly without the experience base behind you–you aren’t equiped to do more than that.

As the other posters here have told you–the life of an Architect isn’t all fun and games—much of the work is rather mundane and dull. Reviewing consultants drawings and shop drawings is not what I went into design school for–but they are a means to obtain the design you want. They are part of the process to obtain the design----and if you can’t handle process then Architecture really isn’t for you. Much of your first few years out of school will be on Autocad or some other cadd program. If you are very talented sketch wise you might not do this–but that is a rare individual.

Most Architectural companies are very small–less than 10 people. A big firm is 50, there are a few in the 200-500 range. Most firms don’t get to pick the type of work they can do–they have payroll, etc just like any other business.

well I will stop there–feel free to email me if you have further questions–I don’t need to bore the masses with my writings here :slight_smile: Or you can post here and I will try and keep my responses to a manageable size!

11

If you plan on pursing Architecture, then yes you really need to transfer ASAP.

The reason I say this is because as your school does not offer Architecture courses, you will have to take them elsewhere.

For example, Architecture classes begin at the Freshman level. You usually take Intro to Architecture, Architectural drawing 1 and a history class (off the top of my head). If you have already completed your core classes, you’ll be taking extra classes if you need to have 12 hours for full time status. It is not a bad thing to take extra classes as you can learn a lot, but if you are paying for them it can get expensive and they can be time consuming.

UT is a lot harder to get into than UTA. There are other colleges though, that might be nearer. Just be sure it is what you want to do because architecture classes don’t really transfer to any other degree other than as electives (as far as I can recall).

Another bit of advice is that if you do go the architecture route, do your work in the studios. So many students would take their drawing home to work on and I think they missed out on a the bonding aspect of studio. I think that you can learn as much from your fellow students as you can from the teacher. Plus, you’ll have someone to commiserate with as you pull your second all nighter in a row!

As you can see, Architecture is something you do because you love it. Another thing to think about are benefits, in addition to salary (which is what most Architects get paid in…no overtime pay!). Because most firms are small, the health insurance can be pretty lackluster.

As for job freedom, it depends on what you mean by this. It is the rare client that gives you carte blanche on a job. You will find that your freedom is often hampered by a) the budget, b)the client, c) the budget, d)time and e) code.

Your first 10-20 years may very well be spent drawing up plans for strip malls. My former boss earns his living by drawing corner bakery restaurants. There isn’t much freedom involved in those designs, let me tell you, but they pay well so what can you do?

So, I hope my negativity isn’t too bad. I just think that you should realize what you are getting into before you do it. It can be a rewarding job but trust me when I say that it’s probably not close to what you think it is.

down by law
My experience is as thus:

I went to architecture school. In my senior year, I faced major burn out what with working full time and the general ‘politics’ of the school. I left UTA to go to UT and pursued art, something I have always loved. I got the degree in art and moved to San Francisco. There I worked at theSFMOMA and then later I worked for an architectural model shop. I got married and moved back to Texas where I went to work at a large firm. While working, I went back to school to complete my degree. I only took one class at a time,however. I worked at the firm for about 3 years when shortly after 9/11 (related? I doubt it) business become really slow. By the third wave of lay offs (I was in that one!) the company that was once large was TINY in comparrison. (It seems to be doing ok now).

I went to work with a smaller firm. At this time I was really starting to question my happiness in the field. I hated going to school. Parts of it seemed absurdly unreal and naive aftering having been in ‘the real’ world. With my experience, I found it hard to deal with certain egotistical teachers* and dropped out again (3 classes left. I might go back and finish but at the moment it means nothing to me).

The second firm then had financial troubles after 2 years. I left happily because I wanted to pursue a worse paying job - parenthood!

So now I do that full time and I have started a small business that is totally unrelated to architecture but that I find to be fun.
I keep up to date on Autocad (because one never knows when one might need a job to support the family). I also love to keep up with architecture and architects. I may pursue architecture one day, but more on the artistic, personal level.

*Architects I have met tend to fall in one of two categories:
a) nice guys who are fun to be around with
or
b)egotistical pompous arrogant assholes who act like Le Corbusier himself annointed them.

12

a lot of people i’ve worked with are/were cool. but a large percentage were very self-centered, and many were suck perfectionists and micro-managers working for them was infuriating. i think architects tend towards perfectionism, so it’s hard for them to delegate.

just my two cents.