Posted on 11/14/2010 9:39:11 AM PST by aic4ever
A little personal enjoyment on this one since I got out of Architecture early on in my college career in favor of Engineering and eventually Construction Management. I love being a contractor instead of being on the design side, and this pretty much explains it all.
(Excerpt) Read more at organizedexploitation.blogspot.com ...
ping
I always wanted to pretend to be an architect
That is the funniest, spot-on accurate description of the profession I have ever seen. I am forwarding that to everyone I work with. Brilliant!!! God, I wish I could go back in time. Fifteen years in the profession and tomorrow I’ll be working on Door Schedules and Window Details for the next several weeks.....where’s that bottle of bleach?
I’m wondering what the unemployment rate is for Arch grads right now...
Apart from the exaggeration for humor, how much of this is true? Is it really that bad? I know about clients changing the position of a wall by two inches twenty times, and then not being able to pay up, but does it really take that long to get licensed? Do you really earn next to nothing? (BTW that should not be taken to mean I’m interested in being an architect; I’m just comparing today’s life to some architects I knew when I was young, like Stanley Tigerman, and they seemed to be doing pretty well even if clients did drive them nuts.)
It is funny that Hollywood loves architects. It seems to be their favorite profession.
I know someone whose dad was an architect. I said “oh don’t they make a lot of money” and she said that nobody wants to pay an architect.
He did finally build his dream home. It even was featured in the local paper. It was one of those houses that doesn’t fit in the neighborhood at all. Looks industrial in a residential area. Metal stairs and cable railings. The kind of house that makes you ask “who would want to live there”.
Unfortunately it is a resounding “YES!!” on all counts. You really do need to own your own firm to make the real money but the successful ones are few and far between
Some architects have to design homes for themselves that screams “Hey, look.....I am an architect!!!” Give me Arts and Crafts style anyday....
Bye the way, in the interest of full disclosure, I am not a licensed architect because I didn’t have the stamina to complete the six year program. I went to a school in Boston (Boston Architectural College) that is an evening only program but incredibly demanding because you’re expected to work a 40+ hour week in the profession as an intern while going to school full time at night. Four years of sleepless nights and 18 hour days was taking a real toll on my health and family life....should have stayed in biotechnology
Daughter is an architect in Chicago (left Texas after getting her liberal UT education - all that money to turn her into a democrat). Got laid off for a while, worked for a construction contractor designing trusses. She’s back to work for a firm designing high rises again.
Something I have learned over the years is that you should avoid any career field that can get away with using unpaid interns. (radio, TV, architecture, zoology, journalism)
This indicates a field that has a glut of people interested, so therefore never needs to pay anybody very much.
People with a masters degree in zoology are expected to do 2 years unpaid before they get a paying job.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.