Any Architects/Family of Architects here?

[jenn-]

My DD has declared that she is thinking of architecture as a future.  She is artistically inclined, but doesn't always allow that side to show.  She has some basic questions she would like answered if anyone has a chance.

 

1. What drew you into the field of architecture?

 

2. What degree do you hold?

 

3. Was it hard to break into the field after college?

 

4. Is this a feast or famine career where there are busy times that you make a good paycheck and others when you can barely rub two pennies together?

 

5. Do you work independently, or are you part of a company/firm?

 

6. Which classes would you suggest for a high schooler to take to get them ready for this career?

 

7. Any general advice...

[isaac_megan]

DH is an architect. His degree required practically living in the studio for 4 years. The professional registration was 9! tests as opposed to 1 for engineers. Pay really stinks when you are starting out but gets better quickly after the apprenticeship is over and licensing occurs. Employment is dependent upon the economy so be financially prepared for lay offs or starting her own firm. As far as her own firm, payment for services can take up to a year so be prepared for that. DH now works for the federal government and makes a good but not great salary. He is sticking with it, though, because it is stable and he is far less stressed. He is very artsy and originally had a civil drafting associate degree. His is dyslexic and his family didn't encourage his dream of being an architect because of that. They didn't think he was capable. Well MY family (with our own spattering of dyslexics) encouraged him to be whatever the heck he wanted to be- to use that to his advantage, so he did.

[isaac_megan]

Drafting classes are helpful. She will need to declare right away since most of the classes are 4-5 year sequential. Architecture programs are structured to take the entire 4-5 years of study. Studio and other classes cannot be taken simultaneously. If she has the opportunity, do summer internships because they count toward the apprenticeship.

[Lanny]

I'm not one, but we have a neighbor across the street who is one and my BIL is one. This is a STEM career.   If your DD is not a STEM student she should not consider architecture. I believe it is closely related to Civil Engineering.   I have a friend in Puerto Rico who is a Civil Engineer and then he became a Structural Engineer. He would tell you that he designs the skeleton of the building and that the  .Architects fill in the gaps. GL to your DD with her career choice!

[TechWife]

The Occupational Outlook Handbook  from the US Dept of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics is an excellent resource to help her find answers to questions like this, as well as others. Be sure to have her explore all of the tabs as they expand on the information and tell you such things as which areas of the country are experiencing growth in a particular occupation and which are experiencing attrition. There are various ways to search for careers on the site as well - education level, on the job training, potential income, projected growth and median pay. 

[jenn-]

DH is an architect. His degree required practically living in the studio for 4 years. The professional registration was 9! tests as opposed to 1 for engineers. Pay really stinks when you are starting out but gets better quickly after the apprenticeship is over and licensing occurs. Employment is dependent upon the economy so be financially prepared for lay offs or starting her own firm. As far as her own firm, payment for services can take up to a year so be prepared for that. DH now works for the federal government and makes a good but not great salary. He is sticking with it, though, because it is stable and he is far less stressed. He is very artsy and originally had a civil drafting associate degree. His is dyslexic and his family didn't encourage his dream of being an architect because of that. They didn't think he was capable. Well MY family (with our own spattering of dyslexics) encouraged him to be whatever the heck he wanted to be- to use that to his advantage, so he did.

 

I will definitely be encouraging her to be whatever she wants to be.  There is some concerns where the math skills will be needed.

 

Drafting classes are helpful. She will need to declare right away since most of the classes are 4-5 year sequential. Architecture programs are structured to take the entire 4-5 years of study. Studio and other classes cannot be taken simultaneously. If she has the opportunity, do summer internships because they count toward the apprenticeship.

 

If I can get her into a dual enrollment class, I will definitely see if drafting is an option.  She has shown such little desire for any particular field, I'd love for her to get some real classwork before she gets settled into an idea.  It could make a difference to where she would apply for college in a couple of years if she decides that this is definitely not her cup of tea.

 

I'm not one, but we have a neighbor across the street who is one and my BIL is one. This is a STEM career.   If your DD is not a STEM student she should not consider architecture. I believe it is closely related to Civil Engineering.   I have a friend in Puerto Rico who is a Civil Engineer and then he became a Structural Engineer. He would tell you that he designs the skeleton of the building and that the  .Architects fill in the gaps. GL to your DD with her career choice!

 

She is not a STEM student.  I'm not really sure what part of the career she is most interested in.  This has just recently came up.

 

The Occupational Outlook Handbook  from the US Dept of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics is an excellent resource to help her find answers to questions like this, as well as others. Be sure to have her explore all of the tabs as they expand on the information and tell you such things as which areas of the country are experiencing growth in a particular occupation and which are experiencing attrition. There are various ways to search for careers on the site as well - education level, on the job training, potential income, projected growth and median pay. 

 

Thanks for the link.  I'll pass it along to her to dig through.

[idnib]

I have relative who's an architect but I don't have the answers to several of your daughter's questions. I'll just add what I know.

 

One important thing he told me was that you really have to look at the connection between the architecture school and the community, plus the growth in building design of the local community. New architects get connected into the local scene through work found for them through schools, and the more work the better. My relative was accepted at a few architecture schools, including one that was more prestigious than the one he attended. But the prospects in the city of the more prestigious school were not as good (economy) so he took the less prestigious program in a growing city and has been able to find good placements through the school.

[mom2scouts]

My DD has declared that she is thinking of architecture as a future.  She is artistically inclined, but doesn't always allow that side to show.  She has some basic questions she would like answered if anyone has a chance.

 

1. What drew you into the field of architecture?

I was originally interested in design and drafting.  DH started in civil engineering, disliked it, and moved to architecture.

 

2. What degree do you hold? Bachelor of Architecture (this is a post-undergraduate degree and the lowest possible degree to become a registered architect) Degree programs usually take 5-7 years.

 

3. Was it hard to break into the field after college? It really depends on the economy, but an internship is required.  Firms often hire recent grads to do the tedious work and to get their intern experience.

 

4. Is this a feast or famine career where there are busy times that you make a good paycheck and others when you can barely rub two pennies together? Yes, YES, YES!  This last economic crisis caused huge numbers of architecture jobs to be lost. I know of one architect who shut down his very large city firm and several other architects who shut down smaller firms. A few principal architects in big city firms make good money, but it's common to be laid off numerous times in this field.  Our architecture community still hasn't recovered and dh hasn't worked in the field for several years because of lack of jobs here.

 

5. Do you work independently, or are you part of a company/firm? Both.  We've both worked as part of large companies and we had our own firm for years.

 

6. Which classes would you suggest for a high schooler to take to get them ready for this career? Lots of math and art.  Architecture students have to take lots of engineering classes, plus Calculus and Algebra.  Design, drawing, and model building skills, both online and real-life, will be very helpful in college.  Time management skills too!  Don't expect to have much of a college social life if you choose to study architecture because you will rarely leave the studio.

 

7. Any general advice...Don't go into this field for money, prestige, or steady employment.  I know lots of architects and few of them have those things.  Go into this field because it's something you really love.  If you can't get excited about window details and concrete blocks, it isn't the career for you.

 

.

 

[TechWife]

I'm not one, but we have a neighbor across the street who is one and my BIL is one. This is a STEM career.  

 

Architecture is an applied art career with a professional degree, not a STEM career. Architecture students focus on design. In their undergraduate years they take only the math & science required to meet gen ed requirements. They do not take upper level math and science courses that are required in STEM fields. Instead, they take upper level design courses that focus on design. There are some specialties available, such as city design and environmental design, but the focus of the specialties is on the design, not on the engineering aspects of it. In this day and age, architects typically have a master's degree and many programs are now designed as five year programs that culminate in the master's degree. 

 

You can major in architecture at most state universities, some private universities and many art colleges. 

[TechWife]

I will definitely be encouraging her to be whatever she wants to be.  There is some concerns where the math skills will be needed.

 

 

If I can get her into a dual enrollment class, I will definitely see if drafting is an option.  She has shown such little desire for any particular field, I'd love for her to get some real classwork before she gets settled into an idea.  It could make a difference to where she would apply for college in a couple of years if she decides that this is definitely not her cup of tea.

 

 

She is not a STEM student.  I'm not really sure what part of the career she is most interested in.  This has just recently came up.

 

 

Thanks for the link.  I'll pass it along to her to dig through.

 

Architecture is not a STEM field. She will need the same gen ed math requirements as other students, no upper level math is needed. The highest degree requirement I have seen is college algebra. Architects make use of a multitude of computer programs to generate models and blueprints. She would have a lot of studio classes, making computer generated models and physical models. It is a hands-on major. 

 

Do have her take a drawing class, but make sure it is a CAD class, not a manual drafting class. 

 

Architecture is such an interesting area because it combines function and form. If that concept appeals to her, she might also want to look into other areas of design. 

[idnib]

I agree architecture is not s STEM field. My relative who's an architect has a BA in fine art and received an advanced degree in architecture after taking a break for many years. He did not do more math and science than basic Ged Ed requirements.

[jenn-]

Thank goodness she won't have to have advanced math skills.  She's making by with a B but with lots of tears in her Algebra 1 class.  I can't see her managing advanced calculus classes.  I'm sure she will take up to Cal 1, but that's probably going to be where she maxes out in math.

[Alice]

Dh is an architect and I answered based on what I've heard him say in the past when asked these kinds of questions. 

 

My DD has declared that she is thinking of architecture as a future.  She is artistically inclined, but doesn't always allow that side to show.  She has some basic questions she would like answered if anyone has a chance.

 

1. What drew you into the field of architecture? Combined his interest in art and science. 

 

2. What degree do you hold? BA in Architecture, MS in Architecture 

 

3. Was it hard to break into the field after college? No, he had an internship and then got a job our of college with a big firm. He worked three years there and then went to graduate school. The recommendation at that time was to work first, then go to grad school. He then worked for another firm before he ended up where he has been for the past 20 years. 

 

4. Is this a feast or famine career where there are busy times that you make a good paycheck and others when you can barely rub two pennies together? Yes. Although, his paycheck has been fairly stable because he works for a firm. A few years ago with the economic downturn his firm had to lay off several people and stopped hiring to replace people who left for other reasons. Things were very slow and he was worried. They are just starting to rebound in the past year to the point where he's very busy. 

 

5. Do you work independently, or are you part of a company/firm? He's part of a firm. He works part-time and stays home with our kids when I work. 

 

6. Which classes would you suggest for a high schooler to take to get them ready for this career? I think he usually says drafting, art history, design. But mostly he'd say not to worry about it too much in high school. 

 

7. Any general advice...I agree with the person that said don't do it for money or prestige. Architects are definitely on the low end of the pay scale for people who have professional degrees.

 

 

 

This is kind of a funny article that people in his office were passing around not too long ago....10 Things You Need to Know About Dating an Architect. 

 

I found it amusing because it's obviously written as sort of a warning but then everything is good. So I wrote my own list of 10 Things You Need to Know about Being Married to an Architect. I can't remember them all now but they were something like...

 

-Realize all your future vacations will involve going to see buildings. Not to see what is inside the museum/concert hall/library/store/church. Just to see the building. 

-Be prepared to catch your spouse looking longingly over your shoulder when you are out to dinner. You turn to see what is distracting him only to find out it's the beautiful doorknobs on the door behind you. (Or lighting fixture.) 

-You better just learn what cantilevered means right now. 

-Sharpen your driving skills so you can drive through strange cities so your spouse can photograph buildings from the passenger seat. 

-Hopefully you don't embarrass easily. At every house you get invited to you spouse will ask for a house tour. He's not nosy, he's just an architect. 

-Get used to him complaining about everyone who meets him for the first time somehow mentioning Frank Lloyd Wright. 

 

[Arcadia]

The only friends I know who are architects are working in the public sector and my age, early 40s. They stay as late in the studios during undergrad days the same way as I stay late in my engineering labs. Good thing is they are good late night buddies for walking back to dorms as well as late night (after 1am) supper buddies.

 

My older has architect as one of his career choices so just following your thread. He wants to design, build and sell houses :)

 

Sketchbooks and a camera are nice to have.

 

-Realize all your future vacations will involve going to see buildings. Not to see what is inside the museum/concert hall/library/store/church. Just to see the building.

-Be prepared to catch your spouse looking longingly over your shoulder when you are out to dinner. You turn to see what is distracting him only to find out it's the beautiful doorknobs on the door behind you. (Or lighting fixture.)

-You better just learn what cantilevered means right now.

-Sharpen your driving skills so you can drive through strange cities so your spouse can photograph buildings from the passenger seat.

-Hopefully you don't embarrass easily. At every house you get invited to you spouse will ask for a house tour. He's not nosy, he's just an architect.

My first degree is in civil engineering and I am just as guilty for those I quoted :). I love floor plans and my older loves drawing floor plans.

 

Our honeymoon was in Europe just because of the architecture. We walked and used up lots of memory sticks.

[JFSinIL]

The only arch. I know went through UCLA back in the mid-80s, got stellar jobs after his degree - a few years back I had a dd thinking of arch. as a career and he talked (ok, FB messaged) her out of it.  Even he, (and he has designed houses for movie stars - http://www.davidapplebaum.com/) was not getting the jobs he used to - a lot of  arch. jobs are tied to the economy. His clientele wanted to more cheaply redo a room or two rather than build an house from the ground up. DD decide to stick with designing houses in her Sims games ;-) as a hobby. 

 

One  of our nephews switched in college from arch. to civil engineering.  He just didn't see the job potential in arch.

[Lanny]

Architecture is an applied art career with a professional degree, not a STEM career. Architecture students focus on design. In their undergraduate years they take only the math & science required to meet gen ed requirements. They do not take upper level math and science courses that are required in STEM fields. Instead, they take upper level design courses that focus on design. There are some specialties available, such as city design and environmental design, but the focus of the specialties is on the design, not on the engineering aspects of it. In this day and age, architects typically have a master's degree and many programs are now designed as five year programs that culminate in the master's degree. 

 

You can major in architecture at most state universities, some private universities and many art colleges. 

 

 

I saw where the OP wrote her DD isn't a STEM student.   Here in Colombia, this career has a lot in common with Civil Engineering majors and for that reason my wife and I consider it a STEM career. From what you wrote there is much less Math, etc., involved with it in stateside universities.

 

Like Civil Engineering, it is a very cyclical profession.    Other kinds of Engineering are also cyclical.

[mom2scouts]

Architecture is an applied art career with a professional degree, not a STEM career. Architecture students focus on design. In their undergraduate years they take only the math & science required to meet gen ed requirements. They do not take upper level math and science courses that are required in STEM fields. Instead, they take upper level design courses that focus on design. There are some specialties available, such as city design and environmental design, but the focus of the specialties is on the design, not on the engineering aspects of it. In this day and age, architects typically have a master's degree and many programs are now designed as five year programs that culminate in the master's degree. 

 

You can major in architecture at most state universities, some private universities and many art colleges. 

 

Not true.  I was *required* to pass college Calculus, College Physics, and Structural Design to get my architecture degree. That is far more than required for any gen ed requirement! Yes, there is a very heavy emphasis on studio design, but I had loads of math, art/architecture history, and a few construction technology classes as graduation requirements.

 

ETA: I just checked my school's current requirements.  College Physics 1 and 2, Algebra/Trig, Geometry, PreCalculus and Calculus are still required for a non-professional degree.  In addition, three structural engineering classes and three math-heavy building technology classes are required.  

[mom2scouts]

This is kind of a funny article that people in his office were passing around not too long ago....10 Things You Need to Know About Dating an Architect. 

 

I found it amusing because it's obviously written as sort of a warning but then everything is good. So I wrote my own list of 10 Things You Need to Know about Being Married to an Architect. I can't remember them all now but they were something like...

 

-Realize all your future vacations will involve going to see buildings. Not to see what is inside the museum/concert hall/library/store/church. Just to see the building. 

-Be prepared to catch your spouse looking longingly over your shoulder when you are out to dinner. You turn to see what is distracting him only to find out it's the beautiful doorknobs on the door behind you. (Or lighting fixture.) 

-You better just learn what cantilevered means right now. 

-Sharpen your driving skills so you can drive through strange cities so your spouse can photograph buildings from the passenger seat. 

-Hopefully you don't embarrass easily. At every house you get invited to you spouse will ask for a house tour. He's not nosy, he's just an architect. 

-Get used to him complaining about everyone who meets him for the first time somehow mentioning Frank Lloyd Wright. 

This made me laugh because:

-Every date we've ever had has turned into a side trip to visit a job site that just happened to be on the way.

-DH used to talk in his sleep about things like concrete blocks

-I often yell at dh for poor driving because he's busy looking out the window at buildings.

-We've been embarrassed when we realized we were spending all the time at a party commenting on the architecture of the host's house.

 

Speaking of Frank Lloyd Wright, I had the privilege of getting a private tour of Falling Water from Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. himself!

[TechWife]

Not true.  I was *required* to pass college Calculus, College Physics, and Structural Design to get my architecture degree. That is far more than required for any gen ed requirement. Yes, there is a very heavy emphasis on studio design, but I had loads of math, art/architecture history, and a few construction technology classes as graduation requirements.

 

Your experience is different, but that doesn't make my son's research "not true." 

 

At the universities ds researched - all very reputable universities, some with top design departments, accredited architecture programs, etc.. Algebra & Elementary Functions was the highest requirement that he saw, although higher level mathematics courses were allowed to fulfill the math requirement, of course. There are many other requirements, art history, architecture history, materials, modeling, construction design, construction materials & technology, form & space, technical drawing, so forth and so on are all required in various combinations at the different universities. The highest science he saw was an "Applied Physics" and most allowed them to choose from a full range of science subjects.

 

ETA: Perhaps state licensing requirements make a difference in the way that the programs are structured? He didn't get that far in his research as he decided that he is much more interested in pursuing industrial design. 

[mom2scouts]

State licensing requirements shouldn't make much difference as NCARB makes state to state licensing pretty easy and you test in your state of residence.  Also, you may not be aware that many of those construction tech type classes or "structures" can be very heavy on math because they require design of heating/cooling systems, lighting, and other environmental design or design or beams and columns.  I just want the OP to be aware that lots of those innocent sounding classes do require higher level math because I was not prepared for it when I entered architecture school.

 

This is a good overview: http://www.acsa-arch.org/resources/student-resources/overview/architecture-programs

[isaac_megan]

This is a very good point. She needs to look at the school's requirements. DH had to take trigonometry (thankfully not calculus), three structural engineering classes, and physics. He was not a classic STEM student by any means- he struggled with these classes, but he really wanted that degree. Most of the heavy-hitting math at work is covered by software.

[Liz CA]

My DD has declared that she is thinking of architecture as a future.  She is artistically inclined, but doesn't always allow that side to show.  She has some basic questions she would like answered if anyone has a chance.

 

1. What drew you into the field of architecture? Dh sort of fell into it since he worked with an architect during college.

 

2. What degree do you hold? Construction Management & Engineering Technology

 

3. Was it hard to break into the field after college? Not really, since he already had the job

 

4. Is this a feast or famine career where there are busy times that you make a good paycheck and others when you can barely rub two pennies together? Definitely. Unfortunately, during the recent recession, the company went under. Dh was able to get a slightly different job in mechanical engineering and is happy there as well. This was a smaller firm and they were based in a town of about 85,000 people. Larger firms in metropolitan areas would likely be a little better off during leaner times. Also, if you have a more diverse skill set you are better off. My dh was able to find another job pretty quickly; the owner of the firm went back to college to retrain for something else.

 

5. Do you work independently, or are you part of a company/firm? Dh worked in a firm. But once you have your license you can hang out your shingle...

 

6. Which classes would you suggest for a high schooler to take to get them ready for this career? Math, Trig, Calculus, Drafting

 

7. Any general advice...It can be very rewarding. To avoid the lean times disasters, perhaps add a marketable minor to your degree plan.

 

There you go. All answers are on behalf of dh.

 

[jenn-]

Thank you all for responding. I'll probably edit what I tell her at this point as this is the first real look to her future she has shown interest in. I don't necessarily see her settling on it yet. I think she just likes looking at cool building pictures.

[Laura Corin]

Something to think about for the future: I work for a company that builds timber frame house kits to architectural designs.  UK architecture courses used to include some time spent on building sites working on practical building skills.  That has changed to make the course more academic and university-based.  We see the lack of those practical skills - specifications and designs that cost more than necessary, or are less robust than they could be - so some kind of internship in the building trade might be a nice option as she works out her career direction.