da_mad_cow

Stitchintime, I'm not really getting it, do you mean take finances classes plus arcitectural electives or vice versa??

StitchInTime

I'm suggesting that you maximize your college electives to put you in a position to take advantage of the stock market for prudent medium and long-term investments that can supplement a paycheck from an architectural career. Relying on just a paycheck (from any job) is single-dimesional thinking. Paycheck + Investment Income = Multi-dimesional thinking and a diversified stream of income that gives you many options.

Anyone, in any career, can follow their bliss and utilize a prudent investment strategy for additional income. REITs (as suggested above) are financial instruments that many architects could understand and potentially have an information edge over other professionals. They generally offer good long-term growth and income.

da_mad_cow

Sounds logical, thats good...

Btw I received this reply from a senior architect, I'm posting this under his behalf as he wish to remain anonymous. What do you guys think about it???

"Architects within the next decade will be highly in demand, as many of us (myself included) will be on our way to retirements. However as salary goes, I see a rise but not much. This due to the fact that no matter how much architects are needed they're still bound to design about 5-10% of buildings worldwide. Too many developers are focusing on the practicality, including keeping costs down. In this case architects are too often viewed as needless addition to their budget. I personally predict that architects salary will start to rise significantly about 20 years from now, when government standards for building are raised significantly and more traditional buildings are grazed to make room for the future green buildings, something that can't be done by just building alone. That's when architects will rise. Until that day comes though, my predictions for advancement are very modest"

Do you agree with him, or oppose??

lkf725

I have no connection with the architecture field, but I agree that architects are seen as a luxury today, adding $$$ to the cost of a building. Whether there will be a significant push to green construction during the next two decades to the point of razing many existing buildings...I sort of doubt it.

rick12

ikf; architects are seen as a luxury in the single family residential market, in commercial and multi-family housing they are required by law. Look at the regulatory hurdles that it takes to build an apartment building; Fair housing Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, the local building code, local zoning ordinances, and all the new sustainability regulations which mandate everything from energy usage to needed LEED points, not to mention negotiating with community groups. You are not building one of these buildings without an architect, even if you could care less about design.

A lot of these regulations seem crazy to me, but they are defimitely good for business. Sustainability has only really hit the mainstream in the design field in the last couple of years, but I know at least 10 architects who are making a good living as sustainability consultants in my area. The need for architects is not going away.

rick

lkf725

I didn't know that rick, but it certainly sounds like good news for the profession! Hopefully sometime in the future, attention to design will be at least as important as adhering to codes.

rheidzan

Back in the old days, architecture was combined together with structural engineering... So even though the need for architecture diminished, architects still had something to fall back on... so my professor say....

mathmom

Here in NY architects are required for residential work too. I'm plenty busy. The fact is I can save you money, both upfront and in the long run.

Lanaak

hey joix! i was intrested in what you wrote and i kind of need your advice!
im a first year student in architecture and im having second thoughts. Its either architecture or civil for me. Ive always been intrested in Math and physics which makes civil appealing but since i was a child, i wanted to be an architect.

Architecture where i live is to studied for bout 5 years, 4 of them hand drawn, last year autoCAD. I ask older students n they tell me they spend weeks of only 2 to 3 hours of sleep per night. So i start to wonder, is it relly worth it? i mean i do like it but at the same time, i dont want to be miserable!
But will not pursuing it make me miserable?
also im a female, so as a civil engineer, how would that work for me?

im not really intersted in the money, i pretty much dun care when it comes to money.
And so far ive been doing well at architecture n nt spending the required amount of effort others do but im worried in a few years ill be as depressed as the students i see. I want a proffession that is as fun to work in afterwards as it is to study during university!

Lanaak

hey joix!! i really liked what you wrote and i kind of need your advice.
im first year archiecture student and im having second thoughts bout the whole thing. Its either that or Civil. Ive always liked Math and Physics which makes civil seem the safe road to chose and reasonable one but ever since i was a kid, i wanted to be an architect.

Where i live, architecture is 5 years of study, and its all hand drawn till u reach the 4th year.. afterwards its autoCAD. I ask older students in architecture and they tell me sumtimes they spend 2 weeks on only 3 hours of sleep per night, makes me wonder n think if its worth going thru it all?
will it make me miserable? i mean i dont know anyone who likes being sleepy n tired all the time. But will switiching to civil be more of a misery since im a female and im not sure what i can work as!

also i heard this thing bout architectural engineering bout being a blend between architecture and civil, do u by any chance know anything botu it ? if it involves less drawing, im in
so far ive been doing well without spending the required amount of effort but still makes u think, is it really that worth it??
and you stated that 50% of all people dont even work in their field, then why the hell am i busting myself for 5 years to end up nt working in it?

Also, in Canada or anywhere, when do you start using autoCAD for architecture?

wow thats a long reply ahhaha
reply soon, thank youuuuu so much!

Lakemom

I am reading as a mother of a son interested in architecture and I think the person who DA-Mad-Cow cited is correct. I think those architects who are able to embrace "green technology and sustanability" in their design will be the desired group when older building are torn down to be replaced with more efficient, environmentally responsible designs in the future. I also can't imagine someone going to the trouble to become an architect to then plan on being a construction or real estate manager. Get a degree in a construction area and an MBA or management degree and for real estate go for a finance degree and specialize in real estate investing.

Certainly everyone has to think to the future of what they would do with their degree in any field and the answer is always the same: diversify. Get additional training in related areas to make yourself more marketable.

mistariapotter

wow... it's scary that architects arent making that much money, but i know they did alot of studying in college. im still a high school student and i want to becoming an architect, but im now having second thoughts cause it seems like an unreliable job. my mom told me to take civil engineering first in college then once i get a job, head back in for the architecture major cause that i way i know ill always have jobs as a civil engineer. but thats soooo much work =.=! yea, thats why i applied for architectural engineering instead cause its a combo. but i really really wanna be an architect. i mean im an artist, and i tend to think architects are also artists, just a more pratical artist. but yea lol. hope the market gets better for architects, kinda dont wanna starve on the streets when i grow up...

rick12

Right now we all have to face the reality that we are in a depressed real estate/building market. It really does not matter if you are an architect, mechanical engineer, developer, construction manager, or structural engineer. It is brutal out there. Most civil engineers that I know are involved with new developments, and projects with state and local authorities, and they are suffering. Only the civil engineers involved with major highway and infrastructure projects have been able to weather the storm.

The cyclical nature of the building industry is one of the hardest things to deal with in this profession. If you are now entering school you will be fine, by the time you get out the economy will have recovered. However, do not forget what you are seeing now, because it will come again. You need to make yourself as valuable as you can while times are good so you can survive the next one.

So what makes you valuable? The ability to either keep or bring in new clients. Clients are the life blood of an organization. So if you are a talented designer whose work can win competitions or attract new clients you are in good shape. If you are a project manager who has the primary relationship with an important client that provides ongoing work, you are safe (However, if your client is a retail developer who has stopped building, you are in trouble). If you are a skilled project architect who is great at developing in-house drawings but is not involved with the client, you should be concerned.

We will get through this, but we are going to lose a lot of valuable people in our industry, and I particularly worry about losing an entire generation of young graduates who will find other ways of making a living.

rick