<p>Hello everyone, this is my first time on this board, and I was hoping for some advice from experienced professionals, teachers, and some students. I am 26 years old, have a b.a. in English, and want to get into development/design, with an emphasis on sustainable development, renewable energy, etc. I am mostly interested in residential development that can function off the grid, both in the U.S. and as a means to bypass infrastructure development in the third world. I’m looking into various avenues to break into this field, and architecture has always intrigued me. I have a year and a half of mechanical engineering school experience, so I’ve taken collegiate advanced mathematics, physics, statics, dynamics, etc. I’m by no means a talented artist in regards to drawing/painting, but I have extensive graphic design, 3D animation, and moderate CAD experience. I’m also a writer and musician - in other words, I have the ability to communicate emotion and theoretical design ideas under pressure, in an artistic form. While my college G.P.A. is lacking, my standardized tests are very solid. I am also moving to Japan in a month to teach for a year, and then will be traveling through S.E. Asia and India, doing volunteer work with an emphasis on development and construction. I also have contracting/construction experience. My thoughts at this stage are to gain experience through volunteer work and working with a development co., construction co., or an architecture firm while taking some required classes for the M.Arch I at night and online. I don’t want to spend another three and a half years in school with no income at this point, so I need to combine the two. I’d also like to take some studio art classes to build my foundation in that regard before jumping into the M.Arch.
I know this is long, and I apologize, but I suppose my question is this: for those working in the field, would this be a good plan? I don’t want to end up a cog in a large firm, and I’ve contemplated getting a master’s in environmental science, or just working my way up in a contracting co. I need to be hands on, but not just a grunt, and as I said, architecture is intriguing. At the same time, I don’t want to be a first year architect at the age of 35, and from what I’ve read on here, the M.Arch I can be limiting career-wise due to lack of studio time. Thoughts?
Finally, what schools would any of you recommend for an M.Arch that would emphasize responsible development in conjunction with progressive design? Preferably something on the West Coast, I’m tired of living on the East Coast. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Chris</p>
<p>chris, I don’t have a lot of specific advice for you but I applaud your direction and think that you will ultimately achieve you goals. </p>
<p>My son is a recent liberal arts graduate. He’s doing grunt work at slave wages at a wonderful firm with the idea of eventualy getting an MArch. He has a highschool friend who is about to graduate from a 5 year architecture program and will indoubtedly be a full fledged architect earning good money well before he’s 25. Would my son exchange places? No way, he values his LAC education, he values the OJT and exposure he’s currently getting and is looking forward to the next phase of his life.</p>
<p>First on MArch vs BArch: Too late for you to stress over this point. Many, many successful architects studied something entirely different for their undergrad degrees and attended architecture school after pursuing other careers. You should try to attend a MArch information session (usually held in the Fall). My son was told that the average age of the student body at Yale (or maybe it was Harvard, I forget) was 28. Life experience and intellectual depth is very important in these programs. Architects need to be exposed to ideas and buildings.</p>
<p>Yes, you may end up as a starting architect at the age of 35. So what? The principle of the firm that my son works for has an art degree, a law degree and an MArch. He has a very successful, award winning practice but he arrived there by a circuitous path.</p>
<p>My guess is that your life plans will coalesce at some point. Everything you are feeling, sensing about the environment, the global community, the interaction between design and human responsibility is exactly the direction that the field is taking. You will be able to tie it all together.</p>
<p>I happen to live in a developing country that has a rich history of traditional architecture and is experiencing a renaissance of environmentally friendly, low income architecture. Try to visit Indonesia on your travels. You could most likely get a position with an NGO involved in the rebuilding of Aceh. </p>
<p>The only point that I would question in your long term goals is the idea of doing your MArch at night while working. The MArch is an very demanding, exhausting program. I’d suggest plunging into a full time program – or maybe a coop program – even if it means taking out some loans.</p>
<p>Not sure how dire your undergrad grades are (how lacking?) but I believe your life experience and intellectual drive can compensate. You will need a knockout portfolio, driven more by creativity than actual artistic ability. You will also have to take the GRE which may help compensate for a lackluster GPA.</p>
<p>Good luck and let us know how you do.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for that reply, it was reassuring. My intention wasn’t to go for the M.Arch at night, but rather to take some of the requirements (not the Studios) prior to entering the M.Arch to try and accelerate the program. My cumulative G.P.A at the school where I got my bachelor’s was a 2.8, and it was by no means a great school. The story behind that is just I was young, poor, working and not knowing what I wanted to do. I ultimately ended up with a 3.6 within my major and finished my last four semesters with above a 3.5. Then I went to music school for a year and a half with a 3.6 GPA. The GRE’s will definitely be a boost, I’ve always been a solid test taker. I was betting that the life experience/intellect could trump the poor showing in college nine years ago, so it’s nice to hear that theory backed up. </p>
<p>I’m very interested in your suggestion about Indonesia, I was leaning toward Cambodia because I have friends there working in development, but Tsunami relief combined with getting both NGO and development experience would be amazing. Would you be able to point me in the direction of any organizations in the area? I’ve done a tentative search that hasn’t yielded too many results. Thanks again for your help!</p>
<p>You sure have a diverse background, with music, engineering, english and now architecture. Wow!</p>
<p>chris, I wouldn’t want to discourage you from going to Cambodia because it’s a wonderful country, but Indonesia has mountains of need and therefore mountains of opportunity to make a difference in your areas of interest. </p>
<p>Aceh is just one of many disaster areas under reconstruction. Yogyakarta is another that has benefited a lot from foreign architectural expertise and volunteer sweat. Basically you don’t have to look too hard to find need. </p>
<p>And plus Indonesia’s a profoundly beautiful country with a fascinating culture and infinitely hospitable people. You can always kick back in Bali for a real architectural field day.</p>
<p>USAID is very active in Indonesia. These two sites are a good starting place for volunteer opportunities:
[InterAction.org[/url</a>]
[url=<a href=“http://www.cidi.org%5DCenter”>http://www.cidi.org]Center</a> for International Disaster Information](<a href=“http://www.interaction.org%5DInterAction.org%5B/url”>http://www.interaction.org)</p>
<p>Good luck to you. I have no doubt that your star will shine – maybe a little later in life than you would like – but shine brighter for the experience.</p>