<p>For those who have attended Architecture grad school or have practiced architecture, do you regret doing it? Do you think there were alternatives that you would have been more happy with? If there is something you personally do not like about practicing architecture, what is it? Please state what your current status is (e.g. arch grad school student [what year?], currently practicing architecture [for how many years?], drop-out, etc.).</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I’m not saying that I don’t like architecture (I don’t have enough experience with it to determine whether I would like it or not). I’m asking the same question about different careers across the board (the board being the internet and elsewhere) to ascertain exactly what the hell I want to do – or at least what I would be more happy with. (Not just random careers, but careers I think I would potentially like.)</p>
<p>I’ve been an architect for over 20 years. If I had it to do over I’d go into children’s book illustrating, though in many ways that’s a chancier way of making a living than architecture. I like architecture, especially the variety it brings to my day, and I like dealing with both clients and contractors. However, I’m not sure it was the best fit for me. I don’t think I think in 3 dimensions as well as I do in 2. I also needed to mesh my career path with my husband’s (he’s an academic) and didn’t fully appreciate the need to develop roots in one location. For various reasons my career has developed in a direction where the contractors are calling too many of the shots and it’s irritating and means I end up doing too much damage control. One thing I did not fully appreciate when deciding on a career is figuring out how you want to combine it with family life. If you want to work part time or take some time off, it is not always easy to get a career back on track. I never fully got mine career back after spending some time working in a German architectural office and then having a baby.</p>
<p>There’s a statistic that 40% of people who graduate from Arch. school’s don’t do traditional architecture work. They go into landscape arch, graphics, engineering or otherwise. Me? I’m one of those going back for a business degree looking to go into creative industry consulting. Do I regret my architecture degree? Absolutely not. I think there’s a lot that one can learn from the architectural education like critical thinking and problem solving that you don’t get as in depth in other programs (like business, ironically).</p>
<p>I’ve also been an architect for over 25 years. While I was home having babies in the late 80s/early 90s, I went back to college for a degree in accounting. Always wish I had started there in the first place. I love the numbers and the rules. The design part of architecture just isn’t for me; too many possibilities and no final answers. Today I am pretty satisfied working in “project management” which can be anything: lease analysis, feasibility studies, construction management, owner’s rep, move management, or all of it.</p>
<p>I agree with hyperion that being an architect prepared me for just about any type of career path, and it impresses enough people to open doors.</p>