<p>Actually Sashimi, architects don’t design detailed beam connections (unless perhaps it is wood framing on a residential project), even structural engineers don’t design the connection details; the steel fabricators design the details.</p>
<p>We have engineers in our firms and very creative architects, and if there is one characteristic that differentiates them it is their attitude towards ambiguity. Many of our engineers began in architecture and couldn’t deal with the ambiguous nature of the profession. You may do a project that you think is just great and half of the jury members think it is crap and the other half think it is sublime. Who is to say which one is right? People who do well in architecture seem to accept and even thrive in this kind of open environment, and people who end up in engineering want to see issues more in black and white. Did I answer the problem correctly? Yes or no. Black or white.</p>
<p>A love of art classes is a good sign. I never took art in high school, but I spent all my spare time drawing cars and airplanes in my notebooks. Some capacity in math and physics is good, but you don’t really need a lot, and certainly not once you graduate.</p>
<p>Sign up for architecture and I guarantee you that within one semester you will know if it is for you. If you find the workload to be a grind, go find something else to do. If you find it exhilarating, then you have found a home.</p>
<p>rick</p>