<p>As you say architecture is an art and can be subjective based on the professor you happen to be working with. However, when you are in school you should have a good idea of where you stand relative to your classmates and that should give you a good indication of where you stand talent wise in your class. Let me just point out a couple of things relative to talent and professional success;</p>
<p>1) I think you need to have a solid (not necessarily spectacular) level of talent to become a designer in a good firm, because once you get into the profession your passion, drive and work ethic will have as much to do with your success as your talent level. Some people come into our office with a wonderful portfolio and never develop, others come in with a solid but unspectacular portfolio and continue to grow year after year. I wish I had a better ability to predict this. Design is competitive in almost any good firm, and it will require tremendous dedication and hard work to achieve a lead designer position. It will not be an 8 to 5 job, and there are a lot of talented people that decide that it is not what they want out of life. That’s OK because;</p>
<p>2) There are many good jobs in the profession, not just the lead designer. For every design director there are probably ten other architects who are leading firms and/or major projects and living a challenging and rewarding professional life. This is seldom presented as an option in school, but it is the reality of the profession.</p>
<p>This is why I think it is good to work a bit before heading back to grad school. It will give your daughter a chance to really get a taste of the profession and decide what her role should be and whether grad school can help her get there.</p>
<p>BTW; if this economy does not get better in two years when she graduates we will all have closed our doors and found something else to do.</p>
<p>rick</p>