Overrated Career: Architect

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As an architect with 30 plus year experience, I have forbidden my children from entering the field. The egotism creates intolerable working conditions. Firms hire and fire by the job. Most jobs last a year or two at best. It is impossible unless you own the firm = to make enough money to support a family, buy a home, buy a car, or retire. There are 3 times as many people in the profession as there are jobs. Only time you get to design anything is if you recruit the client. I agree that most architects are treated like draftsmen, and that outsourcing work has severely impacted employment. The American Institute of Architects has done everything in its power to prevent change and adapting the profession to modern times. If you want a good paying job with a future become a structural engineer. Avoid Architecture like the plague. You'd be better off long term working in a grocery store.

MNS of FL 10:27PM July 24, 2011

@Real Architecture..
you are perfectly right here.
as being an architect myself, i perfectly know. the services part is handled by the engineers/ consultants, and architects just guide them to use it better ways, so that the building/ structure and the inner building environment perform in most sustainable manner.
architects not only can deal with the building's look, but they can create the environment and a mark.
here in the article the author has written 'more potential clients are off-shoring architecture jobs, downloading premade blueprints developed by top architects, or having lower-cost interior/exterior designers or building contractors design their structures.', but what would be the quality and the kind of look it gives is known just after one can see during building stage only. its like buying fake chinese gadgets by saying that the branded ones are similar to the chinese ones.
archietcts can also perform on large scale projects like town planning, and large scale housings also. its not the scope of an interior designers understand the scale of the project.
architecture is all about creativity, technicality and creation of built environment.
so, 'Aaron', dont be dissapoinetd by this perfectly misguided article. because no large scale companies buy those 'blueprints' to built a building for them. this is all fake.
and to the author, please dont misgyide people when you even dont know 'A' of Architecture.

Harsh Anjaria 4:43AM June 15, 2011

" such as the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system."
Architects do not design or draw these items, their design and drawing is performed by MEP engineersts. Also the three terms listed are essentially synonymous terms in building construction like saying you draw doors, hinged entry devices, and swinging partitions in stationary walls.
In the early stages 5-10 years of an architectural career, you will be working in teams and drawing and designing elements of a building of a design that was established conceptually by a partner in the office, and then developed by the team. Modern firms are very far away from the 60s-80s atelier style firms where your boss throws a sketch on your desk and you spend the next 2 weeks staying up all night to complete it.
Then, "interior designers recommend where a wall should go as well as the color scheme". Interior designers do not recommend wear walls go, they often select materials and furnishings and are much closer to interior decorators than architects.
Everything in this article is false about describing the architectural profession and obviously written by somebody whose knowledge of the world of architecture is defined by movies and literature and not reality. I hope this blazingly erroneous essay does not dissuade anyone from a creative career in the architectural community.

Real Architecture of NY 6:35PM April 17, 2011

Wow. i am a high school student and this report just crushed an ideal dream of mine. You see, i visited the taliesin west in Phoenix AZ and that structure is inspiration all in itself. I thought i might go to college and join the fellowship out there, and eventually open up my own firm where i design homes for the mere joy. Now i might turn to pursue and MD...

Aaron of NM 1:11PM April 07, 2011

yea it sucks, particularly Yea it sucks, particularly at the beginning. But it is not all drafting in the backroom. Your career will find its course, and there will be many interesting opportunities. I think, because career paths are so unpredictable, people get frustrated. They see only a certain slim segment of the upper tier “principals” and assume that there is a strict hierarchy. When in reality there are many people doing creative work in small settings, working in community development, teaching, administrating facilities, and venturing into creative tangents like decorative arts, furniture and digital design. Oh, and as an architect, you can practice interior design, but as an interior designer, you can’t practice architecture. Food for thought ….

Will of IL 10:03AM March 24, 2011

we need an architectural revolution but how?

sd 1:59PM December 16, 2010

As a an Architect myself....I've been out of university for 6 years...and in those 6 years I've worked a total of 3 years in my field and all I did was do the EXTRA work that was given to me that needed fixing, or drawing ceramics on the floors or walls on AUTOCAD, bathroom fixtures, over and over and over again and note; we were working on a huge project a University actually overseas. I was sitting behind a desk everyday for 10hours doing the same boring thing over and over and over except for the few times I went on site, and till this day people still awe in amazement when I tell them I'm an architect...its always been this way cause it IS SO OVER RATED! If they only knew...I didnt get paid well either...actually it was really bad...now Im working as an Art teacher and Im getting paid so much more (ironically)...and its awsome! I do feel sorry for myself sometimes in terms of prestige and being an Architect who went to teaching especially at a highschool level...but when I think of all the hours I put in and no holidays, and no time to do anything or see anyone even my kids and working in such a non creative atmosphere and compare it to the life I have now working as an Art teacher and watching how I inspire those students and what comes out of them plus ofcourse the holidays, paid summers...I dont regret it... sometimes we gotta take different leaps in life and see where it takes us instead of being prisoners of our own degrees!! And funny thing my Art teacher in Highschool DID tell me that Architecture is a Taboo career in a sense...idealistically its a WOW career...realistically its hard to find jobs and the pay is low and we seldom end up designing anything of our own unless we open our own firms and that in itself is a lifetime of work and money etc etc...we need to WORK TO LIVE...NOT LIVE TO WORK...thats just my opinion..now I want to do my masters in fine arts and teach at University Level some day....

Susan 1:43AM November 03, 2010

As an architect, I do agree that the time is ripe for a spade to be called a spade not just a digging tool. Time will not permit me to dissect the route you have to take to call youself an architect. But who cares? The few so-called principals, directors and company owners work the hell out of the employed architects and pay them peanuts or nothing for working extra extra overtimes and even at weekends just because they are salary employee. Most architects of today have masters degrees but are paid lower than most engineers with a bachelors degrees in education. The question is: Who is supressing the architectural profession? Is it not the same so-called principals, directors and company owners who work in collaboration with the HRs for their big profits at the expense of their lower and middle level architects?
These people gratifies themselves in the brain power of the employed lower and middle level architects but do everything to prevent them from the limelight. Their names never appear anywhere.
As a onetime university lecturer in architecture, I cannot blame the almost collapsed architectural career. The more people know the reality after school and the internship in architecture, the deeper this profession will suffer disgrace and disregard. To be an architect you need a minimum if 5 years school work and 2 years internship. How much training does one need to be a general medical practician or a RN? God have mercy on architecture.!
Bosses in architectural institutions and firms are killing architecture and sooner or later younger architects will be leaving the profession for rewarding professions.

Franek of OH 10:33AM May 27, 2010

while its generally agreed that mr.nemko couldn't write his way out of a paper bag, most everyone commenting is right and wrong from my point of view. its a labor of love and success comes at a sacrifice. through six and a half years of sleep deprivation, random bouts of narcolepsy and enough caffeine to kill a small herd of cattle i received my masters from columbia university. since then ive paved the way for my carer by collaborating with designers, developers, etc. people who have that douchey 'starchitect' attitude will end up tripping over their own ego and landing face first. generally those without a head for business will end up left behind.
to sum it all up quickly you can succeed in this field and make pretty good money, but you get what you put into it. ultimately, i look forward to going to work every day and i have yet to meet a lady whos eyes don't perk up when you say your an architect.

Joseph of NY 9:47PM March 11, 2010

I agree with the general sentiment of this article, that the position of architect is overrated. However, I don’t believe any of the reasons given are correct. Try downloading “premade blueprints developed by top architects,” and see how far you get. Then try to build something from these “blueprints.” Hell, I haven’t even SEEN a blueprint in an architecture office in the last 10 years. To the writer’s second point, engineers draw detailed drawings of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, not architects. Apparently, being a writer for the US News should be a highly rated career, because you don’t have to have any education to write for them.

Brad of CA 12:42PM March 02, 2010