re: Who here is an Architect?

Im an architect. Its a real grind. Takes years to really feel
Like you have a firm grasp of most of it yet i still have unknowns every single day. Alot of wide-ranging skills needed (software, contracts, codes, management, design skill, etc). Alot of design is driven by overly tight budgets and rushed schedules which makes really captivating design often not completely realistic. Unless you are at a giant firm in a giant city,
But those jobs have their own drawbacks. It’s hypersensitive to economy too.

Having said all that, if you have the ability and skill set it is a wonderful career. The pay starts too low but as experience builds it gets better relatively quickly.

Once you get alot of experience (and license) alot of alternative career paths open up (ex: facility directors, etc).

All in all its good. I think most people out there have complaints about their chosen profession. Really nothing is perfect.

If maximizing your salary potential is hugely important to you over day to day nature of what you are doing, get an engineering degree over architecture.

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The architects that I work with generally seem OK with their job, but people that are interested in becoming architects need to realize that the job is mostly meeting codes, coordinating with disciplines/owner, not going over project budget, meetings, etc. A lot of boring shite, and not a lot of artistic building design.

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This is where a filmmaker like myself comes in an woos them to set design for film. Even junior set designers make $3000 a week starting out and they eventually move up to Sr set designer or Art Director. I haven't met one that has gone back to that grind.

I’m an engineer and used to work with another engineer who pronounced the first syllable of architect as you would pronounce the first syllable of Archie.

Landscape architect, LSU, 20+ years.

Finding a firm with a good culture is very important. It is a deadline driven industry, but not all of them are sweat shops.

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What the frick does this even mean?

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It's provocative… it gets the people going!

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I did the new addition to the Guggenheim

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Did you work for Gwathmey?

Had a room mate at LSU who was majoring in architecture. Saw him during August and September. Never hardly saw him during October and November. During the spring semester his parents came and took him away at the end of February. They told me he was mentally broken, I never saw him again. I majored in Civil engineering.

Architects are the GC’s of the building design world. A lot of management. Firm owners and partners make good money (if they design correctly), the underlings don’t.

They make half as much as you'd expect

I enjoy the hell out of it. It is immensely gratifying seeing something go from a piece of an idea to a 75 page volume of drawings and then rise from the ground to something tangible that is enjoyed by people.

Every day is different. Today I'm hammering out a new arrival sequence and drop-off for a hospital expansion. Then on to a QA/QC review and a couple of proposals. Yesterday I was on site doing formwork review and a final completion walk.