Architecture, Yea or Nay?

College Majors Architecture Major
1

<p>I am a senior in high school, and am about to be applying for college. I'm indecisive whether or not I should pursue either architecture or engineering. I'm more into architecture because I enjoy being creative, but I'm concerned about the job stability. With the economy and the housing market the way they are, I'm concerned that after I finish college, I won't have a job and thousands of dollars will have gone to waste. However, engineering also sounds like a great are of study. If I study engineering, I don't think job security will be as much of an issue, but I won't be pursuing my true dream.</p>

<p>Advice?</p>

2

<p>It sounds like you’re pretty clear-headed about it.</p>

<p>You’re going to make great money if you choose engineering.</p>

<p>As an architect, you’re choosing a teacher’s salary without a teacher’s job stability and benefits.</p>

<p>You have to decide what’s more important. Financial stability or chasing your dream.</p>

<p>Frank Lloyd Wright chose to pursue his dream. A lot of people driving Mercedes’ didn’t.</p>

3

<p>You’re going to be doing this for the rest of your life, so you really need to think about what is going to make you happy. Will you have better career choices in engineering? Probably, because there are so many more options for what industry to work in. However don’t kid yourself, things are very tough for engineers right now and getting a job out of college is still a big challenge.</p>

<p>Do you really enjoy calculus and physics? Is solving a differential equation more fun for you than doing a sketch? I have a son who is a sophomore in engineering and one a sophomore in architecture, and their college experiences are radically different. One is spending all his time on physics and calculus, the other is creating a series of planes with openings that reflect the spatial movements in the movie Fantasia. One spends most of his time in the library and his room, the other lives in studio hanging out with his classmates. They are both working very hard, but in different ways. What is going to appeal to you?</p>

<p>rick</p>

4

<p>Architecture has always been a tough field. Financial wise, you are far better off majoring in engineering.</p>

<p>However, don’t forget that work will be a misery if you are doing something you don’t like, just because you want to make money.</p>

5

<p>I love drawing, and Calculus and Physics; looks like I’m stumped as well.</p>

6

<p>Pursuing one’s “dream” does need to be tempered in reality. I am a licensed architect who is employed by an owner’s rep firm working primarily in construction project management, rather than traditional design. The salary and benefits are exceptional and the work has remained steady during this economic downturn. My husband on the other hand, has been a self-employed architect for 28 years and, while extremely successful in the past, hasn’t earned more than about $8k during the past two years and is finally looking for full-time employment in a (any) related field.</p>

<p>Dreams are a wonderful thing especially when young, but they will not buy groceries, pay for car repairs and or allow you to send your kids to college. I would encourage young people today to think long and hard about architecture as a career, especially if they are not 100% committed and may also be interested in other, more lucrative, fields.</p>

<p>And BTW, the “creative” aspect of being an architect is over-rated. There is plenty of creativity in engineering disciplines as well.</p>