Architecture?

College Majors Architecture Major
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<p>What a joke!!!! You!? </p>

<p>In my opinion, 95% of people posting here do not even come close to have the potential of becoming a decent architect.</p>

<p>It is a sad thing to read these threads and all I hear is how much money is to be made in Architecture.<br>
Architecture will be You. You become a priest of Architecture. Your family and life will revolve around architecture. Anything else and you will be a mediocre architect destroying our built environment.
It is vulgar to ask how much money you will make in Architecture, it is pitiful to aspire to graduate from a top university in order to be hired by a so called “top firm”.
You see, there are no “top firms” in architecture; there are no standards to measure who is the “Best Architect”. “Top Firms” are merely factories of mass production of cloned construction documents that heartlessly degrade and prostitute our evolution. </p>

<p>Architecture is independent, architects are free beings.<br>
Architecture is your greatest hate and your greatest love.</p>

<p>Expect the following:
Expect to be poor or compromise your integrity.
Expect to work even in your sleep.
Expect 90% of your work time spent in everything except design.
Expect to be well traveled.
Expect to be patient.
Expect to read and study feverously, for the rest of your life.
Expect to be divorced.
Expect to live life intensely.
Expect to be the happiest person alive. </p>

<p>If you have the slightest doubt in pursuing Architecture, it is not for you.</p>

<p>My father is a Medical Doctor with three Ph.D. degrees. He has patients from all over the world and is on call 24 hours a day, yet he often tells me, that he does not know another profession that requires so much dedication and total devotion as in Architecture.</p>

<p>I realized, after 2 years of attending college for architecture, that my heroes in architecture had either “dropped out” or never attended architecture school. I have been working in the field for 10 years and I am finally being commissioned work that is very interesting. Some of my friends from college graduated and attended “Ivy League Master Programs” and are currently working for “Top Firms”. I have seen their passion for architecture die and they succumb to the pressures of the “real world”, yet they still work robotically in a profession they once loved. Please read about the lives of the great architects and discover how their passion and love for the profession grew, and how they tirelessly worked until the day they died. </p>

<p>If you want to become an ethical architect you will marry architecture, you will become an apostle and priest of architecture. If you like building “pretty things” and like making money go ahead become a General Contractor, you really do not need a lot of knowledge for that.</p>

<p>I am poor often exhausted but extremely happy. I love Architecture.</p>

302

<p>I agree that a person must enter this field with a very serious attitude, (but i do not see why it had to relate to religion.) you sound very depressed, but very professional. would you happen to know any undergrad arch programs that relates to "green arch." and sustainable design? Thank you very much in advance!</p>

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<p>Shut up Rabioso. Dont judge us. Your moronic post only aims to insult, rather than educate.</p>

304

<p>'Expect to be divorced'??!</p>

<p>yeah, bneg, I've been searching. I'll soon post the special programs available at WashU and other places. till then.</p>

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<p>I saw your thread regarding CEE! Here's what I found; CMU's 5+1 arch has 5 year arch and 1 year sustainable design. However i don't think you have to have graduated from their 5 to go to the 1. So I still won;t go there for undergrad studies.</p>

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<p>In fact, I wouldn't mind losing sleep for the rest of my life thinking about designs. But as I've noticed, most architects are obsessed with their profession. In the words of Gehry: 'I am obsessed with architecture.'</p>

<p>No matter what I do, there is a limit to how far it can go. Because I may just end up caught up in my work without realising that my family is where my heart really ought to be.</p>

<p>I don't think architecture should be so obsessive, yet one has to be passionate about what one does. But then, most architects merely become contractors and get detached from their real work, as you have rightly pointed out.</p>

<p>All these, and more, SRMom3 has previously advised us, and we took her seriously. Anyway, I don't expect to get divorced.</p>

<p>Whatever I plan to do here, money is not my motivation, and I try to make everyone [even my parents] see that. It's the passion that matters, as you have alluded.</p>

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<p>Washington has a 7-year program that awards a bachelor's degree in arch and civil engineering and a master's degree in arch</p>

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<p>Jrock, can you give me the site where it has this info? I can't really find it~</p>

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<p>Jrock, I just found out that Kansas state does not offer the dual degree program, it has stopped offering it for almost 5 years. (the website needs some updating). The only one would be texas at austin now but I really don't know how to present myself because portfolios aren't allowed....</p>

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<p>I got the info on washU from the Archi and EAS brochures they mailed me.</p>

<p>hey, check this out! it might be just what we need:</p>

<p><a href="http://cee.stanford.edu/Architectural_Design.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://cee.stanford.edu/Architectural_Design.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>look:
'The new undergraduate programs in Architectural Design, sponsored by the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE), provide course offerings in architecture and building design, with emphasis on sustainability, green design, life-cycle planning, and design/construction integration. The programs are intended for undergraduate students who...'</p>

<p>how does that sound?</p>

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<p>hi Jrock, no wonder I couldn't find anything about Wash U's program. It's a bit weird that they don't even have their own website. I saw Stanford's program, but too bad it isn't accredited. Can you believe it! Neither accredited for engineering nor architecture. maybe because it's new? it might become an accredited program in the future... Jrock, Texas at Austin also has a master's program in sustainable design, and that's all I found, U Mich has a March with civil, blah blah blah...these are all graduate programs. Back to Stanford, i think it's not worth the competition to get into a non-accredited program... how about Cooper union? I will not be considering if it needs the TOEFL and it's been like 2 months since I asked them. Anyway, it's so nice to hear that you're also interested in sustainable design!!! I am planning on a b.arch, a M.arch with civil, and a M.S. in Sus.Des. That doesn't sound too bad for now. I'll get to you when those green building organizations reply on relevant arch. programs. Bye~</p>

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<p>yeah, thanks for the email.</p>

<p>But please if a program is not accredited (as in Stanford), what effect does it have? Is one going to be placed at a disadvantage in the job market? What if you go for an accredited Masters program, does that count still?</p>

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<p>Only professional degrees, B. Arch and M. Arch., can be accredited. There is no accredidation for any other degrees. You must get one of the professional degrees to be eleigible to take the licensing exams.</p>

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<p>Hi SR Mom, can a grad of a pro b.arch. program take the FE? or can they take the PE in arch. eng.? Thanks you so much for stopping by to answer our questions! Jrock, I checked with the Georgia Tech, the one that was ranked for CEE in the top ten that had a joint degree for CEE and Arch, but they said it's not a formal joint degree meaning we'd still need like 7 years to get 2 accredited degrees, one arch thast isn't ranked. Also, i'd rather not choose Standford's program because if i went to a 5 year pro-arch, I can start practising relatively early; than I could go for a MS in Civil and M.arch. joint degree (offered by several schools), then that would have the same effect, but instead the ranked and accredited b.arch program would do me more good in the future than Stanford's program. However I think Stanford is an excellent school and that program might turn out to be quite prestigious in the future, so i guess we can still apply and see if we actually get in.</p>

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<p>yes, the accredited Masters program would count still... but usually there are several M.arch programs, and the one that is for the grad of a non-pro arch. program would usually take 2 years. If you went to another program, one like CEE, than the M.arch would usually take 3 years. If you went to say Cornell, than Harvard for Masters (!!!) than it would only take 1 extra year, and I guess with a lot more chance of getting in.</p>

316

<p>I am not familiar with FE. What is it? The only situations I know of where an architecture graduate is also eligible for engineering certification are programs like Univ of Il M. Arch with a structures concentration. I believe it qualifies you to sit for the structural engineers exam as well as the A.R.E. but that is not the same as PE which requires braoder enfineering background.</p>

<p>I do not understand why you are so focused on getting both credentials. I have onle known a few architects that were also qualified as engineers, typically structural. Even if you had the qualifications you typically need separate engineers and architects on a project to get the work done in a timely manner, also it is wise to distribute the liability for a project.</p>

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<p>SRmom is right. Choose between one of the two as they are both very difficult courses and you should devote your time to only one. YOu can always do an MArch with an engineering background at the undergrad level.</p>

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<p>I realize what SRMom is saying, but I think there are not that many chances for an architect to design a house, and instead of doing other irrelevant stuff while I am not trusted enough to design, I'd rather work on the technical aspects of architecture as in arch. or struc. eng.. I don't think anyone can really teach design or be really taught design, so I really don't want just a b.arch. program; I guess it's the technical aspects that cannot be overlooked. Also, I am quite sure that I will be more likely to enter an a 5 year arch. program than a 4 year BS program, and more likely to survive the arch. program as well, so I don't want to just enter a BS program. I am plainly looking for an arch. program that skips the history/criticism/theory stuff and really focus on what is essential and applicable.
And what is the structural engineering exam? i thought it was the same as the PE in structural engineering! Does it get you licensed though? Licensing is all I want.
And thank you jimminy for your suggestions; I really do not want to study for 7 years and I really do not want to live through irrelevant material. (I have had enough of that in high school)
Oh~ I don't know what to do. Sorry for this tedious post, and thank you all very much for your concerns. I hope I could be bringing you good news next school year!</p>

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<p>the history and criticisms and stuff are essential.</p>

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<p>If you don't think design can be taught and you are not interseted in the theory and criticism stuff don't go into architecture. Design is heart of an architectural education. The technical aspects are important because they are our pallette just as color is to the painter. Spending your time doing engineering is not going to give you the credentials you need to design as an architect. It is also not going to give you the hours you need to take the A.R.E. To complete your IDP (Internship Development Program) you need to show specific amounts of time working in all aspects of architectural practice.</p>