How do I know if Architectural Engineering is for me?

I’m a High School senior currently taking an Architectural Design Class. I enjoy learning about architecture and building as a whole but as i began learning about the amount of schooling being an architect takes, the low median salary,low demand, and the fact that most spend their days behind a desk and computer i looked to Architectural Engineering as an alternative. At first glance it seemed like a better paying and more hands on alternative but the internet has differing facts when it comes to licensing, years in school necessary, median salary, job opportunity, and most importantly to me- the amount of Architectural aspects, if any, that are a part of being an architectural Engineer.

Any answers are welcome but I would humbly prefer someone who is actually an Architectural Engineer cause I’ve tried so hard to find one to speak to with no luck so far.

I think @MaineLonghorn might be a good resource for you.

I can’t respond right now but I will later today! I was an ArchE major.

Alright.

Architecture and architectural engineering are completely different fields. Architects design what the building LOOKS like. They also deal with all the myriad little details of every project (flashing, masonry, bathroom fixtures and layout, cabinetry, etc.). Architectural (structural) engineers figure out how to support the building - we design everything from the foundation up to the roof framing.

I majored in ArchE because I was interested in building design. I didn’t want to major in civil engineering because I wasn’t interested in roads, drainage, etc.

Structural engineers don’t usually get involved in aesthetic design, but occasionally we do, when the structure is exposed. We need to understand architectural items, as well as electrical, mechanical, and plumbing, so that our structure can accommodate them.

As a rule, engineers do earn more than architects. But you should really do what you think you would enjoy. Slogging through your days at a job you don’t like is no fun. Engineers run lots of calculations, but we also have to be good communicators. Lay people don’t understand the complexity of what we do. We have to be really good at math but then come up with details down to nails and bolts!

If you have other questions, feel free to ask!

Architectural engineering is engineering, focused on buildings. My daughter is an architectural and structural engineering student in her fourth year. Her coursework has been engineering, with elements of mechanical, electrical and civil engineering. She’s had one architectural design course and one architectural history course. It’s multidisciplinary, and there’s a lot of collaboration with architects, contractors, and all the others involved in making a building, but definitely different than architecture. How do you like your math courses? Have you already taken physics?

If these quotes could be pinned forever to a banner at the top of the forum, many an unhappy student could be saved.

Math prowess, degree of progress, and overall love of the discipline at the time a student begins collegiate matriculation is HIGHLY correlated to future success, probably more than any other variables. If you don’t really “get” math, but say love to tinker or like to draw, engineering can be a poor fit.

Students who don’t understand this and choose it for its earning potential and/or prestige usually don’t make it, and are miserable if they do.

Good luck on the quest!

Well for me I enjoy my Architecture course because i love learning about buildings. I’m not good at drawing nor am i interested in spending my life at a desk drawing. I’m no master mathematician but I do well in math because I’m a good thinker and i study persistently especially if it interests me. I want a career working with buildings specifically which is why I’m not interested in Civil and i don’t mind being in an office but I also want to be able to go into the field.

I saw ArchE and it seemed interesting because you learn about all parts and components of buildings not just aesthetics and you get to go in depth as well as assist and collaborate with Architects and other Engineers.

Is there a high demand for ArchE? and is there room to move up or even branch into other careers cause i also felt like Architecture was also a dead end career in a sense

Also why do you say Structural Engineering in parenthesis? is it the same as ArchE?

In most cases, yes. But you can also concentrate on construction management, if you’re more interested in that.

Building design is cyclical - it varies with the economy. So my husband and I decided to form our own company. It’s easier for us to save up during good times and then ride through the slow ones. But it’s something to be aware of!

So are you a Structural Engineer as well? And were your experiences in College and in the career field as an Architectural Engineer?

You can call me a structural engineer or an architectural engineer. My major was architectural engineering. I don’t see many engineers identifying themselves professionally as “architectural engineers.” It’s usually “structural engineer” or something in construction management.

So in College is the work mostly on Programs like Autocad or do you do more hands on things or both

You would have to check each school’s curriculum, because they vary. You will take a lot of engineering design classes (steel, concrete, etc.), structural analysis, a couple of semesters of architectural design, then electives such as plumbing, lighting, etc. Oh, and construction management.

How is the college workload? And can you tell me a little bit how your career is day to day?