<p>... what are the alternative professions folks for arch majors?</p>
<p>People who have considered majoring in architecture sometimes also consider civil engineering, construction management, or urban planning.</p>
<p>And yes, I think architecture school is worth it, but only if you're really passionate about it.</p>
<p>You can also become a developer or sell real estate and I know a number who do interior design. I have no regrets about going into architecture. It's a profession with a lot of sole practitioners - I like being the boss of me. I'll never be rich, but there are successful architects who do very well.</p>
<p>Association</a> of Collegiate Schools of Architecture: </p>
<p>[ul]
[li]Architectural</a> Education [/li][li]High</a> School Preparation [/li][li]Architectural</a> Programs[/li][li]Selecting</a> a School[/li][li]Architectural</a> Practice [/li][li][url=<a href="https://www.acsa-arch.org/students/resources.aspx%5DResources%5B/url">https://www.acsa-arch.org/students/resources.aspx]Resources[/url</a>][/li][/ul]</p>
<p>Architecture, among all the professions that require specific training, is not a direct route to an assured big income. Compared to law or medicine for example the investment in time and money in schooling, internships and licensing may not pay off in eventual income. Of course, there are a handful of architects who make a whole lot of money (starchitects) and plenty of architects that make a comfortable living, but if you were to prorate educational investment to income, law, medicine and even business would come out ahead.</p>
<p>The elephant in the room is obviously that career and life satisfaction is not necessarily proportionate to income. As a gross generality, I would say that many architects are happy with their career choice -- and I've observed this in architects at a wide range of income levels.</p>
<p>There are two routes to becoming an architect. One, the Bachelors of Architecture BArch or BArch/MArch starts from day one of the student's undergraduate career. Two, the Masters of Architcture (MArch) builds on top of a BA or BS in architecture studies or any undergraduate disciplines. </p>
<p>The non-architecture undergraduate degree can be in a related field, like studio art or art history, or in a completely unrelated area. Many students in MArch programs, have some work experience, again, either in architecture or another related or unrelated field.</p>
<p>Both routes turn out successful architects. The first which is faster (and therefore cheaper) is appropriate for students who are 100% sure that "architecture school is worth it." The second is for the student who hasn't settled on his/her career path or wants a wider undergraduate education.</p>
<p>There are many related career choices for a person who has a degree in architecture but doesn't want to practice: real estate development, museum management (the new director of the Miami museum is a architect), architectural consulting, preservation, teaching, environmentalism. For a student of architectural studies, i.e., a more general BA degree, the same general options apply. </p>
<p>Along with food and clothing, shelter is a universal human need and architecure touches on all of our lives in diverse and complex ways. I think that's why architects love their jobs.</p>
<p>I also love the job because you have something tangible to point to that you created. </p>
<p>In addition it can be a job with a lot of variety. You don't just sit in a cubicle all day. Some days I'm designing, some days I'm drawing, some days I'm doing engineering calculations, some days I'm talking to clients, some days I'm out in the field doing construction observation.</p>
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In addition it can be a job with a lot of variety. You don't just sit in a cubicle all day. Some days I'm designing, some days I'm drawing, some days I'm doing engineering calculations, some days I'm talking to clients, some days I'm out in the field doing construction observation.
This is one of the reasons I'm drawn to architecture; it sounds like something I'd really enjoy. (Another is that I've always felt torn between the creative and the quantitative, and architecture seems to be one of relatively few fields that embraces both.) If graduate school weren't so expensive, I'd have fewer reservations about pursuing it.</p>
<p>I'm visiting an architect friend of my family's -- not a "starchitect," but someone quite comfortable -- in his office this week or next to see whether it's something I'd like to pursue seriously. I'm excited. :)</p>
<p>^a lot of people actually pursue their MArch after they have done their internship. if the firm is big enough, usually they sign an agreement saying that they would help pay for grad school if you promise to come back</p>
<p>My undergrad school doesn't have a B.Arch program, only studio art with an architecture concentration and a few courses in the art history department, so I don't think that's possible. That seems like an attractive option for those who are pursuing the B.Arch, though.</p>
<p>BArch is usually offered at university, not LAC. At most LACs, students intersted in arch major in studio art and take the art history, math, design, engineering and other related courses that will be necessary/helpful, should they decide to apply to a MArch program.</p>
<p>One course that a LAC student will probably have to take at a university, is CAD, which LACs often view as too "trade" related to be offered w/i the liberal arts curriculum.</p>