Making the decision to study architecture is not an easy one. Young students frequently believe that in order to apply to architecture programmes, they must be particularly gifted at drawing or have exceptionally high math scores. Many students are overwhelmed by the mountainous tasks that await them once they arrive.
While the path to becoming an architect varies by country, the average time it takes to receive a Masters in Architecture is between 5 and 7 years, with the additional burden of licensure taking another couple of years to complete.Knowing these figures, it's not particularly encouraging to learn that the average architect earns less than doctors and lawyers, or that one in every four architecture students in the UK seeks treatment for mental health issues. These are the areas in which architecture as an industry must improve. However, aside from these issues, there are many rewarding reasons to fall in love with the industry and become an architect. Here are a few examples.
The ability to leave a lifetime's work behind to remind people of your efforts is perhaps the most valuable benefit of being an architect. Because the buildings you design will represent you, you will be able to live a much larger and longer life than your own mortality allows. Because of the literal "material nature" of the work, it's difficult to question your contribution to society and the worth of your work when it's 10 stories high and staring right at you. In some places, architects are even encouraged to "sign" their buildings with a plaque or inscription, much like artists do.
As previously stated, what makes Architecture an exciting subject to study is the extensive amount of learning and research that must be done on a regular basis—and this extends well into one's working career. As an architect, there is no such thing as having too much knowledge. Each new project is an opportunity to investigate new technology, organisational theories, or construction methods. In order to collaborate with corresponding professionals, you must quickly understand expert knowledge on the specific technique that you wish to include in order to articulate this information in your building designs. Architects, as conductors of the entire construction team, become specialists in everything.
Every person will have a collection of buildings that they simply adore. Many students enter the field of architecture after being emotionally moved by a beautiful building, but in the classroom, "beautiful" is not always a qualifying trait that will persuade colleagues and professors. The simple rule is that if you like a form, motif, detail, or anything else, you must justify its existence as a "profound aspect of the experiential articulation of the built world" (or whatever phrase your colleague might offer). This results in lively and stimulating debate among architects, which also extends to written discourse.
Architecture has achieved near-universal recognition as a noble pursuit as a result of its origin as the "mother of the arts" and subsequent development as an influential profession. Architects frequently interact with clients from the upper echelons of society in the workplace. There is a certain reverence attached to architects due to the many general myths and legends that surround the profession outside of the actual profession, and you may be able to take advantage of this to impress other people while still having the opportunity to do something that you are interested in.
Assuming you enjoy architecture, there appears to be no impediment to continuing to do so after retirement age. "Choose a job you'll never have to work a day in your life," as the saying goes. Many of today's architectural masters are still leading their highly successful firms decades after retirement, honing their craft with the same zeal as before—as if they've never worked a day in their lives. At 87, Frank Gehry is still actively pursuing building projects, Norman Foster leads more than 140 partners in his firm at 81, and Zaha Hadid won the RIBA's Royal Gold Medal.
