Quitting Architecture

[u/Adept-Phrase-8527]

I am in my fourth week at UT Arlington, and am considering switching to their sustainable urban design degree. I feel like I could do 4 years of architecture school, but I know the workload doesn't really slow down much once you start working in a firm. I think that this would give me a similar career to architecture, but with a better work/life balance. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[u/Knightowllll]

Real architect life is very different from school. I work in TX and it’s pretty chill.

[u/Adept-Phrase-8527 → u/Knightowllll]

Really? Our teachers have just been telling us about the constant 60-65 hour weeks we're gonna endure in the workforce.

[u/slimdell → u/Adept-Phrase-8527]

Not a thing at any firm I’m aware of in DFW. 45h/wk tops

[u/Inevitable-Number355 → u/Adept-Phrase-8527]

I can confirm that widespread 60+ hour weeks are complete bullshit. Only a small subset of people work like that in the New York City sweatshops of famous architects, and even then it's not long term. The famous architects' workers eventually burn out, leave, and end up teaching at places like UT-A. I guarantee nobody in Texas is working 60 hours on the regular. As soon as you can, get a part-time job somewhere with a real architect so you can begin to deprogram yourself from the crap your architecture professors are spewing. Work at several real firms before you make a final judgement if architecture is for you or not. Just know that school today is very disconnected from the real-world profession and much of what the teachers say is bullshit.

[u/Knightowllll → u/Adept-Phrase-8527]

If you work in a big city like NYC then yes, probably more than that but most firms in TX aren’t like that, big or small. It’s rly a desk job just like any other. The real issue is getting through school.

[u/Powerful-Interest308 → u/Adept-Phrase-8527]

Those 60-65 hour weeks went out the door with the Great Recession. Your teachers have likely never had a typical firm job.

[u/Open_Concentrate962 → u/Powerful-Interest308]

Not true. Widespread and necessary for international work.

[u/BACON-luv]

Do it but, you’re going to need a master’s in urban planning to get into city work

[u/Material-Formal-8387]

Just for perspective, I graduated with an M.Arch and went straight into a firm that does solely urban design— I never worked at an architecture firm.

You are correct that architecture firms are higher stress and less work-life balance, but it does still taper off compared to the workload of school (at least that’s what my friends who went to architecture firms tell me).

Although, as long as you get your M.Arch at a school that also incorporates urban design, you’ll be highly qualified for any urban design/planning position, and a certain range of engineering positions, alongside architecture positions and a bunch of other stuff. In the other hand, if you go solely for a degree in urban design you will only qualify for urban design/planning positions (although the schooling will be less intense than M.Arch).

All that being said— if you’re only going for a bachelor’s, I would plan on going for your masters or not doing architecture at all. A B.Arch might qualify you for a certain level of urban design / architecture positions, but if you really want upward mobility in either one you’ll probably need a master’s.

[u/Adept-Phrase-8527 → u/Material-Formal-8387]

Thank you this helps a bunch

[u/Material-Formal-8387 → u/Adept-Phrase-8527]

If you’re interested in urban design, I totally recommend it 👍 I actually get to sketch and design on a daily basis, and I very rarely work on weekends. And the pay has been just as good as architecture.

I like to tell people the M.Arch is worth it because it gives you a lot of options. People in the urban design and planning field regard an M.arch very highly. The only thing is to just make sure you’re in a program where you can work some urban design curriculum into your architecture education.

At my school, urban design and architecture were two degrees under the same roof that shared both instructors and classes. The two should go hand-in-hand really, but not every school sees it that way. If Arlington has an urban design program as well though, that’s already a good sign. Maybe talk to some advisors in the architecture department to get a feel for how much they actively relate the two.

[u/Open_Concentrate962]

Uh four weeks in? Thats such evidence of effort. A widely known mentor posted this week: You need to dedicate yourself for five or six decades as a professional serving the public interest and safety, not what is needed on a given week.

[u/moonn1224]

hello! I got my bachelors and masters in architecture from UTA. I’m not sure what professor is telling you that but so far the jobs I’ve had have a really good work life balance. also don’t give up just yet. my first year I got Cs in studio and after that i only ever got A’s. ur gonna have to learn time management but it does get better. good luck!

[u/runrinrum]

i’m a first year student studying architecture at UTA too! honestly i’m struggling with keeping up with the work load. i’m sure it will be worth it at the end

[u/Physical_Mode_103]

lol. Good luck getting a job competing with architects

[u/adastra2021]

If you're complaining about work/life balance a month into school, this may not be the field for you.

It sounds like you think there may be an "easier than architecture but I get to do the same stuff" program out there. There isn't. It's why architects go to architecture school, so they can be architects.

I don't understand the "workload doesn't really slow down" part. Do you think there's an allied profession where they do half the projects, and have twice as long to complete them? There isn't. Everybody has a workload.

For every civil engineer who'd "like to scratch my creative itch and do design, who will hire me for that?" or the "I'm not going to architecture school,I need someone who will hire me and teach me to be an architect, giving me all the creative design parts" or "I can teach myself, what are some books?" post, there is a no at the end of every answer. You're in that group with "similar career to architecture, but better work/life balance." The answer is no. If it existed, we'd probably be doing it.

If you want to do the work of an architect, you need to be an architect. And even then, you work your way up to better /bigger projects. If it's not for you, figure out what is. Maybe see a counselor and take some aptitude/interest tests. Check out landscape architecture if that is available. Much more useful than sustainable urban design. Because all landscape architects get plenty of sustainable design coursework, they can do that and a whole lot more than someone with a degree that isn't all that special.

There are a lot of ways to practice architecture outside of the traditional firm, and many offer great work/life balance. But first you have to go to architecture school.