Backpedaling (on architecture)

For perhaps the first few times, I’ve really come to start to question a bit my decision to enter the architecture field at would be the age of 38. This is fueled largely by some comments emanating from the Asian community which I am a part of that really stresses the importance of striving for high paying professions over passion and interest and purpose. It’s a really interesting phenomenon that happens. Is interest (or purpose for that matter) not important in one’s profession long term? I think it is. I think this is where a lot of the Asian American community gets it wrong in terms of work, at least in America. 

It is critical to be both interested in what you do for work and be good at it too. Even in the midst of all this backlash, I feel that I’m starting to question the decision from a financial standpoint. Architecture school will require me to go into a massive debt. It’s not an insurmountable thing to recover from assuming I get good work after I graduate, but 100K or so of debt is not trivial. It would certainly delay my ability to buy a house in the foreseeable future. But then again, I’ve already established that a house will not necessarily make me happy. Rather, having a meaning career that I enjoy and am good at I think will.