Architecture

Architecture is an interesting profession. It’s known as one of the most difficult college majors, with lots of late nights and a real risk of burnout. It’s almost comparable to medicine in that respect. However, the pay scale in architecture is low, so I imagine the type of students the profession attracts isn’t of the highest caliber, unlike, say, law or medicine (no offense). It doesn’t make sense financially for the average top student to work that hard and sacrifice that much just to enter a profession that doesn’t really pay all that well, unless he or she can’t imagine doing anything else. That’s sort of where I stand now with the profession—I honestly just cannot see myself doing another job. 

So that begs the question: is architecture really that difficult a field of study? Or is it just that due to its relatively modest salary for the average architect, it fails to attract top talents into the profession? At the end of the day, maybe it’s not that particularly difficult of a job, but its perceived difficulty is just a misperception given the relatively modest strength of the students entering it. The application process is interesting because much of it focuses on the portfolio of artwork you present, which is really a subjective evaluation. Especially for a Master of Architecture I applicant who does not have a background in architecture, it becomes even more subjective because the variety of what is presented is probably large in scope. 

Given all of this, my hypothesis is that I will be a very strong architect should I enter the profession. I think the training that I’ve gotten in medicine and in the sciences has calloused me to the rigors of a hardworking profession. I can grind if I need to, so to speak. Additionally, the lifestyle that I’ve adopted in Los Angeles will surely be able to support a few steps back in terms of salary and handle a federal student loan in the $60 to $70k range. It’s about time I start to learn about money as well. Overall, I’m excited for what potentially lies ahead: fingers crossed for the outcome this Friday.