swineflu. Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Ive been contemplating my career path quite a bit lately and trying to work out what sort of job i should do, i studied music(technical production) last year and was thinking of studying film next but when i came to the conclusion that if i took one of these paths the chances are that ill end up broke as fuck and be lucky to have dinner, my wonderful idea of being a genuineness film maker didn't really seem that appetizing(pun intended) it was through reading a book called "please understand me2" that i actually came to the idea that being an architect would be fucking sweet. the book isn't about architects its about people and it is based on Carl Jung's work as well as the Myers Briggs personality type test. basically the book categorizes people into 16 categories, my group was called INTP which stands for Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving but is oftern nick named "the Architect" the reason why i like the sound of this job is because i get to do something creative and everyone has to see it (a bit like Graff 'n' Dance) what i don't like is its seven years of study if any one could shed some light on the subject id really appreciate it or if you can't i am actually quite interested to hear your personality type according to the Myers Briggs test. if you are reading this line i would like to say thanks in advance for taking the time to reading my moral justification as to why i would like to be an architect as i proof read whats in front of me Ive come to the conclusion that this will probably be boring to many so thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beardo Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I would become an architect if I wasn't too old (IMO) to start such a long program, on top of the MANY years in the field paying dues before you get to do anything of any real circumstance. also, architects are usually overly self-important deuchebags. * sounds like an interesting read though, that book. might holler at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the radiologist Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I was thinking about going to school for this too. The pay is great and you get to impress alot of people. But the solitary of it all would keep me away. You don't get to see many people, and when you do it's usually not to your benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swineflu. Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 yeah I'm well aware of the dangers of douchebagitory with architects as i learned when i was a labourer, but i don't think half of them can do there job properly, some of there idea's are just stupid *also you can do the Myers Briggs test online for free if you google search the words myers, briggs and free and there's heaps shit out there as far as your personal profile goes. but funnily enough i did find the book to be the most accurate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morton Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I am not a fan of their kind. Also most of them do not get to do anything all that fantastic and I do not think the pay is really all that great. Have fun designing strip malls when you start out thinking you are going to be the next big thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drue_Down Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topfloorbasement Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 i'm an architectural designer. basically meaning i don't have my license, so i cannot seal my own drawings. i have to have my boss actually stamp drawings in order for clients to get building permits and to have those drawings insured. the firm i work for is hella small consisting of myself, two achitects, and a secretary who's in two days a week.. shits pretty dope. we do luxory and loft apartments, high end residential additions and remodeling, some new construction houses, commercial storefront and interior designs.. they give me a lot of creative freedom as far as general layouts go, material selection, ect... i've always enjoyed drawing, but never felt i could be successful as an artist selling my own work.. i looked at this career as a way to be creative, draw all day everyday, an generally not have to deal with all these fucking idiots that make up 90% of the population... a typical day consists of me walking into the office sometime between 10 and 11:30am.. turn my computer on. get my coffee an whatever breakfast pastery from the kitchenette. start up itunes. apply big ass headphones to my head. start up vectorworks or sketch up (drawing programs). start up the interwebs. draw. read some shit online. smoke break. draw. fuck araound some more. draw. maybe open illustrator or photoshop an werk on personal graphic design projects. draw. smoke. draw. interwebs. ect... leave at 6pm regardless of what time i walked in. not the most paid job, but its decent money.. the national average is $65,000. i'm making about $40,000 after 5 years at this firm.. but again, i'm not a licensed architect. if i was, i'd probably be making more.. if i wanted, i could go back to school full time for about a year or two an get my degree.. just don't really wanna go back to school.. werd? never heard of that personality test stuff, but it seems interesting.. gonna go look up some of that shit.. peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GZOO Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 "are you gonna build my house for me?" prepare for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtydoses Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Mike Brady was an architect think about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
423894 Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I just my certificate for residential drafting and design. But the market where I live is only now, on the up from the recession and shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreatGatsby Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Architects actually don't make that much money. If you are a partner in a major firm you can make millons, but the majority of architects make well under 100k. I was under the impression that they make bank and get to make whatever they want and people just line up to blow them and throw money at them. So I'm like fuck ya I've got 2 BFAs and a great GPA I'm all set. All set. Infinite blow jobs. Sweet. So I started looking at schools. Shit another three and a half years of school. Whatever infinite blow jobs and money are worth it. So my girlfriend's boss tells her that he wants to talk to me about it. He has his architecture degree from Cornell, when he left the field he was one step below being a partner. So I'm like this guy is crazy why would you leave behind infinite blowjobs and being able to create whatever you want. According to this Ivy league educated architect that was high up in his firm you make nooooooooooo money. You never create anything you like. Nothing you design ever gets made. Basically the exact opposite of what i thought. I'm still applying to a few of the top schools to see if I get in. If I do get in to MIT or something along those lines I'll think about it. Otherwise I'm all set. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swineflu. Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 yeah i think its something im gonna go for. mabey not next year as i plan on moving to the other side of the country soon and don't know if i will be able to sustain my self and study at the same time but i was scratching up this old record i found in my dead grandma's collection, it was called "how to live with yourself.... or... what to do until the psychiatrist comes" by dr. murray banks, its like a live comedy show type thing but its got all these killer quotes on, anyway i came across one which went a little somethin like this "a man came to me at the age of 36 and said the only regret he had was that he never studied so i said why don't you study now? he replied "are you serious by the time i finish my course ill be 46" so i said well how old will be in ten years time if you don't study..... he said 46" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soup Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Here's how the program works. Depending on where you go to school you can be in school for 4-5 years. More artsy programs like Cal will only qualify you for 3 years of work experience, whereas you get 5 for the 5 years spent at UCSB. In california these graduates are the ones to soak up all the jobs at the fun and innovative firms. The UCSB route will land you a solid job, but not much room for promotion because your cirriculum was more about propper planning of handicap ramps. CAl is an artsier "big picture" kind of university so you'll be moving further up into the ranks of leadership. Still, depending on your college choice, you've got 2-4 years of work experience to go before you can even take the test that will make you a professional Architect. All these years you will be lucky to even make $35,000-45,000. There's no money in architecture. There's no fame. Among architects, sure, but the general population, especially in america could give a rat's ass about good architectural design. The irony is that we interact with buldings all day long for our entire lives and many never even once pay attention to good design. The life of an architect isn't necessarily modest, but its one of the most honest and romantic livings you will ever make. I've been in this program for 3.5 years and here's why The greatest humanitarian challenge we face today is that of providing shelter. Currently one in seven people lives in a slum or refugee camp, and more than three billion people—nearly half the world's population—do not have access to clean water or adequate sanitation. The physical design of our homes, neighborhoods, and communities shapes every aspect of our lives. Yet too often architects are desperately needed in the places where they can least be afforded. Edited by Architecture for Humanity, Design Like You Give a Damn is a compendium of innovative projects from around the world that demonstrate the power of design to improve lives. The first book to bring the best of humanitarian architecture and design to the printed page, Design Like You Give a Damn offers a history of the movement toward socially conscious design and showcases more than 80 contemporary solutions to such urgent needs as basic shelter, health care, education, and access to clean water, energy, and sanitation. Featured projects include some sponsored by Architecture for Humanity as well as many others undertaken independently, often against great odds. Design Like You Give a Damn is an indispensable resource for designers and humanitarian organizations charged with rebuilding after disaster and engaged in the search for sustainable development. It is also a call to action to anyone committed to building a better world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armand hammer Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 not all architects are douches my friends dad is one makes ALOOOOT of cash gets drunk on the reg has fun smokes dope but has no trouble being a family man n putting in work dudes in dubai now on hotels n shit livings all paid for etc 3-5 years free living minus personal shopping. id say go for it nothings stopping you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soup Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 d say go for it nothings stopping you. Except for one of the hardest and most expensive curriculum you could take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armand hammer Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 way to think positive...ok well work out some price plan ish,check what kind of financial help you can get etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soup Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Hahah im trying to be honest as well as positive. Taking this career path means serious life changes. So here's a series to check out http://www.hulu.com/design-e2 http://www.ted.com/themes/design_like_you_give_a_damn.html Also a book to hunt for at your library Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swineflu. Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 according to http://www.keirsey.com/handler.aspx?s=keirsey&f=fourtemps&tab=5&c=architect this is who i am and i have to agree %100 percent Rational Portrait of the Architect (INTP) Architects need not be thought of as only interested in drawing blueprints for buildings or roads or bridges. They are the master designers of all kinds of theoretical systems, including school curricula, corporate strategies, and new technologies. For Architects, the world exists primarily to be analyzed, understood, explained - and re-designed. External reality in itself is unimportant, little more than raw material to be organized into structural models. What is important for Architects is that they grasp fundamental principles and natural laws, and that their designs are elegant, that is, efficient and coherent. Architects are rare - maybe one percent of the population - and show the greatest precision in thought and speech of all the types. They tend to see distinctions and inconsistencies instantaneously, and can detect contradictions no matter when or where they were made. It is difficult for an Architect to listen to nonsense, even in a casual conversation, without pointing out the speaker's error. And in any serious discussion or debate Architects are devastating, their skill in framing arguments giving them an enormous advantage. Architects regard all discussions as a search for understanding, and believe their function is to eliminate inconsistencies, which can make communication with them an uncomfortable experience for many. Ruthless pragmatists about ideas, and insatiably curious, Architects are driven to find the most efficient means to their ends, and they will learn in any manner and degree they can. They will listen to amateurs if their ideas are useful, and will ignore the experts if theirs are not. Authority derived from office, credential, or celebrity does not impress them. Architects are interested only in what make sense, and thus only statements that are consistent and coherent carry any weight with them. Architects often seem difficult to know. They are inclined to be shy except with close friends, and their reserve is difficult to penetrate. Able to concentrate better than any other type, they prefer to work quietly at their computers or drafting tables, and often alone. Architects also become obsessed with analysis, and this can seem to shut others out. Once caught up in a thought process, Architects close off and persevere until they comprehend the issue in all its complexity. Architects prize intelligence, and with their grand desire to grasp the structure of the universe, they can seem arrogant and may show impatience with others who have less ability, or who are less driven. Albert Einstein as the iconic Rational is an Architect * i'd just like to add that i really appreciate your comments especially the negative ones because as i read them i feel that i don't care about them. i really like soups comment "too often architects are desperately needed in the places where they can least be afforded" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruityLexia. Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Awesome thread home boy, good reads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortFuse Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 A friend of mine is going to school for that now. Its tough in this day and age when i look at things for the future. Not knowing where this world is going and trying to decide whats the best choice to fork out money and time to go to school for. My girl is going to school for film and as much as she is happy I wish she would change her mind. Good thread and good reads either way Im sure you will come to a smart choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dowmagik Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 swineflu, are you one of those cats that enjoys crazy math? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viperface Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 That text is pretty iffy. I'm not exactly sure where this guy gets this architect character type, but the use of language is impressive. I used red color to highlight parts that seemed contradictory/loose and might cause misunderstandings. according to http://www.keirsey.com/handler.aspx?s=keirsey&f=fourtemps&tab=5&c=architect this is who i am and i have to agree %100 percent Rational Portrait of the Architect (INTP) Architects need not be thought of as only interested in drawing blueprints for buildings or roads or bridges. They are the master designers of all kinds of theoretical systems, including school curricula, corporate strategies, and new technologies. For Architects, the world exists primarily to be analyzed, understood, explained - and re-designed. External reality in itself is unimportant, little more than raw material to be organized into structural models. What is important for Architects is that they grasp fundamental principles and natural laws, and that their designs are elegant, that is, efficient and coherent. Architects are rare - maybe one percent of the population - and show the greatest precision in thought and speech of all the types. They tend to see distinctions and inconsistencies instantaneously, and can detect contradictions no matter when or where they were made. It is difficult for an Architect to listen to nonsense, even in a casual conversation, without pointing out the speaker's error. And in any serious discussion or debate Architects are devastating, their skill in framing arguments giving them an enormous advantage. Architects regard all discussions as a search for understanding, and believe their function is to eliminate inconsistencies, which can make communication with them an uncomfortable experience for many. Ruthless pragmatists about ideas, and insatiably curious, Architects are driven to find the most efficient means to their ends, and they will learn in any manner and degree they can. They will listen to amateurs if their ideas are useful, and will ignore the experts if theirs are not. Authority derived from office, credential, or celebrity does not impress them. Architects are interested only in what make sense, and thus only statements that are consistent and coherent carry any weight with them. Architects often seem difficult to know. They are inclined to be shy except with close friends, and their reserve is difficult to penetrate. Able to concentrate better than any other type, they prefer to work quietly at their computers or drafting tables, and often alone. Architects also become obsessed with analysis, and this can seem to shut others out. Once caught up in a thought process, Architects close off and persevere until they comprehend the issue in all its complexity. Architects prize intelligence, and with their grand desire to grasp the structure of the universe, they can seem arrogant and may show impatience with others who have less ability, or who are less driven. Albert Einstein as the iconic Rational is an Architect * i'd just like to add that i really appreciate your comments especially the negative ones because as i read them i feel that i don't care about them. i really like soups comment "too often architects are desperately needed in the places where they can least be afforded" First red text: I've noticed that vast majority of people will panic and get anxious if things don't get explained. They want answers and, once provided with them they calm down and forget them. Almost anything can be logically explained and accepted as static truth. If they spot an inconsistency, they start arguing about the existance of things that have human words for them but no physical manifestation in nature. This happens all the time and appears to me as ritualistic mammal behavior. Even when they identify themselves with science, rationality, logic etc, they protect these things religiously. Most people associate some kind of "extra value" to those words and concepts, and enjoy an argument based on them. In that sense a person in love with systems and rationality is in contradiction to the Architect as a person who disregards anything not useful to him and his project (?). Second: "Introverted" and creative people might lose conversations in social situation, yet later logically overcome them alone in their head. This quote might be misleading for conversationalist, aggressive, and competitive people who like to flatter themselves by reading texts where they can associate themselves to 1% of population, and celebrities like Einstein. (This includes me, but I'm REALLY an architect so I ignore it. See? you can interpret these things in any way you want) Third: Intelligence is accepted as an identity and profession for many people, and the word can be understood in various different ways. I've met bums and junkies who have more insight and character than successful career people accepted by their clique as 'genious'. Most careers and human identities are just a matter of self-suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
injury Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 my friends who are architect school undergrads spend a LOT of time in studio. it takes a lot of diligence and patience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swineflu. Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 yeah viper i agree with you that there is some miss understanding going on, what i quoted there was just insight to the sort of person i am in reference to talk about the book please understand me 2 as well as the myers briggs personality test which was what actually made me contemplate being an architect by practice not just by mind. the text was written by a man who been studying human behavior for the last 50 years if you'd like to find out more i suggest you take the myers briggs test here http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/mmdi-re/mmdi-re.htm then go to http://www.keirsey.com and find what he has to say about your self i am sorry for any confusion i have created and i found your comment "people who like to flatter themselves by reading texts where they can associate themselves to 1% of population, and celebrities like Einstein." very amusing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drue_Down Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 My brother works for a prestigious architectural firm in Chicago. Let me put it this way - I did some freelance graphic design work for them once (for the least amount I have ever charged) and I was making more $ an hour than him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!@#$% Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 i'm also an INTP, supposedly kinda rare, also called the theorist apparently we do not like to lead, or follow, we are very independent of course, it is just a simple quiz. i hardly find it factual, though it is worth noting i took it about 20 years ago, and got the same result as wehn i retook it recently. ..that said, fuck what people think! haha ok so i have been on my career path for about ten years, a molecular biologist. i am thinking of taking a different trajectory, although at least related to what i do. a chick i used to work with left to become an architect at age 27. i'd say it's NEVER too late to consider another path my boss and coworker were nurses, before that one had been a music teacher. they went back and got PhDs in their forties and are now successfully running the lab. it seems like a great career to me,but then again a lotta shit sounds like fun to me after my own experiences with a ton of schoolwork and college, if you aren't into the idea of school, this may be a bad move for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viperface Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Yeah I just kind of vented there, got a little carried away. I often read something here, write a huge reply and deciede not to post it. this time I just decided to post. I'm now taking the test. Seems pretty legit so far. I also just had a few beers and read a couple pages of Bruce Lee quotes. That dude was on point. http://thinkexist.com/quotes/bruce_lee/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarcasm Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 being an architect is a sweet job, but tons of studying needs to be accomplished beforehand. not just design wise, but mathematical understand of structural competence will have to be learned. if i were u, i'd go into urban development or civil engineering- focusing in structural design or some shit get ur learn on, do something fucking hard and work through it. it pays better. find a specialty niche in the industry. lots of people don't know, and go for the glamorous types jobs that leave them broke b/c A.) its saturated and B.) you're not as good as the other guy. finding a niche market and excelling in that area will not only secure your job (b/c everybody needs that certain niche) but it'll pay well. for example, why don't u specialize in incorporating "green" methods in keeping a building cool? or alternative power distribution (like wind farms and shit)you can go to architect school, engineering school, or wutever and specialize in something that will lead to this path, etc. how about focus on lighting, HVAC distribution/design, anything. b/c as it stands, the housing market is fucking crap and development is at a hault. pick ur poison wisely. toughing it out for a couple of years is well worth it. i kicked my ass thru school while my friends partied, and low and behold i have a steady job that pays real well, while everybody got laid off and can't find work and living w/ mom and dad. nah mean? get ur hustle on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarcasm Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 and don't be so worried.. i think ppl say an average person changes their career 7 times or some shit. but at least in my case, i'll have something fucking ill to fall back on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viperface Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Hey I completed the quiz and apparently I'm a counselor and/or mastermind. Introversive and intuitive. But they seem like day and night to me. The questions were kinda weird too. I was supposed to decide between two things that didn't seem to be in any straight relation (in my book) with each other, even less as two opposites to choose from. The text is very flattering and vague. From the famous masterminds I could almost relate to Nietzsche, but not Eisenhower. But I can see how I'd be able to convince myself (ie. decide) what I am had I taken the quiz more enthusiastically. I'd be reading it and self suggestion would ensue, weeding out Eisenhower and Gandhi. But then again it's all good because it states that it can be wrong. Also I scored only 67% for both mastermind and counselor so I'm pretty scattered across the whole spectrum. I guess it's useful if you're looking for answers, but I'd say even if it makes career decisions easier it also makes you limit yourself. Like Bruce Lee said “I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.” and “If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” and “As you think, so shall you become.” etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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