Should I Be An Architect? | The Arch Guide

Unlike as it is common among architects, I didn’t always want to be an architect. In fact, after reading Ben Carson’s book as a child, I wanted to be a neurosurgeon; I watched a lot of Dexter’s Lab on Cartoon Network and I became sure I would do well as a scientist. An interest in computer science came during a 3 months internship at a tech shop before finally settling for architecture. Despite the fact that I had always been fascinated by buildings from childhood and loved to draw, it wasn’t until my senior high school year I decided it would be architecture.

I came to realize that it is okay to not have the passion of architecture from your mother’s womb, but if you should be an architect, there are some attributes that I have listed below that you might want to consider.

You Have A Flair For Creativity

One of the key things you want to look out for when deciding if you want to be an architect is a flair for creativity in problem-solving. This will show in simple ways like how you choose to arrange your shoes when there is no shoe rack, or how you arrange your room, your dress style, and for someone like me, I was particular about always making the cover of my assignments in high school look really good.

Even though creativity is largely influenced by the quality of information we have at our disposal, it is also a function of the depth of our imagination. So, if you find yourself to be someone who naturally seeks our creative ways to solve everyday problems, you might want to consider architecture as a profession.

You’re Interested In Shaping The Lives Of Others Through Your Work

If you are interested in shaping the lives of others through your work, then maybe you should be an architect.

I didn’t grow up in a slum, but I didn’t also live really far from areas like that. Growing up, I was always burdened by the kind of housing families had to keep up with, how terrible it is during dry seasons and almost inhabitable during rainy seasons. I always told myself that if I had my way, I would provide them with better housing. This became a major driver to me studying and practising architecture.

You Like to Draw

This is key. I don’t know of a single architect that hated the idea of drawing. And what is interesting that it doesn’t have to be a pencil on paper. Instead, you could see it as Bob Borson puts in, “a blank piece of paper mentality”. Ideally, a pencil and paper are needed but in these modern times, an iPad can equally serve as a medium for sketching.

You Like to Build

I think almost every child with a bit of sand in their backyard used it to build a castle. But if you happened to have found yourself going a bit extra, using wood and plastic to form flags, as well as other ‘castle’ accessories, maybe architecture is for you.

By extension, you’re not just satisfied with seeing a good design but you’re interested in how the various parts of a building come together. If this is you, the architecture might just be the profession for you.

You Are ‘Okay’ With Math

If you choose to study architecture, you will have to do at least two semesters of mathematics and physics at the university. Once, you’re able to scale through that, you’re good to go. In practice, you’d do fine with simple arithmetic like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division — literally elementary school stuff.

You notice the world around you

As an architect, I am wired to appreciate (mostly criticize) things like the sockets, lighting positions and types, furniture layout and proximity of the entrance to the server in the case of an eatery. I get pissed when the handrails are not at the right height or a window is wrong size, or the escape stair is wrongly positioned. Also, if you invite me to your home and take me around, I would be able to sketch out your entire house from my head.

I can’t help this as it just happens before I even realize it. If this is you, you probably should be an architect.

The Verdict

You might make a decent income as an architect — but this is purely dependent on what ‘decent’ means to you. If I am being honest, you might never make up to 0.1% of Jeff Bezos net worth (somewhere around $100m) a year, but you will do okay. One interesting thing about architecture is that it gives you access to important people and organizations as they will rely on you to deliver impressive designs for them.

Ultimately, architecture needs to be a calling for you before you can be successful in it. It will take most of your waking hours -both in school and in practice. It also requires you to be a jack of all trades (engineering, history, technology, etc.) and master of all. For most countries, it takes up to 10 years to become a licensed architect. In addition, your work is legally binding and any defect that leads to building collapse or injury to your client might lead to legal repercussions.

On the flip side, if it is your passion and you follow through with it, you will find satisfaction in your work. There is nothing like designing a project that will not only be built but be useful for several decades. You will be responsible for impacting (hopefully positively) the lives of several people — sometimes even after your death. You also have the opportunity to work as long as you want and retire when you like. In fact, the older you get, the better you become at your craft. You will be building a legacy that will be part of the civilization of places in years to come.

So, in the end, the question of if you should be an architect is up to you to answer.

Originally published at https://thearchguide.com on September 23, 2020.