Should You Study Architecture? 5 Questions to Help You Decide if Architecture is for You

Thinking about studying architecture? Architecture could be a career path for you. Here are 5 questions to help you decide if architecture is the right profession for you.

If you’re thinking about studying architecture, ask yourself these 5 questions to help you choose the right career. Is architecture a career path for you?

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Preparation:
The first question I would ask myself is, why am I considering architecture as a career? Do you have a clear reason why you’re thinking about it or are you parents forcing you into it? Are you doing it because a friend is doing it? Are you thinking about the money (if you are I would be thinking about something else)? Or, are you considering it because of the freedom of location it can provide by working remotely? Do you have a passion for buildings? Do you have a passion for design and creative pursuit? What are the reasons you’re considering architecture as a career? This question alone should solve a lot of concerns for you.
The second question I would ask myself is, what do I think architecture would involve? Write down what you think being an architect would mean for you. Visualise it – see yourself doing it. Can you see yourself doing it every single day? Do you even know what an architect does? If not, that’s ok, now you can research about it. Visualisation is so powerful, if you can visualize yourself 10 years in the future, being an architect, do you see yourself enjoying what you’re doing?

Skillset:
Are you creative? – you don’t necessarily have to be good at drawing, painting, or that – but do you have a creative mindset? Do you think outside the box, do you enjoy problem solving, which stems from creativity? Architecture is a field of design, ultimately it’s a job that requires you to solve problems for a client. Are you creative? Are you a good problem solver?

Are you a people person? – if not, that’s ok. In fact, I’m a pretty big introvert. There’s such a wide scope to the profession that there’s a place for everyone. However, architecture has never been a sole person profession. The idea of the “head architect”, managing a team below them, controlling every decision is no longer relevant. Architecture is now a team game. It’s unavoidable that you’ll have to work with people and be able to do it effectively. It’s a service-based industry. You are a servant to the people you work with and to the client. In both situations, with the “head architect”, and the “team architect”, you are dealing with people.

I don’t mention having to be good at maths or science because I don’t believe you need them to study architecture. Any mathematical or scientific equations or methods you need to know, which are very minimal, will be learnt once you start your architecture education.

The final question to ask yourself is, do you think you’ll be willing to not only put in 110% effort into your education and career, but sustain that effort of the course of your education and career?
A job shouldn’t just be something you do 5 days a week to pay the bills. You can get paid to do anything you want, anything you’re passionate about. If you’re choosing architecture because it’s a safe career and pays well, you might want to reconsider why you’re doing it.
It’s when you get paid to do what you love that it isn’t regarded to as work. That’s when you can sustain a 110% effort for the next 50 years, because you wake up, fired up to do what you’re getting paid to do. That’s much more rewarding than doing something to pay the bills, go home, wake up, and start again.

That’d be my advice and the final question – are you willing to sustain a 110% effort for the next 50 years to do architecture?

And I’m not going to claim that I’m like that. I definitely couldn’t answer this question with a yes before I started architecture. But over time, you can find that passion. You can build it up by actually doing it and finding what you like about it – running with the things you love and ignoring doing the things you don’t love. I always think it’s best to focus on your strengths, rather than your weaknesses. If you’re not good at maths and you hate it, but you’re good at art and you love it. Drop maths as a subject and double down on art. Don’t do what your teachers push you to do and let your passion for art drop off so that you can practice your maths and balance it out. Double down on what you love doing and you’ll become the best at it, you’ll find a way to make money doing it, and you’ll attract success.

[walierachel]

Me watching this video in my final year of Architecture

[ivangonzalez]

The reason I’m wanting to study architecture is the idea on building things. And leave something in the world that’s built after I pass away. Creating history for myself and leaving a mark in this world.

[cassandragarcia]

ive been binge watching a bunch of architecture-career type videos like these today and this video really helped a lot. an older teacher of mine used to tell me that to him, working as a teacher wasn't a job because it's what he loved. i hope architecture can be like that for me in the future.

[marlasiacharles]

i always loved playing legos, making my own buildings, playing sims 4 building houses, games that require building always came natural to me, i am doing visual arts at school and i would say my spatial intelligence is very. good, but numbers and physics are just the death of me, thats the only thing thats holding me back honestly.

[MarieG]

Why am I choosing architecture for a career path? (friends, family, or self)
What do I think architecture would involve? (visualize what it will feel like in the future)
Are you creative? (creative mindset, think outside the box)
Are you a people person? (mostly team game; engineer, client)
Do you think you can sustain putting in 50 yrs into?

[ThatsShowbizBabyy]

I’ve been struggling all throughout my education to find a career path where I could thrive. Even my core interests didn’t feel right as a pursuit. I never pictured myself doing architecture, but now that I’ve looked into it and seen what it has to offer, I finally feel some peace. Thanks for this video. <3

[Minimalism]

I am currently studying architecture in high school, and I love it so much. I believe that I have a God gifted ability to use creativity to impact the environment around me. More specifically, I want to go into residential architecture. I believe that getting to see my creative abilities and other design gifts to help others enjoy their quality of life even more is just so inviting. Residential architecture is not special to me because of the money, or self-benefits, but rather to help others and become someone who is able to bless people with a structure that they build a family in, or retire and enjoy time in that area. I would recommend exploring architecture to anyone interested. Have a great day everyone!

[talecegayle]

Im choosing architecture because i loved drawings but couldn’t find the one passionate about but when i discovered architecture i love the idea of what they do since them I’ve practice it and lets just say i really enjoy and love it

[Aurora-swei]

Great video ☺️ !
I just started to study architecture and I’m doing it for like 2 Months.
It is extremely time consuming and I constantly feel kinda lost 😅
the course content is pretty interesting, but still I’m consistently self doubting myself it’s like I’m doing everything
wrong while trying my best.

[ArchAnime]

Only when you follow your passion you can find your purpose!

[sangachhakchhuak]

Hey guys let me tell you my short story😁
About 3 years ago, i lost my confidence for some reasons ang gave up on my dream job (i meant becoming a civil engineer or architect ) then started working at some local stores. But i always felt like" im wasting my precious time" and still have passion about designing and constructing houses or buildings. Then a couple weeks ago i realized that i had to follow my heart 😔.And i loved the idea of being an architect: imaging unique houses, etc. Sorry for grammer mistakes

[kimberlydeleon]

It is so nice to hear from an experienced Architecture student! I'm currently in Middle School but feel strongly passionate about Architecture. As a middle school student, what are some of your recommendations for enhancing my passion for Architecture at this age? I really want to get into the work field and gain experience. Thank you so much for everything and keep making Architecture

[apollofan]

My reason for wanting to go for architecture is that I've always been into buildings:from an early age I've really been into lego blocks, and from my own imagination I was building ships, with different shapes and structures, because I was also into ocean liners and I still am. Second of all, drawing gets me. When I draw, I try to give my best and feel like I'm doing something that I love. Maybe a third reason is that I'm a person that loves planning. AND DAMN HOUSES. Especially old ones, I like analyzing them, thinking what could go better and how would I do it. But still, I'm not that sure that archi is the way, but hopefully I will set my mind and go for what will make me happy.

[iseethings]

Hey Kyle… Excellent LIFE-guiding video! I’m 72… and after seeing your video and honestly answering your questions, I fully realize I would have been much happier and satisfied as a career architect… rather than the other poor choices I made (electronics, science). As a boy I dreamed of being an Architect and into my teens too. But military life changed everything for me. YOUR VIDEO IS AN AWESOME WAY TO HELP FUTURE ARCHITECTS DECIDE! Thanks for the good work on your channel here…

[izugami]

I am from Philippines🇵🇭, I am a Senior High School student (16 yrs old) and I find your videos very very helpful for my career choice and I like designing houses and drawing medias. I prefer myself as a creative person and critical thinking solver(if thats a word haha) and both an introvert and extrovert. I am hoping and wishing for you to have more for your youtube community and help other people or kid dreaming to be an architect just like me. Thank you for your inspiring words and God Bless!

[complxmars]

Thank you for this.

I wanted to do architecture because I’ve thought about it since I was in 2nd grade. From time to time I’ve had an idea of changing and trying out different courses but I always came back to architecture. I kept thinking of going a different career path where my yearly wage can be above 100, 000 like a CS engineer, dentist, etc. My family’s supportive, but from time to time I hear something like “being a computer science engineer pays well in comparison to let’s say architecture” from my relatives while they look at me. Then I say that I don’t mind if I don’t make as much money, but then they go “oh you WILL once your dad stops paying for your insurance, bills, and all that.” So I got anxious once again and kept thinking if I should really get into architecture. A lot of the videos I found on yt were all quite discouraging saying stuff like “architecture school gave me insomnia.”

However, this ended on a good note and kind of encouraged me once again that I want to keep going with this. I’m gonna have to keep myself in a room with a pen and paper one day and think deeply about these questions.

[twashcat]

Thanks for the video! I've been questioning wether or not I really want to be an architect and this video helped me a lot!!

[catherinefedelin]

Senior high here!
Thank you for this wonderful video!
I'm actually deciding if I'm going to pursue architecture since it has art in it, which I really love to do to make me stay motivated!
It really help me a lot at thinking of improving my weaknesses first!

[adailytaekook]

Hi, I just wanted to stop by and say a huge thank you! A year ago I was frantically looking for architecture content to see if this was the right path for me.
I was just starting my last year of high school and I knew I had to prepare for very tough exams if I chose to study this major in uni. I had never drawn much and I was way behind in math. Then I came across this video (them looked at you other content) and it was truly a turning point! I felt confident in my decision and stuck through with it and today I just had my first day at the best Architecture university in my country! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your work and down-to-earth approach! Thank you for the insight into the profession! Keep doing what you do! It inspires people!

[crlos]

Hi, I’m 14 and I’ve been researching about architecture quite a lot lately and I think I want to be an architect, would you give me any advice to be a successful architect some day?