That time I QUIT architecture

It’s 2014. I had just graduated from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio with a Master of Architecture degree. After 8 years of college, I thought I had the rest of my life figured out. I had worked in DC, New York and Texas during my internships and was dead set on becoming a licensed architect before turning 30. I was going to work my way up the corporate ladder. I had dreams of running my own firm.

I moved to San Francisco to work at an architecture company in Sausalito. It was absolute bliss. A beautiful city. Awesome coworkers. Hiking every weekend. Exciting design work. An all round memorable time. But the heavy tech influence was impossible to ignore. It was an expensive city to live in. People in tech could afford the sky high rents, but it was a struggle for everyone else. Architecture firms don’t pay well. I was an hourly employee barely saving any money.

Every young architect around me was pivoting to the tech field. They introduced me to UX or user experience and UI or user interface design. It was a gateway to work at a software firm. A way to use your design background to score some of those tech perks. The 6 figure salary that was out of reach in architecture. The free meals, better health care, the better life. Their words were planted in my head. I deserved more after 8 years of education. I needed to earn more money.

It’s 2015. I moved to Dallas, got married and accepted the first job I could find. My personal life was bliss. My professional life was miserable. I was stuck in a cubicle, moving lines in AutoCAD. The work environment was toxic. I couldn’t see a future. I needed a way out.

It’s 2016. I decided to do something drastic about my unhappiness. I QUIT ARCHITECTURE. Things won’t change until you make the change. You can’t just sit back and expect things to happen to you, expect things to get better. You have to work for it. You have to fight for it. I set up my own LLC with a mission statement and clear goals. As a creative outlet, I started making and selling refined pallet wood furniture. I taught myself HTML, CSS, a little bit of JavaScript and C#. I built my own website from scratch. I started making Youtube videos to gain confidence and market myself.

I wanted to transition to UX design so I completed some online courses. After a couple of weeks of intense learning, I contacted a UX firm in Dallas and got an interview. All my hopes were riding on this opportunity. This was my way out. I could finally earn what I “deserved” and have a better financial future.

Weeks went by with no response. Out of the blue, a former coworker contacted me about some contract work. I decided to take the job. I enjoyed it so much that I reached out to other architecture firms. Soon I was an independent contract worker for 3 firms, making a decent income. When the UX firm eventually got back to me, they offered an unpaid internship and I turned them down.

I was SO sure that that UX design was what I wanted to do. I quit architecture to get into tech and fate just brought me right back. Through my independent contract work, I jumped in BIM design and Python scripting. Quitting architecture taught me to set myself apart from the rest of the architects and find my niche. It’s 2020 and I’m not where I thought I was going to be back in 2016. I’m still in the BIM field, and I’m using YouTube as a way to market myself. This platform has connected me to people around the world with similar interests and I’m learning something new every day.

I’m proud of how much I’ve grown in the last 4 years. I’m not the person I used to be and I hope to continue to evolve. I’ve learnt that life is a combination of destiny, hard work, and luck. I’m no longer a shy, frustrated introvert because I worked hard to change my situation. Life would have been very different if I had accepted life in a cubicle.
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#architecture #iquit #architect #designer #design #lifestory

[xhiro]

This is the part that nobody wants to display, success isn't as we see it on social media. This is the reality and there's only a few people that have the courage to talk about this things. Congrats Belinda!

[NOLZWINS]

I just graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2019 with a BS Arch, and have been working for 3 years if you included all of my internship time. I very much feel what you are saying. I used to have dreams of working up the ladder or starting a firm but the low pay and overworking is really taking a toll on me. I decided to start making YouTube videos like you earlier this year and hope to be doing something outside of Architecture some time next year. I'm super glad I found this video. It really hit me. Thanks Belinda!

[pennygeno]

Architecture is the most popular study in TU Delft in the Netherlands, all good looking guys and girls go there in this fancy beautiful building, party every week, making wooden models for fun, dress like the next hot shot designer archtect, 10 years later, all went broke

[romainbey]

Thanks for sharing this. Quitting architecture is not easy specially when you are passionated. I quite architecture few years ago to become python developer and i'm still doing few project and i'm thinking about creating my own architecture tools.

[bbutcher]

The job market is utter trash for everyone these days aside from the trades like plumbing and HVAC. Even then not many people want to do those trades because why would they? People want to find a career that's fulfilling and they can at least enjoy. For many, most trades will never offer that. Imagine the gall it takes to offer someone with a Master's degree and experience an unpaid internship. Insulting and common. This is why when people say there is a "labor shortage" they're incorrect. There is a shortage of places willing to pay appropriately and people are sick of it.

[brianramirez]

Amazing story. I was also disilusioned with Architecture and basically quit for a year to work in a kitchen and do side gigs. But I kept coming back with independent projects. I believe the path remains open to do great things and this channel is really inspiring to me, because I have so many issues with the lies of the industry but I didnt know people like you were actively going into the kind of detail that you do.

[fredochs]

My students need to see this video. Well said and well done!

[nabeelsaeed]

Related to me... I am an Architect, graduated 12 years ago but still living my life in a box... i never wanted to be an architect and why i choose that field i never knew and i still don't know what my future will be... i don't have any direction or dream to follow... struggling with everyday's life, hardly meeting expenses for me and family... i am glad you found some direction but me... i am totally lost...

[ChunkyChest]

@2:16 "things won't change until you make the change, you can't just sit back and expect things to happen to you.. expect things to get better, you have to work for it, you have to fight for it" #inspirational, thank you!

[epicuritus]

Thank you for sharing your story. This is EXACTLY what I needed to hear tonight. I'm 41 and have an incredible family and job, but there are changes I need to make to become a better person. Thank you for showing that hard work and continually fighting for growth can lead to unexpected/wonderful things. Love your videos. Keep them coming. :)

[garymesser]

Life is as much the fight as the goal,
The journey as much the destination.
Bravo!

[bulletproofmofo]

Consistent growth requires that we consistently let go of what we are, in favor of what we could be. What a beautiful journey.

[pcb]

You're a very impressive and inspiring lady, I look forward to watching more of your videos.

[kjaubrey]

As a person who studied engineering but works in remodelling, I really enjoy your videos. I love how you explore building materials and methods from an almost engineering perspective.

[NothusDeusVagus]

Simply put, You were born to build... to learn... to grow... So far so good.

[albertancustomer]

CLAPS!!! Congrats! I'm happy for you. You are clearly a self learner. You inspired me to do better with this video. I will continue to watch your content. You gave me hope and that's super. Thank you very much for that. I'm proud of your accomplishments and the hard work you've shown on YouTube. Cheers from Canada.

[Alex_Plante]

I grew up in Montreal, and when I was a high-school student in the early 80s, I thought I wanted to be an architect. McGill University hosted a series of monthly talks by architects from around the world. I'll always remember one from Los Angeles who designed his house with an outside finishing of plywood and metal wire fencing. It sounds awful, but actually looked great. I remember him joking that for decades he only had contracts for doing kitchen renovations, and that he used plywood and metal wire fencing to finish the outdoors of his house because that is all he could afford. Anyway, by the time he gave his talk at McGill in the early 80s, he was designing skyscrapers in downtown L. A., and finally Frank Gehry became a starchitect a few years after I saw him give this talk, when he designed that museum in Bilbao. But, remember, he spent the first few decades of his career designing kitchen renovations...

[joytotheworld]

Wow, again you amaze me. We are so alike. I am an artist, 62 years old.Retired but never stop. I too was stuck in a cubical(but in advertising) & scratched my way out into being a set designer in the photo studio. After only 6 months, I lifted something heavy & slipped a disc at age 50, Never to work again.You are your best cheerleader. Your brilliant mind is to be admired. Good luck to you.

[cherylcarlson]

Glad you decided your course early on, I did 39 yrs of something that frustrated me nearly every second of the job and tried to stuff my real life around the edges. Glad you had the support to be daring.

[morning_glorymonster]

Reminds me of my youth as a lawyer. I too expected great cases, as in the American movies, and instead had to do title deeds.