Should I Be An Architect?

Unlike as it’s 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;

An interest in computer science came during a 3 months internship at a tech shop before finally settling for architecture.

Even though I had always been fascinated by buildings 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’s 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 creative problem-solving.

This will show in simple ways like how you choose to arrange your shoes, your room, your dress style, and for someone like me, I always make sure that the cover of my notebook looks 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 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, you need a pencil and paper, but, in these modern times, an iPad can equally serve as a medium for sketching.

so, If you like the idea of drawing, sketching, or even doodling. then, Architecture might suit you well.

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 comes together. If this is you, architecture might just be the profession for you.

You are ‘okay’ with math

If you choose to study architecture, you’ll have to do at least two semesters of mathematics in 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 sockets, furniture layout, and even lighting positions.

Also, if you invite me to your house & take me around, I’d be able to sketch out your entire house. I can’t help this but, 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’m being honest, you might never make up to 0.1% of Jeff Bezos net-worth, but, you will do okay.

• 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. Moreover, Architecture 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.

• Also, 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 or a building that people will use daily. therefore, You’ll be responsible for impacting (hopefully positively) the lives of several people.
• 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.

Finally, if you made your decision on becoming an architect, make sure to check this article about how to be successful in architecture.