Architecture

quarterluffy

Hey! An indecisive 6th year student here who's really interested in doing architecture. I have quite a few questions about it for anybody who doesnt mind anwering them!

How are you finding the course? Do you enjoy it? What do you enjoy most about it? What do you not like about it?
What is your typical day like?
Is it true you dont get much sleep? lol
I didnt do art nor tech graph. But I used to draw a bit. I was able to win a little art competition in our year before over those who did art. Will i be at a large disadvantage?
How difficult is the maths? I do higher level maths though i think its pretty tough. Is the course maths-y overall?
How are the career opportunities? Would it be difficult to find a job after school?
Is it possible for anybody to give me a ballpark figure of the starting salary, and how it progresses? I know I shouldnt choose a  profession for money but after I graduate Id like to give my parents an easier life. I dont want to be worrying them too much. Though of course, being completely honest, there are things that I also want for myself eg travelling.
The architecture which interests me the most right now is residential over the others. Would i be well equipped to do this after the course?
I dont mean to be rude but I find the buildings in Ireland to be dull? In the area where I live, the houses all look the same. I hate it. We dont have any skyscrapers either. Will I just learn to love these as I study? Or will I have to move to a different country to do this? If thats the case, how difficult will it be?

If you got this far even just reading this thank you! My questions kinda seem like theyre on the pessimistic side but I really am interested in it, I swear! I just want to know completely what Im getting into.

TheCassman

Hello! I'm at present just finishing up my fourth year of architecture. I'll try to answer your questions as best as possible but everyone works differently in architecture so this is just my side of things.

How are you finding the course? Do you enjoy it? What do you enjoy most about it? What do you not like about it?
- I find the course very enjoyable at the moment, but I must admit, its a really love/hate relationship depending the brief/lecturers/site etc. I enjoy being able to create something that hasn't been really created before, as in, when I'm designing and I come to a problem, I cant just open up a book and find the answer ( of course if its construction I could). Regards what I dont enjoy most about it is probably the lack of a typical college life. Its a very demanding course that requires full attention.

Is it true you dont get much sleep?
-Yes. My final review was last week, and to the lead up for a number of days to prevent an all nighter I was running on average 3-5 hours for the week leading up. Thats the way I work, I've friends who have no issue pulling two all nighters in a row etc.

I didn't do art nor tech graph. But I used to draw a bit. I was able to win a little art competition in our year before over those who did art. Will i be at a large disadvantage?
- I wouldn't see this as a disadvantage. Maybe regards rendering and how to draw initially, but you can pick it up easily.

How difficult is the maths? I do higher level maths though i think its pretty tough. Is the course maths-y overall?
-In my university we don't have a mathematical module.

How are the career opportunities? Would it be difficult to find a job after school?
Is it possible for anybody to give me a ballpark figure of the starting salary, and how it progresses? I know I shouldn't choose a profession for money but after I graduate Id like to give my parents an easier life. I dont want to be worrying them too much. Though of course, being completely honest, there are things that I also want for myself eg travelling.

- I'll take these two at once. The construction industry is starting to pick up again so jobs should be plentiful. Salary varies whether you work in a famous design firm or a commercial firm. Design firms usually pay poorly but the experience to being exposed to an award winning project is invaluable, usually the wages work from anywhere of 20,000-30,000 and 30,000 being very, very rare.

After studying architecture your mind will be transformed in the way you think and see the world. Places that you might not find beautiful now could be stunning after. Before architecture I wanted to build really nice white concrete buildings that you see pasted all over Dubai, that doesn't interest me in the slightest now, even though I still wouldn't mind building there. Your tastes develop, always keep an open mind.


Hope you peruse architecture, its some ride to say the least.