ANSWERS: 1
  • The explanation following your question ran out of space before it was completed, so I don't have a sense of where you were going with it. That noted, I will give it a go. Ironically, I faced the same thing - quite a while ago, actually, as I am a bit older than you are. The difference in my case is that I wanted to go from journalism into politics, which are less specialized and technical fields than architecture. At any rate, in my case, I decided that I was that far into my journalism degree that I would complete it and then pursue a two track approach and look for a job on Capitol Hill at the same time that I would start a Masters in Political Philosophy. In the end, I got the Hill job - hilariously as a Computer Operator. I know absolutely nothing about computers and as my gf will tell you I am - her word - "hopeless" with them to this day. (The office manager - who became a dear friend - said to my immediate boss, "You hired a computer operator who hates computers?" He replied, "Yeah, but he's a great writer." Your tax dollars at work and out of such non sequitirs are whole careers born.) I was able to parley the computer job into a political position in the same office and was on my way. For your part, you did not indicate what you thought you would rather do. If you are not sure - or even if you are - I would say stay the course. Get the degree so that you have a marketable skill, and once you have a job, you will have the time and resources to think of what you want to do next - even if it means going back to school. However, what I would say is that sometimes, having the sheepskin is really your ticket in to pretty much anything. Grant that architecture is more specialized, but one time I hired a geologist because the Member of Congress I worked for had mining interests in his district. I knew nothing about mining and I knew I could teach a geologist how to do politics on the Hill. It took a bit of convincing to get my Boss to buy into the idea, but he agreed and it turned out to be one of the best hires I have ever made. My point being that - depending on what you want to do - all you may need is the degree, any degree, to get your foot in the door. Again, much depends on what you think you would rather do. If you have an Architecture degree and want to go into medicine, you have a wee bit of a problem. Even then, I would forge ahead. What you need is time to think of next steps - and having a job will give you that. The other thing I would add is that I would not make too much of the nagging itch. What you are doing in school is NOT the final word on what you will do with your degree let alone the rest of your life. At the risk of sounding condescending - and I don't mean to be - you are young. You are looking at the future through the wrong end of the telescope. What you are feeling now is based on a very limited knowledge of what is out there. College is a great experience, but it often gives you an exaggerated sense of what your life will look like - both for the good and the bad, Try to stay practical and not be overwhelmed by your feelings at any given moment. Your feelings may change. For that matter, your circumstances may change. You may meet the girl of your dreams tomorrow and decide that a career in architecture is good enough if it helps you pay for the wedding and the three kids you are going to have. Grant there are few things worse than a job you hate - it can make your days and your life suddenly seem VERY long. Still, there are no guarantees in life and with so many variables that you don't know, stick with what you know and take each step a step at a time. There is certainly nothing stopping you from pursuing another degree - and that interesting combination of degrees could open up unexpected opportunities. (See also the geologist I hired above.) Grant that finding an employer who is willing to make an unconventional hiring choice.is not easy. (You will find that most employers treat hiring decisions as if they were being asked to split the atom, and therefore they tend not to think outside the box. Not to put too fine a point on it, in my own case - and in the case of the geologist I hired - we both got lucky.) Anyhow, VERY long story short, to sum up, I would say, stay the course and use the time you have to see what else is out there. (You can also talk to a school/career counselor to see what else you can do with an architecture degree.) Oh, and by the way, I have a friend who was getting his degree in architecture and just on a lark he started, while in school, making banners for the school and then for some small businesses in the area. He completed his degree, worked for a while as an architect, and then having saved some money he opened his own banner making business and is doing VERY well. (Makes more money that I do, that's for sure.) So you never know. Sorry, I wish I could wave a magic wand and give you a better answer. (Also, sorry if this answer rambled a bit. I find writing without the ability to write paragraphs to be somewhat disorienting.) However there is too little I know about you and your life and too little I know about architecture to be any more specific. In for a penny in for a pound, the thing it would be best for you to remember is that in the worst case you will have a degree with a marketable skill and that means that you will have - particularly at your age - options. Just remember, it is a degree and not a prison sentence. My very best wishes and good luck to you.

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