The Appeal: When screenwriters give a hero a career, it's often architecture. Think Walter Pidgeon in Mrs. Miniver and Adam Sandler in Click. When Matt Dillon attempts to impress Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary, he pretends to be an architect.
That's not surprising. The public perceives architecture as a career for creative, free spirits who nonetheless earn good money while designing cool new buildings. Alas, as usual, there's a Grand Canyon of difference between the screen and reality.
The Reality: Architecture has many pluses. Indeed, it made it (barely) into the 2007 list of Best Careers. Now it belongs in this category. Not only is the housing decline souring the job market, but more potential clients are off-shoring architecture jobs, downloading premade blueprints developed by top architects, or having lower-cost interior/exterior designers or building contractors design their structures. Two job satisfaction surveys painted a mixed picture: One gave architecture high marks, but the other rated it very low. A major cause of low job satisfaction is that many architects don't get to design buildings but rather must produce detailed drawings of the components of other people's designs, such as the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system.
An Alternative: Interior designer. Halfway between an architect and an interior decorator, interior designers recommend where a wall should go as well as the color scheme.
Learn more: American Society of Interior Designers and Professional Practice for Interior Designers, 3rd Edition by Christine Piotrowski
JDM of NY @ Sep 29, 2009 18:21:48 PM
J-Man of GA @ Aug 26, 2009 14:47:10 PM
casualsuede of MO @ Aug 25, 2009 15:27:26 PM