Should my friend pursue architecture as a second career?

Yeah, I think you should at least advise your friend to really look into the field and make sure he has really done his homework. In my opinion, architects make a lot less than most people would think. My aunt and uncle have both been architects for over 20 years. Both are Harvard grads and work for a top firm, think top 10 in the world. My uncle in particular is the #2 at the firm. However, he has told me what he makes and it was about half what I would have guessed. And he works 60 hours a week. The firm just picked up a huge client, a three-year contract for a $5 billion development. He then tried to negotiate a raise but was only able to get a small one. I think the assumption is that architects are like other professionals, i.e., lawyers, doctors, CPAs, investment bankers, etc. But they're not. Architect firms are usually owned entirely by the head guy--no one else gets equity, so the head guy makes a ton of money. I would think this is due to the nature of the business. With architects, it's a low volume, high margin business. And really value is driven by design, which is also ultimately what sells (i.e., wins bids), and the head architect can handle the design for all his firm's projects. All the power lies with the customers, and architect firms typically have to spend tons of money competing with other firms in submitting a model and bid to win a project. So it's a capital intensive business, which means high risk, high return, which means a handful make millions while everyone else gets mediocre pay. I would guess that there are some sort of market distortions that are too blame--i.e., unintended consequences from some sort of government interference.

My dad warned me not to go into architecture unless I was completely passionate about it. But my dad's an architect. I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to some friend who read an article. Bring it up once but don't harp on it.

If you are good friends and he is taking on loans, I think he would be well served if you made some comments basically ensuring that he is making an honest risk calculation with the loans he'd have to take on and the job prospects. All of the talk in this thread about "stay out of his business blah blah blah" is all well and good, but student loan debt is extremely toxic and education tends to make people idealistic... "I'll study what I love, the rest will fall in line because I'm doing what I love!!" Sadly, the real world doesn't quite work like that. So I might try and make sure he reads the other thread on the realities of architecture, and leave it at that. It's his decision, but as his friend I think it's fair that you make sure he has some material information. Glad I'm not friends with a lot of people in this thread.

IANAA, but I met a friend of mine when she moved from the East coast to the West coast to get a master's in Architecture, taking out student loans to pay for the degree. Her undergrad degree was in an unrelated field. She finished school and moved back to the East coast about 10 months ago. Every single day, her Facebook status update was some variation of her begging people for a job, any job, asking if anyone knew any architects or knew of any jobs, etc., etc., etc. She seemed pretty miserable, and was down to her last $40 in the bank by earlier this year. Somehow, she landed an architecture job right at that point. She's been working there just a month or two, but seems to love it, and has her own big office. So, the short answer is, who know? Don't discourage your friend, but you could certainly share a couple of cautionary tales with him if you think he hasn't done due diligence or isn't the type of person to sick with something for many, many months of unemployment after years of hard work in grad school.

I have to say that it doesn't matter what field your friend wants to go into, there will be someone advising them not to do it because of "the terrible job market" and the student debt. Well yeah, the economy really sucks right now for everyone, and an advanced degree offers no immunity. And taking on a lot of debt is always a risky, troublesome proposition. I would advise you not to treat your friend like he's a child or irrational in his decision-making process. I would say support your friend in whatever way you can, but don't try to discourage him or "warn" him by passing along the naysaying of others.

I like valoius' suggestion. He can then take or leave the info as he likes.

I'm the one that made the "pity the fool" comment. I think you should share your concern. Also forward http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/24/180000-in-debt_n_473722.html. I would say I wish somebody told me before I jumped head first into Architecture school, but the truth is several people did. I chose not to listen, because I thought talent and hard work would make the difference. Not really.

"My dad warned me not to go into architecture unless I was completely passionate about it. But my dad's an architect. I probably wouldn't have paid much attention to some friend who read an article." What kidbritish said. I am a landscape architect. I work very closely with architects, naturally, and many are my close friends. I wouldn't choose architecture as a profession myself. Here's why: 1. It's extraordinarily complex. Architects spend a lot of their time herding cats - i.e., subconsultants, as a result. You have structural, mechanical (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, communications, etc.), fire safety, ADA, and on and on and on. 2. It's extraordinarily frustrating. 99.999% of architects are not Frank Gehry. They don't get to "realize their vision". Most of them have to fight tooth and nail to get simple design basics into a building or site. 3. It's extraordinarily frustrating, part 2. They have to fight ignorant clients, obstinate and ignorant planners. They have to fight the budget. They have to fight municipal bureaucracies run by non-architects who have no knowledge of architecture, design, infrastructure or anything relevant, but who have stacks of checklists to run down - and they don't have the knowledge to know if they are using a relevant checklist or not. 3. It's extraordinarily time consuming. So much for the "high margin" that someone mentioned above. They collect a lot in fees - 8%-15%, even 20% or more of construction costs, but that money gets paid to consultants like me. And to the design/drafting staff, who work for peanuts, mostly. And the insurance company. 4. Back to the vision. It's extraordinarily frustrating - again. The architect spends three years or more convincing the client, coordinating the team, dealing with ad hoc community user groups, processing the plans through myriad agencies, and finally gets the plans out to bid and construction. Then the contractor turns out to be incompetent, crooked or both. Material costs spike the month before the bids go out. Excavations find archaeological elements. The client's bank financing falls through. The end result is that unforeseen construction issues break the tightly controlled budget, and the architect is left frantically downgrading the design while expensive construction equipment sits idle - and of course, the architect has to secure municipal approvals yet again. The list goes on. But you get the point. Right? Anyone would be better off pursuing honky tonk guitar as a profession. Make $100 bucks, maybe $200 a night. Drink beer. Envy architects in air conditioned offices. Both professions require passion. Architecture requires passion, and the ability to endure endless humiliations, being kicked in the teeth, punched in the crotch. Only to risk getting sued by the client or some idiot tenant or passerby sometime in the next ten years. So yeah. Architecture. Go for it.

Unless he asks you for your opinion on his decision to pursue architecture, I wouldn't say anything. Maybe, just maybe, if you were an architect yourself and had some personal insight, it would be more valuable but since he didn't ask your opinion and you aren't in the biz yourself, I would keep it to myself if I were you.