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Is a life of architecture a tough life to lead?

I'm only young (16) but have wanted to be an architect for years.. Recently i've noticed that many people say architecture is a huge sacrifice and it is very rare to succeed.. Is this true? Also, what's the ACTUAL difference between an architecture and a civil engineer? Thank you x

Public Comments

1. ive been wondering this same thing
2. Any formula for success requires sacrifice. Just look at the training professional athletes endure. For architecture, it's different from many other fields, starting in your education, your success is not based solely on intelligence, creativity, you are also tested on your endurance. You will not have any time to breath much less a social life in architecture school. After graduation, you will find the school's curriculum did not prepare you or your classmates for the real world application. You and your peers will have to learn an entirely new system all over again. Because of this, you will be paid a low salary and expected to work long hours to be profitable/productive. Since architectural students are accustomed to working extra hours, they are more than willing to comply. It is not uncommon to work 60-80 hours/week for interns. Then you have to take and pass the ARE, not impossible, but difficult for most candidates. After you pass the exam, you get a nice pay bump, but still much less than doctors and lawyers. Even then, 4-5 years after graduation, you may never touched a design project yet, which is disconcerting since your entire school career was almost entirely devoted to design. To summarize the sacrifices: University level: no time for social life Intern: no time for social life, low pay Architect: possible unfulfilled dreams, low pay. Now, before you decide to head off to a different career choice, architecture is the most fulfilling career for me and many others. Yes, there are sacrifices, but it does not feel that way while you're doing it (for me). You're being paid for doing something you love, you feel like you're living a dream. All those extra time spent in the trenches will pay off if you do it intelligently. It paved the way for me to pass the ARE immediately at first crack and towards owning my own company. This is getting long so I need to cut it off. To answer your other question, a Civil Engineer and an architect are polar opposites. Generally, an architect is involved with the design of the building and the coordination of his work with the Civil Engineer. A Civil Engineering involves a much broader arena that could include land survey, utilities, infrastructure and drainage and grading.
3. Civil engineer and architect are completely different -though they have to collaborate a lot during design. architect handles the building design and civil handles the site design - grading, storm water management etc. Architecture could be tough if you don't like what you do but a lot of fun if you enjoy it. I'm an architect and there are tough times but I cannot imagine myself doing something else and be happy. try to get some internship at any local architecture office during your summer break- even if they don't pay you or pay u very little just to get a hang of what happens in a real office and talk to both young and senior architects there. you can also go to www.archisage.net to meet and talk to architects and architecture students online. good luck