We spent five years learning how to be architects — or so we thought.
They taught us how to draft, render, model, and present. We spent sleepless nights perfecting delusional concepts just hours before jury, powered by two cups of coffee and a prayer. We mastered sheets, not sites. Juries, not jobs. We learned how to talk about space, design façades that defy gravity, and use jargon like “spatial hierarchy” to impress our jurors. We crafted dreamy concepts that probably wouldn’t survive a municipal approval. And we stayed up till 4 AM Photoshopping skies into our renders — only to be told our line weights were off.
The Skills We Actually Learned
Let’s be real: we did learn some hardcore life skills.
- How to function with zero sleep and a deadline breathing down our neck.
- How to critique, accept criticism, and still have the courage to present our work.
- How to problem-solve, multitask, and design under pressure (like pros).
But all of this was still inside a bubble — where imagination ruled, and mistakes didn’t cost money.
And yeah, all of that was important. It shaped our way of seeing the world.
But here’s the truth
Architecture school teaches architecture, not how to become an architect.
The real world hits different.
Clients don’t care about your exploded axonometric. They want their dream home, on a tight budget, with five revisions and a WhatsApp call at 10 PM. Vendors mess up deliveries. Contractors skip details. Revisions pile up. Site visits become your second home. And no one prepared us for any of it.
We weren’t taught how to handle clients, juggle projects, deal with vendors, or push back on unrealistic timelines — professionally. We weren’t told how often young architects get overworked and underpaid, or how quickly creativity can burn out when reality takes over.
Truth is, the exploration of architecture starts to shrink once we begin practice. Not because we stop loving it, but because the system often squeezes the soul out of it.
So, What Now?
Yes, the industry needs change. Yes, architectural education needs reform.
But we’re the generation that can bridge that gap.
Let’s talk more about business, contracts, marketing, and communication.
Let’s normalize fair pay, mental health, and boundaries.
Let’s build a profession where creativity and self-worth coexist.
Because architecture isn’t just about buildings.
It’s about people — including the people who build it.
To every young architect out there:
You’re not alone. You’re not underqualified. You’re just figuring out a system that forgot to teach you the full picture.
But trust me — you’ve got what it takes.
