By:Monte Leeper
Q My daughter is a junior and wants to be an architect and I have told her that she will have a tough time getting a job when she finishes school. It is not a field for a girl and nobody wants to hire her to get experience drafting. She disagrees with me about this. What do you think?
A The top students in my graduating class included 3 women (out of 43). They each got good jobs and have done very well. Females are just as capable as males in the construction and design fields (or any other for that matter) and I think you should forget the sexist ideas you have I would recommend that your daughter get as much computer drawing, science, math, and chemistry experience in school Outside of classes, she should work for a contractor, learning about construction. Let her explore carpentry, electrical, and plumbing work now, so that she understands how these systems work, since most architecture schools are really limited in teaching basic construction techniques. I also highly suggest that she pick an engineering discipline instead of architecture, since there is a better chance of landing a good job at higher pay, and less frustration educating people as to what you do.
Architecture is a field that has been evolving into a combination other fields, since interior design, contracting, engineering, construction management, and drawing services have each taken a piece of the action, complicating the role of the architect, while increasing the architect's liability. It used to be that one out of five architects could expect to be sued at some time in their career. Now it is expected that every architect can expect to be sued at least once. Often, the architect is perceived as responsible for problems over which they have no control, such as those caused by careless trades people, demanding construction managers seeking the impossible, officials of every variety arbitrarily delaying the project, and owners who are often their own worst enemy.
Owners lose control by allowing everyone on the project to offer an opinion, causing changes, arguments, and ultimate dissatisfaction. So wish your daughter good luck in the delightful career of architecture or help her to focus on an allied engineering career that will allow her to be happier and more successful My experience as a witness in many cases has given me a unique perspective and I invite anyone with equal time in the field to write if they disagree. I actually love architecture, but there are some days...
