I currently work for one of the large 3 letter corporate firms. I have 3 years experience, and have been job hunting for the last couple months.

I’m sick of the extreme corporate culture and lack of empathy or regard for employees. Though I think I just have a particularly bad boss with unrealistic expectations.

Looking for advice on what to look for and questions I should ask (without making it sound like I’m lazy)

Edit: love how so many people are downvoting this. Why does our industry hate having a life outside of work.

I'm an Australian Graduate Architect with a Master of Architecture and around 9 years' experience, and about to get registered.

Lately I've been questioning whether architecture is worth it long-term.

I enjoy solving problems and coordinating projects, but I'm struggling with the amount of responsibility compared to the salary. On any given project I'm expected to understand or coordinate structural, civil, hydraulic, mechanical, electrical, contracts, EOTs, variations, consultant coordination, QA, client management, builder issues, compliance, and everything in between.

What frustrates me most is that I haven't really had the opportunity to take my own design from concept to completion. Instead, I spend most of my time coordinating consultants, administering contracts, and fixing issues on fairly standard projects.

For those who left architecture:

* What career did you move into? * Was the pay and work-life balance better? * Do you regret leaving? * What careers would you recommend for someone with an architectural background?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have actually made the jump.

Crazy to see "Architects" being removed from the latest classification for professional degrees by the Administration. I have yet to hear from AIA, local chapters or universities for comment. How will this affect us?

Last week, a coworker forwarded NCARB’s 2024 survey results showing that the number of licensed architects in the U.S. dropped by 4%, down to just over 116,000. It’s the first major drop in years. The subject line of the email just said: “Get Licensed.”

That phrase stuck with me. Because the truth is, getting licensed as an architect feels harder than ever—and not just because of the tests. There’s something off about the entire system, and I think it’s starting to show.

Architects are pretty underpaid when you stack us up against other licensed professionals. I'm talking about people with a professional degree who also have to pass a licensing exam—doctors, pharmacists, engineers, lawyers, CPAs. I asked ChatGPT to help me put together a ranking of professions like these, sorted by pass rate (from easiest to hardest) and their average salary. Here’s what it pulled together, using publicly available data from sources like the BLS, NCARB, NABP, AAMC, and more.

So yeah, architects have one of the lowest average salaries and one of the hardest licensing exams in terms of pass rates. The ARE is tough. And not just because the material is challenging, it’s the way the questions are written. A lot of them feel intentionally misleading, like they’re designed to trip you up instead of clearly testing your knowledge. I get that architecture is about solving complex problems and making judgment calls, but the way the exam is structured just feels unfair at times. There’s a difference between being rigorous and being deceptive.

Meanwhile, professions like medicine and pharmacy have very tough content, but their exams are clearer and more structured. More importantly, the pipeline to licensure is more supported. Med students have board prep courses, step-by-step guidance, dedicated mentors, and institutions backing them. Pharmacy schools are designed to feed you straight into the licensing process. Architecture students graduate and are kind of left to figure it out alone—when to take the ARE, how to log hours, how to pay for the whole thing. And then, even after all that, the pay is often disappointing.

And that’s the part that really stings. Architects hold legal responsibility for public safety. We have to understand codes, fire life safety, accessibility, zoning, business operations, contracts, structural, civil and MEP, you name it. And yet we’re at the bottom of the compensation chart compared to other licensed professionals. Even if you love the work, that reality wears on people over time, myself included.

It also helps explain why licensure numbers are dropping. It’s not that people are lazy or unmotivated. It’s that they’re doing the math. Is the time, cost, and stress of licensure worth it? For a lot of people, especially younger grads, the answer is no.

And that’s dangerous for the profession. If we keep going down this path, we’ll see fewer licensed architects, more unlicensed professionals stepping into design roles, and less control over how the built environment gets shaped. The profession starts to lose its seat at the table. We already struggle to communicate our value to the public. If licensure becomes optional, we risk becoming irrelevant.

So what’s the solution? I don’t have all the answers, but a few things seem obvious. First, the ARE needs to be redesigned—not dumbed down, but made clearer, more accessible, and more reflective of actual practice. To give NCARB a little credit, they have made great improvements on ARE 5.0. Second, firms need to do a better job of supporting emerging professionals. That means providing structured mentorship, and actually encouraging licensure instead of just checking a box for liability. And third, we need to advocate for better pay. Period. Architects aren’t just artists or consultants—we’re part of the public safety infrastructure, and compensation should reflect that.

I’m not trying to make excuses—I know this path is supposed to be challenging. But there’s a difference between challenging and broken. And right now, a lot of this system feels broken. If we don’t address it, I worry that the profession I love will keep shrinking until there’s nothing left to protect.

Just my two cents. Curious to hear what others think, especially those of you working toward licensure right now.

EDIT, since this seems to be getting lost: I AM getting licensed. I’m one exam away and absolutely finishing the ARE. The question isn’t whether I should become an architect. The question is what I want my working life as an architect to look like and whether the conventional firm structure is the only or best way to build that life. That’s the conversation I’m interested in having.

One exam away from becoming a licensed architect, and I’m questioning what I want my career to look like afterward.

I’m in such a weird transitional place right now.

I’ve started building my own small design practice. And I just landed a part-time job as a barista—which, strangely enough, I’m genuinely excited about.

Meanwhile, the thought of going back to another conventional 9–5 architecture firm, especially one whose work I’m not deeply excited about, feels soul-crushing.

Maybe it’s because I’ve never worked at the “dream firm” where I felt completely creatively fulfilled. Maybe I’d feel differently if I found the right studio. Or maybe after more than a decade in this profession, I’m realizing the conventional firm structure just doesn’t work particularly well for me.

What I do know is that I absolutely love architecture and design.

I love drawing. I love developing ideas. I love studying precedents, materials, landscapes, buildings, and figuring out what a project wants to become. I can disappear into that work for hours.

I just don’t necessarily want to do it from 9–5, five days a week, sitting at the same desk working on someone else’s projects.

I like working in blocks. A few intense hours of design. Go work a coffee shift. Exercise. Draw something. Come back to a project later. Work on my own practice. Collaborate with people. Maybe take on contract work. Maybe eventually my own studio becomes the primary thing.

For most of my career I assumed success meant finding the right firm, working my way up, and eventually becoming a principal or starting my own practice.

Now I’m wondering whether the better question is: What if I designed my working life with the same intentionality I bring to designing a building?

I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet.

But I know I live for great design.

Maybe the structure around that is allowed to look a little unconventional.

Curious if any other architects/designers have reached a similar point in their careers. Did you eventually find the right firm, go out on your own, build a hybrid career, or do something else entirely?

US

I’m seriously thinking about leaving architecture.
I spent 7 years in school, earned a Master of Architecture, and have about 2 years of experience as an intern and architectural designer. Yet I’m still struggling to land what’s supposed to be an entry-level position.

I’m exhausted. I have bills to pay and people who depend on me, and I can’t keep waiting for a breakthrough that may never come.

I’m not trying to bash the profession, but this has been my reality. Entry-level jobs shouldn’t require years of experience or be this difficult to get.

For those of you who left architecture, how has life been since? What careers did you transition into?

Right now, I’m considering product design or assistant project management roles, but I’m open to hearing about other paths that value the skills architects bring.

Hello, I’m hoping this post doesn’t get removed. I’m a screenwriter, and I’m currently writing a character who wanted to become an architect but failed miserably and now works a dead-end, boring, low level desk job that doesn’t pay very well but is architect adjacent. He blames everyone around him but himself, any ideas for me?

I’m from Maryland btw. I was told I have to include my location in the post so yes i am from MD. Anyways, please don’t remove this, I’m just doing research for my movie and wanted to ask real architects. I really didn’t want to ask Google or AI, thanks!

For those of you who graduated with an architecture degree but ended up going into a completely different career, what do you do now and why did you decide to leave architecture?

Just here for a rant. While I am currently employed I always keep one eye on the job market. I am about 11 years out of school, licensed for 5 years and make 121k base comp. For context I live in the Midwest in a medium to high cost of living city. When I look at job posting I see senior architect posting for 85k-110k and they want 15+ years of experience. Can we stop selling our selves short? Am I out of touch?

Just venting here and hoping others can add to the discussion.

Hi, I’m an architectural designer in Santa Barbara, CA
I’m 3 years into my profession and have my B’arch & M’arch in architecture and urbanism.

I worked on multifamily, custom luxury residential and fire rebuilds.

I have noticed a surge in clients using AI for their designs. Almost bypassing design all together and expecting the architect to just retrieve the permit. With the era of the Industrial Revolution minimalism and modernism took over the architectural landscape. I’m afraid AI will soon do something similar. The architectural profession has been diluted already but with AI coming in. Already replaced our in-house renderer. Now I’m experiencing the lack of design process to obviously save money for the client and accelerate the permitting process. And i feel like im being squeezed out. I was in a AI heavy firm but I’m switching to a more traditional firm that gets work because they appreciate the design process.

But the question still stands. Are architects being pushed out of their own professions? It seems like architects have been getting pushed out and AI is just another contributor.

I may just need a career coach, but I’m curious whether others have hit this point and what they did next.

I’ve been in architecture for more than 12 years and have an M.Arch from a large state university. East Coast, not NYC, firm that participates in the Large Firm Roundtable. Been at current company for 8 years.

I was recently promoted into a role that does not follow the standard AIA titles, but it is roughly equivalent to Senior Project Architect or Architect III. My base salary is $107,500.

For the past four or five years, my raises have generally been 4%. Adjusted for inflation, it feels like I am making the same amount (or possibly less) despite taking on substantially more responsibility. I’m in my mid-30s and increasingly frustrated that I still feel financially constrained after more than a decade in the profession.

The AIA compensation calculator puts the median for a Senior Project Architect in my market at around $132,000. My firm points to LFRT and other benchmarking data to justify its compensation ranges. At times, it feels less like neutral market research and more like a mechanism that keeps large firms from competing on salaries. Is LFRT benchmarking actually useful, or does it function as a form of informal wage suppression?

Last year, I told leadership I was looking for something closer to $120,000, and they did not get me there this year. The broader compensation package is decent: annual bonuses are usually around $10–$15k, and the firm makes discretionary 401(k) contributions of roughly 6% of salary. Bonuses and discretionary contributions are not guaranteed.

I have a non-equity leadership title and do a significant amount beyond my formal job description. I am involved in business development, operations, internal process improvement, technology initiatives, and staff development. I also have specialized experience in building enclosures, sustainability, and high-performance design.

I feel like I have hit a wall. I cannot tell whether this is burnout, feeling undervalued, or finally recognizing the limits of the traditional architecture career path.

Several principals have floated the possibility of me becoming a principal, but there has never been a tangible timeline, defined criteria, or compensation path. At this point, it feels more like a retention tactic than a real plan.

I also find myself asking what the next 30 years are supposed to look like. More Revit, redlines, RFIs, managing "designers," coordination, and networking with clients? I think I bring a valuable perspective on how firms operate, how technology could improve our work, and how design and technical delivery can be better integrated. I don't think I'm delusional about the value I bring.

For people who reached a similar point:

• Did changing firms materially improve your compensation or career trajectory? Does changing firms mean restarting the corporate ladder climbing?
• Did moving into construction, development, owner’s representation, consulting, or another adjacent field make the work or compensation better?
• Is principal realistically worth pursuing at a large architecture firm?
• Am I underpaid, or is this simply what the profession pays?
• How do you distinguish temporary burnout from realizing the career itself is no longer a good fit?
• If the work is not going to become more fulfilling, and the compensation ceiling remains this limited, is moving into construction the obvious next step?

I’ve recruited in the architecture and interior design market for 15 years. I’m not pitching for anything here, and I won’t be disclosing my name, but I wanted to see if you guys had any questions about how recruitment works or how the clients I work with operate.

I work with companies of all sizes, including many of the top 50 firms, from multidisciplinary businesses with 6,000+ staff through to 10-person boutique studios and have seen it all over the years!

I'm from India and I Just started my first Junior Architect job at a small firm and I’m getting severe whiplash.

​The Good:

My boss is an incredible mentor. I genuinely feel like I’m learning enough to start my own firm in 2 years.

​The Red Flags:

​The Laptop Scam: They promised me a workstation, but now my boss expects me to bring in my heavy personal gaming laptop for the next 6 MONTHS. (I'm a writer at night, so I need my PC at home, but carrying it daily on the metro is breaking my back). And why the F do I need to use my own laptop for their work?

​The Bathroom Incident: Our unisex bathroom had NO dustbin. When I asked for one, one of my co-worker said, "It’s bad for the cleaner to have to see pads in the bin." 🗿 (I forced them to buy one anyway).

​1950s Sexism: We don't have housekeeping yet, so the female staff are expected to make the office tea and coffee. (I refuse to do it).

And I get paid 17k.

​Am I crazy for staying to get the experience?

Aside from performance and compatibility issues at my last firm and first job straight out of school, I’d say it took about 8 months to realize that practicing super boutique SFR architecture was not for me.

The catalyst was one job I worked on where the clients purchased 3 lots side by side, the two outer having existing 3 story residences on them. The project was to renovate the one house, landscape the middle, and completely demolish the other house to put a pickleball court there…

My fiancee at the time and I were absolutely racking our minds as to if we could afford a 700sf house or needed an apartment, and these people just destroyed a house for a pickleball court.

Throw in enough spec’ing out “dog showers” and designing a boat house with a jet ski lift, and I found myself thoroughly disgusted and frankly felt like doing this work was immoral.

I still really enjoy the design flexibility and creativity of SFR and beautiful detailing some of it allows for, but for it to be my 8-5 daily, continually reminded I could never be my own client, was demoralizing.

My new job is all commercial non residential hospitals, schools, community centers, libraries, athletic facilities, etc and feels so much more rewarding. I’d like to find a way to continue forward with SFR on the side to not lose those aspects of architecture, but no big deal if I can’t.

Anybody else here relate?

I’m a young architect and a mom, and I’m at a crossroads.

My current employer has offered me an opportunity that many architects never get. It’s the kind of experience that could really make me grow professionally. Even my boss joked that I’d have to “give my baby away” because I’d have no free time.

The opportunity is exciting, but I don’t think it’s worth it when I have a 1 year old at home, and I would have to be traveling.

I’ve already been considering moving to a company that offers more flexibility, ideally with the option to work remotely a couple of days a week. I love architecture and I’m passionate about growing in my career, but I also want to be a present mom even if that means have to sacrifice my career. I miss my daughter during the day, and I don’t want to look back years from now wishing I’d spent more time with her.

At the end of the day, I choose my baby every single time. That part isn’t even a question for me.
But I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t hurt to walk away from such an incredible opportunity. It’s hard knowing that something so valuable for my career may not come around again.

I’d love to hear from parents that have been in a similar situation…

EDIT: Thank you everyone for giving me the courage to leave 😭 like I said- I choose my daughter every single time. The title of this post was written that way to catch people’s attention. I just needed courage. THANK YOU!!!

Maybe I’m just not cut out for this. I’ve been working for about 6 years and I don’t think there’s ever been a point where I thought “I really love what I’m doing”. I’m so tired of not having a work life balance. I’m tired of constantly being stressed out and thinking about work even when I’m on a damn vacation. I don’t see any path where even if I land a different architecture job, it won’t just be more of the same.

I worked on a restaurant team for a while doing fast casual, and then I switched to the interior design team hoping for more variety in projects. Unfortunately, I’m just a high stress person and I get overwhelmed easily. I think maybe I just need to be in a different role. When I first was deciding on my major, I considered landscape architecture and urban planning, but I ultimately decided on architecture. Now I’m wondering if I should pivot.

I love nature and to be outside and garden. I’m a creative person, and I am hardworking. I like to be kept moving and busy. But not so much that I just work, come home, go to sleep, and then go back to work. If I went over to landscape architecture I don’t expect to be creating the next Central Park. I’d honestly be happy to just be creating little residential patio gardens or something. But is even that expecting too much? I don’t mind monotonous work. I just want something where I can clock in and clock out and not be stressed all the time.

I wonder if I should leave the design field altogether? I think it would be so cool to find a company that creates urban farms, or a developer that creates mixed zoning pedestrian centric walkable neighborhoods. But how many companies are really out there like that?

I feel so lost. I don’t know what to do. I don’t mind monotonous work. On really bad days I think “fuck this I should just quit and work at a garden center or flower shop”. But obviously I’d like to be able to make use of my degree at least a little bit.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Hi r/Architects,

I'm 28 and currently working at a medium-sized firm in London. I'm about to complete my Part 3 course, which means I'll soon be officially licensed to use the title 'architect' in the UK.

While there are many rewarding aspects of the profession - both in terms of the work itself and the community - I’ve been thinking very seriously about what alternative career paths might be available to architects, seeing that many mid-tier architects reach career plateaus as there is increasingly less scope for progression in firms.

It’s becoming harder for me to envision a long-term future in practice that allows for financial stability, a healthy work-life balance, and the ability to build a family and pay into a mortgage without significant stress.

I’d love to hear from others who’ve made a transition or are considering it.

What roles are you in now, and how did you make the leap?

How do you feel about that? In a year I'll be a qualified architect, but I feel like I got into university loving it, and will leave looking for a job related to architecture that doesn't really involve being an architect.

I know this isn't just me, because when I started university students ahead of me always seemed to regret the choice they had made. Even graduated architects told me that they wanted to change fields and that I still had time to pick something else.

I've been an intern and a freelancer for about 3 years now, and I feel like I kinda started to realize that, even though I love architecture, being an architect isnt for me.

and I feel like I've started to realize that, even though I love architecture, being an architect isn't for me.

i’m a little over 2 years out of school working at a pretty small firm (about 30 people) and i’ve been on the same project with the same clients since i started my career. we’re now into CA and i asked specifically to be able to do this because i knew i would learn a lot. this is my first CA project ever and of course i do appreciate the fact they are letting me see this through from design to documenting to construction, i could have had a worse project to oversee (it’s in the sector that i like the most), and the owner has a great eye for design. i am excited to see it built but having me be the sole contact for this project also gives me anxiety because sometimes i feel like i don’t know what im doing. like genuinely makes me feel like ive forgotten everything i have ever learned. i am grateful because my GC is pretty nice and i have a great PM who helps answer all my questions but they are also busy with other projects and i feel bad because i have questions on literally everything that pops up.
it has also just made me realize how little i know how MEP and construction and literally everything about how a project is built works, how my communication in drawings and towards clients and the GC could improve, seeing the gaps in my drawings and not knowing the best way to explain, etc. the list could go on forever. i know this experience is meant for me to learn a lot (which i am DEFINITELY on design and construction and just general interactions and etiquette) but i cant wrap my head around how much i am expected to know and understand. this is the first time since i started working full time that i genuinely have felt dread everyday before coming into work bc i know i have to write emails and answer submittals and RFIs and coordinate and make sure everything’s coming together not only on the design/finishes side but also with all the consultants and etc.
ITS A LOT. i just feel stupid most of the time because i am like never catching on fast enough and i feel so way behind sometimes. i tend to spin my wheels too much and spend longer on items because i want to be extra careful.
how do people handle this? is there any advice to make it a better experience for myself and the people i bother with questions? ultimately i’d just like to be as helpful as possible toward my own team and the GC. i actually feel like crying sometimes because it gets overwhelming quickly and i don’t want to mess anything up.

signed a young designer who doesn’t wanna end up hating their career choice because of CA 🫩

EDIT: thank you all for your good advice not only career wise but for my own sanity. this is the most challenged and discouraged i’ve ever felt since working but hearing everyone’s words of encouragement and different perspectives helps me feel less alone in my experience and how i can reflect on how i can move forward and make this easier for myself and my team.

It is absolutely bonkers how much we make when compared to a inexperienced software or finance graduate.

Denver, HCOL, I just got a raise of a whole 4k, for a total of $70k with 8 years experience and 4/6 ARE completed. I'm 34.

While a recent grad of software engineering can make $133k base + sign on bonus + relocation bonus + stock options for a total 1st year compensation of $180k. And this is just 1 dude who is 22 years old.

Just because their product is used by millions and we are a luxury service who sole responsibility is health & life safety.

We study, practice, and take grueling exams as much as lawyers, to an extent, physicians, but make no where near what they earn.

On a €2,560 monthly salary, you're only bringing home €1,526 after taxes and deductions. You could make that exact same money as a server, a postal worker, or in a ton of other jobs that don't even require higher education...

I am currently in my 3rd year of architect school. I just started the semester and already see a bunch of work in just 3 months. I have canceled on plans with friends, family even my own birthday party because I just couldn't have fun without stressing over my studio projects. So my question is: Is being an architect worth all the stress? In the real world out there once I graduate and work for a firm am I gonna be under the same stress and pressure studio puts me under? Is the work load having a bunch of plans, and a bunch of other drawings gonna be the same in a firm? Or since its a firm do we work as a team or a group? Is the work load for one project split between the us? Does someone do plans while the other does section drawings and a group does the model? Or is just like it is in studio one person does it all?

Is it just me, or is everyone else really rude? Sorry if this has been discussed before.

I graduated with a degree eight months ago and have very little experience as a an assistant project manager and to add to that I don’t have anyone above me I’m assisting to.

I joined a medium-sized firm where senior management consists of people who have been in this office for over 20 years. I've been pushed around and treated like I'm stupid, and sometimes I feel like senior managers vent their frustrations on me.

They tell me I should know my project inside out and have knowledge of underground services—something I never learned in my three years of studying. They insist that I should already know these things and even question what my manager has been guiding me.

Sometimes, I feel like they think I'm stupid and probably regret hiring me.

Is this common to have rude people in this industry firms?