Selecting your college major is very daunting. There is such a conflict in settling on a major, as you don’t really know if any major is the right major. You don’t want to waste precious time and money exploring a field that you might not even be passionate about. And perhaps you’re watching this video to determine if architecture is the right major for you. So today, I will be blogging about the major and hopefully today’s post can inspire you.
If you are like me, I had intense anxiety about choosing the perfect major. I wanted to select one to make my parents proud, but also one that aligned with my own skills and passions. I hope you understand that college really exposes students to a new realm of learning and exploration. And here we are today. You want to know if architecture is the right major for you. But how do you know that architecture is the right major for you?
Architecture is a beautiful mix of the arts, sciences, mathematics, and a sprinkle of business. Throughout my time in school, I had to take art history classes, architecture history classes, drawing representation classes, and so on. I’ve taken science classes like physics. I’ve taken classes in mathematics, more specifically in geometry, and calculus. Business classes most times come a bit later, like in graduate school, so if that is a concern for you now, don’t fret. But, if the idea of taking this focused curriculum excites you, then you might be on the right path here.
Now, if you are currently in high school, think about your personal passions and what intrigues you in school. Ask yourself if you like geometry and art. Do you like model making, or ceramics? How well do you work with others in school? Also, another really good question to ask yourself in this self reflection is how well do you handle criticism?
Now, just a side note, if you like art but aren’t good at mathematics, don’t fret. If you love model making but don’t handle criticism well, seriously don’t stress. A lot of these skills are developed in college.
As for the architecture degree, what can you do with it? Now, hear me out. Before I majored in architecture, I majored in design foundations at Ohio State. I originally applied to college with intentions of becoming an interior designer. Then after a year of majoring in design, before you can narrow down your design interests, I wanted to major in industrial design, aka product design. At the end of my freshman year, I had to apply to declare my major and I actually applied to three majors: Industrial design, interior design, and architecture. Architecture was my backup major. Now, I changed majors when an architect my father works with called me. And here is the beautiful thing about architecture. But architecture majors can embark on so many career paths that other majors really cannot. If you want to narrow down on construction to engineering to design to real estate to theatre, you can. You can become a licensed architect. If you like math a bit more, you can do civil engineering. If you like building things, you can do carpentry. You can do urban planning. Architecture just introduces you to so much about our world, about our build environment, that is not taught in high schools.
Salary
Salary is also another factor of architecture to take into consideration too! According to WayUp, the average annual income is around $79,000 and higher end salaries, if you have been practicing for a while, are around $120,000. Salaries are important to also consider when selecting a major!
Overall, please keep in mind that you cannot really know you’ll love whatever profession you are pursuing until you are actually in that environment. If something is drawing you to architecture, heck you made it this far into the video, it doesn’t hurt to try it out. If you don’t like it, change the major. About 80% of students in the US end up changing their major at least once according to the National Center for Education Statistics. So take a deep breath. It is okay. And at the end of the day, if you major in architecture, my YouTube channel and this website are here to help you out.
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