Vladie Van.
“Hey Sir.” I hate it when they call me Sir, but hey-ho.
“Morning, Vlad. How are those final drawings going?”
“Pretty good Sir. Although my laptop crashed, and I lost a whole bunch of work. Had to start again.”
“That doesn’t sound ‘pretty good’. But I know how you feel, the same thing happened to me this week.”
“Sir. I’m wondering if this architecture thing is for me.”
“Oh, how come?”
“Well Sir, I heard the pay is pretty bad, the hours are long and well, to be honest, I wanna do something else. Do you know what else I can do with a degree in architecture?”
It’s not an uncommon conversation with architecture students. I had similar moments myself while studying. Eighty-hour weeks, back-to-back, can really get you down. Then there were the studio legends, like the student who ended up designing Hollywood sets for Ridley Scott.
Of course, the short answer is ‘anything’. But that’s not particularly helpful, so I tried adding a bit more value.
“I get it. You could probably earn more at McDonald’s than in your first few years as an architect,” I said, testing his resolve.
If you’re unfamiliar, the journey to becoming an architect is long. Three-year degree (Part 1), a year of work, a two-year post-grad diploma (Part 2), then another couple of years’ practical experience, followed by professional exams (Part 3). Only then do you get the badge. ‘Architect’ is a protected title.
“So, Vlad, what grabs you? What are you naturally talented at? The world will be very different ten years from now. Many jobs—including those architects do—may disappear, replaced by digital agents, software, and robots. More than ever, finding something that genuinely makes you want to get up each morning is crucial. There might not be any other reason.”
“Crikey, Sir. That sounds a bit depressing. Are you saying there won’t be architect jobs?”
“No, quite the opposite. I think it’s a great opportunity. “Do you know how many hours I spent doing door and window schedules at your age? Trust me, it’s the kind of thing better suited to silicon brains.”
Freeing bright minds from dull, repetitive work must be positive. I spent hours this week working out how three roofs would join, integrate structure, allow rainwater run off and make sure doors didn’t clash with beams. It’s kinda fun, but it would be better if I could set some parameters and let the software do it while I went for a walk in the sun.
But after thirty-plus years, I know exactly how it’s done. What happens if you never learn the underlying processes? How do you develop real expertise when the details just appear magically?
Two analogies spring to mind: who’d go back to a manual gearbox after driving an automatic? Press go and stop versus dipping clutches and changing gears. And dogs don’t seem to be bothered where their food comes from, or how the bills are paid to keep that comfy sofa in operation. Content in their ignorant bliss – dogs and drivers of automatic cars.
“So, do you mean I should follow my passion? I really love playing my guitar. If I’m honest I wanna be Eddie Van Halen.”
“No, probably not the best plan, Vlad. People often advise you to ‘follow your dreams’, but usually, those giving that advice have already succeeded. There’s only one Eddie Van Halen.”
“Too right Sir.”
“There is the luck, the talent developed through hours and hours of work, the 99.9% who don’t make it. We don’t see these things when we dream of following heroes.”
“But Pink Floyd studied architecture, and the Pet Shop Boys, and Art Garfunkel, Seal, Ralf Hütter—even Ice Cube. I figured there must be some connection between architectural creativity and music.”
“Interesting. Yes, there probably is. A mind tuned to designing is likely the same kind of personality that can do anything creative. That might be fashion design. Tom Ford studied architecture.”
“I do like fashion, Sir.”
“Well, ok, so do I, its design isn’t it. But there are more musicians, fashion designers and actors who never studied architecture. There’s no real correlation I’m afraid. Besides, Benjamin Netanyahu has an MIT degree in architecture. It’s not a gateway to world leadership.”
“Thomas Jefferson, Sir.”
“Good point. Though he was a self-taught architect. Jefferson’s unique in being renowned for architecture and also becoming President. Roger Waters just wrote great music. An architecture degree is a bit like going to art school. It’s a good foundation for creativity and to meet other band members!”
“The Queen of Jordan also studied architecture.”
“You’ve done your homework. So the plan is to be a rock star and world leader?”
“Well it’s kind of appealing Sir. And better than working in McDonald’s or doing door schedules. And now I’m worried there will be no architect jobs. Yeah, I’m going to have a word with Dougie in second year. He’s written some songs.”
This conversation was going off track, but it made me wonder why we work. Is it purely financial security? If we all had that at twenty-one, our lives would look very different. I might have tried professional golf.
Maybe after thirty years, I’d be decent. But there’s only one Jack Nicklaus.
Given there’s no £60k universal basic income just yet, advice could be:
1. “Stick with the path you’re on, build your professional skills, and exciting, unexpected opportunities will emerge.”
2. “To hell with it, Vlad. Join Dougie, write the new Dark Side of the Moon, and then maybe become governor of California.”
I settled for somewhere in the middle:
“Look Vlad, you’re unlikely to be a world leader. There are more rock stars than Presidents. So why don’t you get a band together and do that while keeping going with architecture? See what happens.”
“But, Sir, a few weeks ago you said ‘just get really good at one thing’.
“Ha! Yes, I did say that. Perhaps a better version is: identify your natural strengths and develop mastery in an industry with strong demand.”
“Not very rock’n’roll, Sir.”
“True. But your original question was ‘What else can I do with an architecture degree?’ We’ve slightly got off that Vlad. So the answer is not easy beyond: anything (President) or something creative, design-related in a field with a high chance of employment and gaining financial security.
“Thanks, Sir. That was helpful. I’ll finish these drawings and spend the summer contemplating my natural talents.”
“Ding! Ding! Ding!… This year’s assignments are flooding in. Hang on—is that right? Vlad’s surname looks familiar. ‘Putin’? Surely not. Perhaps this kid’s dreams of world leadership and rock stardom aren’t so far-fetched after all.”
Vladie Van Putin. We all need a helping hand!
Have a great weekend. You will always find me at carl@carlarchitect.co.uk.
All the best
This Week’s Links:
Of course, Van Halen – Jump.
A nice old Dorset cottage.
A new film set design.
New super thin Dyson ‘pencil’ vacuum cleaner
Main Image credit: Vlad, the overwhelmed architecture student, dreams of rock stardom and world leadership while his tutor looks on, amused by the chaos of creativity. (ChatGPT)
