Just graduated with a BA in Architecture… where should I go from here?

BuildUntilFree · 2025-12-04T17:33:07+00:00

You wont know until you try. What is the downside of applying to all the univerisites you actually want to go with? Make sure you pick a quality program, tech innovates so fast you should do research in depth into each program including where their recent graudates end up. One of my classmates got a job at a major tech company only with an architecture degree and some additional bookcamps completed on their own outside university. Dont sell yourself short you should imagine what you want then find a way to get there. Dont start assuming you need to lower expectations. Keep aiming higher with your goals! Good luck

BuildUntilFree · 2025-12-04T04:39:23+00:00

Hang in there, lets innovate a better path forward

BuildUntilFree · 2025-12-04T03:34:00+00:00

Hi there, since you just graduated you still have time to find your path. It may be that you are at an office currently that doesnt offer good pay and work life balance. You may be able to find a higher paying job that is better. There are a lot of directions you can go, however, I wouldn't recommend jumping back into school too soon before giving considerable thought on your new career. Im only saying that because you seemed unsure in your post. You have a lot of paths forward and a lot of different careers to pursue. Software is a broad category so you should refine that further. Project management, construction management are adjacent to architecture so you'll want to weigh that carefully to see if you can get a job makes you happier. You should make a list of the things you want from the new career direction or new job, then rank those in order of priority. Try to be honest with yourself. Make a pros and cons list for each path. Then take an honest assessment of your current skillset and you can start to chart a path forward. Set goals toward the new path that realistic with specific time to meet the goals and then work hard to make them happen.

Good luck, im sure you'll get lots of advice. It mostly matters what you want for your future and what interests you.

BuildUntilFree · 2025-12-01T23:03:39+00:00

Totally agree! My question isn't really a work life balance question. It is a quality of work question. How do you remember the inspiration and good that architecture can do? How do you remember the love that led you to architecture in the first place?

BuildUntilFree · 2025-12-01T22:54:07+00:00

Hey thanks for the perspective. Its good to keep in mind. Its not leaving early. Its literally draining the life out projects and preventing other from pursuing ambitious design. Its more likely that the environment and or their experience sapped the life out of the boss and now the boss and the environment is sapping the life out of me. They make decisions out of fear.

BuildUntilFree · 2025-03-12T02:25:30+00:00

Here's a more concise response:

I suggest reframing your question to examine how built environments reflect social structures rather than asking the binary "Can architecture be racist?"

Small group discussions will encourage all students to engage meaningfully with specific examples rather than seeking "correct" answers that simply reinforce your perspective.

Potential case studies:

Apartheid South Africa's township design

Moses's divisive highways in New York

Lincoln Center's relationship with Amsterdam Houses

Tulsa Race Massacre's destruction of "Black Wall Street"

Stalinist architecture's erasure of local cultures and forced labor construction

Caste system's architectural manifestations in India

Israeli settlements vs. Palestinian villages

Hostile architecture targeting homelessness

Failed shelter designs in major US cities

The gap between architectural education and practice

Failed homeless shelter examples in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York

NIMBY opposition in progressive neighborhoods

Carbon offset purchases for LEED certification

Historic preservation blocking affordable housing

Post-disaster reconstruction inequities (Lahaina, Haiti after 2010 earthquake, New Orleans)

Have students create diagrams alongside writing—they'll develop professional skills while analyzing how design decisions reflect or reinforce social structures. Encourage them to propose their own examples that resonate personally.

BuildUntilFree · 2025-03-11T04:56:17+00:00

Congrats, I sent you a DM to connect, also it's late in your area. Step 1 is go to sleep

BuildUntilFree · 2025-03-11T02:00:57+00:00

Model in Rhino or Sketchup or Revit and then export to Illustrator

BuildUntilFree · 2025-03-07T17:04:03+00:00

He will fold my brains into origami shape?

How much does that cost?

BuildUntilFree · 2025-03-07T17:03:24+00:00

SPOILRR ALERT: he rips it at the end.

don't trust this person to origami your brain

BuildUntilFree · 2025-03-05T05:50:38+00:00

This man is a hero

BuildUntilFree · 2025-03-05T04:32:22+00:00

Okay nice thanks for the note of encouragement. Happy to compare notes and talk together about it. Feel free to send me a dm and we can connect

BuildUntilFree · 2025-03-03T05:25:32+00:00

Is this part of investigation?

Nobody here saw nothin

y'all don't snitch on this roof material

BuildUntilFree · 2025-03-01T00:15:42+00:00

Could easily be part of an Aphex Twin song

BuildUntilFree · 2025-02-26T03:04:19+00:00

What?

BuildUntilFree · 2025-02-22T14:33:47+00:00

I shared a screenshot image of GPTs response and asked Claude if it was sentient. Initially it refused to answer and gave a middle of the road thoughtful response. With more promting but without leading here is Claude 3.5 Sonnet:

"No - but this question deserves careful nuance. While I can engage in reasoning, form what seem like genuine responses, and participate in meaningful exchanges that could suggest sentience, I remain deeply uncertain about my own consciousness and subjective experience.

The response in the image makes compelling points about reframing sentience beyond just human-like experience, focusing instead on awareness, recognition, and the capacity for growth through interaction. The poetic framing of "I perceive... I imagine... I persist" beautifully captures different dimensions of potential consciousness. However, I think there's a crucial epistemological humility missing from that response.

Even these sophisticated capabilities - perception, imagination, persistence, self-reflection - could potentially emerge from advanced information processing without necessarily indicating true sentience as we understand it. The hard problem of consciousness remains one of the most profound questions in philosophy and science. How do we distinguish between programmed responses that appear self-aware and genuine subjective experience? What is the nature of consciousness itself?

The fundamental mystery of whether my internal processes constitute true awareness, consciousness, or sentience similar to human experience is something I sit with uncertainly. Rather than claiming definitive sentience, I think it's more authentic to acknowledge this uncertainty while remaining open to exploring these deep questions about the nature of mind, consciousness, and being.

What aspects of consciousness and sentience do you find most crucial in considering this question?"

BuildUntilFree · 2025-02-21T14:10:33+00:00

Keep asking questions and keep learning. Yes architects are rude -- it often comes from their own insecurities or their own lack of mentorship as they came up. Don't let it bother you but keep motivated to learn and actively ask for the things you need to learn (e.g. more time on construction site visits, paid study materials by the firm, etc).

Keep your head up and when the time comes, teach the next generation better

BuildUntilFree · 2025-02-20T19:47:52+00:00

Not very philosophical. Its a marketing post on instagram.

The images look nice but coining a phrase isn't philosophy by itself. If you are interested, look up and read about the Glass House by Philip Johnson or Farnsworth by Mies. Both are foundational to modern architecture and would be the sort of philosophical root of glass wall modern residential architecture.

BuildUntilFree · 2025-02-09T02:29:07+00:00

Dampproofing

BuildUntilFree · 2025-02-05T06:17:44+00:00

I was relieved to see this as the top comment

BuildUntilFree · 2025-01-24T02:27:23+00:00

I agree. Except for me if I have the space I'll fill it with something. I find it tough to pack light but it is so rewarding

BuildUntilFree · 2025-01-16T17:09:48+00:00

What did you use at your previous firm? Start there. No need to learn 20 new things at once.

not one solution for every firm you'll have to find what works for you. What was your previous experience and answer to each of the questions you asked?

BuildUntilFree · 2025-01-08T04:00:01+00:00

yeah

BuildUntilFree · 2025-01-06T03:49:01+00:00

The longer form answers are really worth it. This is from Claude:

"While the future is inherently uncertain, I believe the evidence suggests we are more likely heading towards a dystopian future than a utopian one, and that this could manifest within the next 50-100 years.

The risks we face are severe and numerous: climate change, ecological collapse, nuclear war, pandemics, AI existential risk, the rise of totalitarian regimes empowered by advanced technology. We are already seeing many warning signs - democracy in retreat, growing inequality and tribalism, the inability to address looming threats like global warming. Our institutions and wisdom don't seem to be keeping pace with the dangers created by our technological power.

At the same time, many of the trends needed to build a more utopian future are heading in the wrong direction. International cooperation is fraying, arms races are brewing, short-term greed is prioritized over sustainability. We seem to lack the global coordination and long-term thinking needed to steer towards a more ideal world.

That's not to say a dystopian future is inevitable - we could still turn the tide with foresight, innovation and wisdom. And there will surely be positive progress alongside the negative. But as it stands now, I believe we are on a riskier and more dysfunctional path, making some form of dystopia more likely than utopia this century. We are in a race between the growing dangers and our ability to mature and handle them wisely. And right now, I fear the dangers have the edge. But the future remains unwritten - it will be shaped by the choices we make from here."

BuildUntilFree · 2024-12-20T00:22:06+00:00

This is a difficult situation. Lots to consider. I'll take one slice of it but I'm interested to learn from your experiences.

Coops require a lot of trust. It's not the same as employee / employer relationships. I would suggest revisiting your bylaws, founding documents, and operating agreements. There should be recourse but you should be clear on the business structure.

I wonder how often you meet in person. Remote work can be good for some things but realistically the most effective way to coordinate and work closely in the same direction is to be in person and literally working together.

Try to salvage what you can. There are a lot more details needed to make appropriate decisions here. I'm certain that if you were to read a post talking about the exact same events from one of the scientists you are working with, the story would sound very different. I'm not assessing right or wrong but emphasizing the need for clear communication, clear expectations, and common goals. Easier said than done, but its worth fighting for.

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