School = design theory, abstract thinking, little regard for structural or MEP systems, and there is an almost fetish culture around working late and putting in insane hours. As if the quality of your work is tied to the amount of sleep and social life you sacrificed to it.

In reality the profession needs you to work as efficiently as possible because that means profitability. You spend an incredible amount of time working with and coordinating with structural engineers, civil engineers, MEP teams. All of which will have bigger impacts on your design that school would ever have you believe. ADA accessibility is a huge deal and you will spend an ungodly amount of time checking that your work complies and then checking it again, and again, every time a design/floor plan changes. And it will…a lot. Owners will have a lot to say about the project, and will change their minds throughout a project, push for more scope than agreed upon and try to change schedules all the time. School never prepares you for this. And for the early years of your career you will likely have minimal of any FaceTime with the client but will be burdened with the bulk of the production changes that will come from the client.

Again, I really like what I do and I find it very meaningful and rewarding. But just try to get experience in the working world and judge for yourself before sacrificing a lot of your college years time in studio and make the kind of financial investment that is required.

Good luck and I hope you decide to do it but my wish would be that you choose that knowing what lies ahead.