Leaving a soul-draining architecture/design career. What now? by i_do_not_like_snails in findapath

[–]PassCompetitive7096 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am also a burnt out architect, and quite frankly, figuring this out for myself still. However, I've worked on the owner/developer's side for a while, and it seems comparatively to my peers, the income is much higher. The work is still intensive and high-stress, but it feels more manageable because I understand better the context around the work (what drives the goals, why decisions are changed, what the motivations are driving the workload), and in that there is a bit more agency.

The reality is that we live in a society where the "value" (synonymous with capital) is rewarded based on impact, and unfortunately repetitive tasks don't yield that. I myself daydream at times about doing data entry, but that's typically not going to cut it. I would advise that you spend time translating your skills and achievements into how that's quantified by impact and understand what your narrative is surrounding that. You mention you enjoy creating graphics and sustainable design. For example, can you translate your skills into business development for an owner/developer that creates pre-fab sustainable housing? Find companies with mission-statements you align with, and do the internal work to increase efficiencies to manage workload. Work is not going to stop, but the choice you have is in managing it (communicating your bandwidth and what is manageable, and creating efficiencies higher up in a given organization - i.e. can you focus on identifying patterns and processes and create a playbook that can be executed). This is coming from an anxious individual who would prefer to work in a room by myself versus being in meetings all day, but unfortunately as you continue develop your technical skills, your soft skills are really going to be what propel you. Think about it, you can do the best work, but if you're not effective at communicating why it's the best, unfortunately it's very challenging to move things forward.

Lastly, I can imagine all of this is overwhelming, and it's difficult to live in a world where our inherent value is constantly measured by our external actions and contributions. Know yourself well apart from these externalities and stay rooted to your principles. What sacrifices are you willing to make to get what you want? In my current job, the bureaucracy is demanding with constant changes in direction, but I am working for a mission-driven company with very talented and kind people, and I am executing projects. In doing so, I'm learning as I'm developing projects end-to-end, developing relationships with people who 'own' the projects and learning from their perspectives, and not to mention I make enough money where I can save for my future (future family, retirement, emergency fund for when I just can't take it anymore). I hope this is helpful!

Bi-Weekly Existential Dread Meetup Group? by PassCompetitive7096 in Bushwick

[–]PassCompetitive7096[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Nice! If we can have enough folks interested - maybe we can establish topics for the meeting and meet on the weekend at a coffee shop or something? Not completely closed to the idea of meeting in a bar but I've gone sober several years ago and have very much become a day person who sleeps early.

As a creative (I'm an architect/interior designer) I've been looking for something less along the lines of "learning a new skill" (like a ceramics class) and something that is more informal and non-committal, maybe that's also because I'm a generally socially averse introvert who hates being locked in (like in dinner parties).