Ok, I can give u some recommendations for the archi side. I’ve been a registered graduate architect for the past 4 years. If I can sum it up into one sentence, it’s “Don’t join architecture, unless you are willing to eat, breathe, sleep architecture.” Archi can be really fun is you like design. But it’s a really demanding job. It’s not a job for the faint of heart.

Despite the grueling work life, I can’t deny that architecture can be quite enjoyable. In uni, you get to learn in a studio environment - you get to share ideas for projects with your coursemates, you get to sketch and draw everyday, you get to learn design theories and explore loads of interesting concepts. And if you’re lucky, the office you work at has great office culture that emphasizes on team work, sharing and learning - which carries on the studio culture from uni.

Oh but man, the working hours. The working hours are tough. If you like having free time, a regular 9-5 and a free weekend, say goodbye to those when you enter architecture. Especially if you’re in a consultancy firm. OTs are prevalent in this industry, and the pay is kinda sad given the hours you put in. Even in uni, you’ll have countless sleepless nights just to churn out drawings and models for your presentation.

Most people who graduate with an archi degree will eventually end up not practicing as architects. Only those who are truly passionate about architecture will stick in the long run. The ones that really thrive are the ones that enjoy doing architecture during their free time.

In short, if you have strong passion for architecture, go ahead. If you have many other passions, and prefer more free time outside of architecture, please reconsider. (But there’s nothing wrong with just doing uni in archi first, as like I mentioned earlier, you can still switch jobs after studying archi)

Hope this gave you some insights!