What do you think is the biggest driver behind the shortage of architects? The schooling you need to get through & pay for?

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I personally didn’t think there was a shortage or architects, as my company seems to hire them regularly. This being said, the low pay for the amount of work we do is certainly a contributing factor. We’re expected to pull long hours in a technical profession that could perhaps be considered a trade, where overtime pay is a glaring rarity, and with no union to represent us. We’re expected to spend thousands of dollars to get a license and maintain said license over the course of our careers, hoping that the company we work for will cover or reimburse our dues, and chances are the majority of us will never sign and seal a drawing in our lives. All we would ever get to do with it is call ourselves “architects” legally, and get a meager one-time pay bump (maybe) after becoming licensed. All the while, living costs go up and constantly outpace wages, hoping for a raise or a bonus for the hard work and long hours, when all it takes is some deadbeat developer to not pay their bills for a few months. Suddenly, your paycheck could be in doubt, or you could be laid off through no fault of your own, no matter if you do everything right. And like I said, there’s no union to help you through. The AIA certainly does nothing. They take their cut and send you magazines. “Enjoy reading about the next toxic starchitect while scrambling for your next job.”

Back to my spreadsheets. Oh yeah, they don’t teach you in architecture school that you’re basically going to be an accountant within 10 years of graduating.

OK, rant over.

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Candidly speaking, the pay is probably the biggest factor. We work so much and don’t get compensated accordingly. On top of design, you’re expected to be a manager, coordinator, researcher and still remain passionate about the career. Not to mention the road to licensure is basically exams and experience with low pay. I’m already burnt out and I feel like I just started my career. A lot of my friends started in architecture and are now either moving towards construction or migrating to tech, and

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