After 2 years at a firm, I realized the time and money invested in myself wasn't worth working for someone else. I stepped out and started my own business taking on clients. I started by partnering up with a residential developer who builds small exclusive neiborhoods. Smallest being 26 homes and the largest is 54 homes. I design and render the homes for his clients and he builds it. I now have 4 residential developers that are clients and its been great over the last 8 years. I'll never ever work for corporate again.
I'm always inspired by other professionals who refuse to accept the status quo and exercise agency and creativity to improve their position. Well done! Wishing you much success...
In fact, the competition among architects in China is fiercer, and the design time is endlessly compressed for the owners. Moreover, real estate is no longer a pillar enterprise. Architectural design has been severely impacted. Many design firms are facing bankruptcy, and there is no direction for the future.
This video taught me that an architecture degree is not solely a means to enter a typical architectural firm, but rather an adaptable skillset that can be utilized in various professional domains to achieve one's professional goals.
Which is weird for architecture from a professional standpoint imo. While it follows the "get educated, get experience, and take an exam" to become a professional, it lacks the sort of grounding that a profession like doctors or lawyers have. Not that you can't gain an adaptable skillset from the education in those other fields, but it's usually expected that getting a professional degree gets you into those professions and into some form of stability, whether it be financially, or even in terms of identity. Architecture? Not so much. As someone who graduated with a humanities degree (anthropology), I understand a bit gaining a very adaptable skillset but with no practical application in the modern workforce. A humanities degree is deep and wide and you can gain a lot of wisdom and applicable approaches to problem solving, but it is almost useless in a professional setting in terms of degree value. In a broad sense, how is me getting a degree in architecture any different than my humanities degree if all I get in the end is an "adaptable skillset"?
@@latteARCH because within a degree in architecture you learn how to draw, design, 3D model, present to an audience, sell your idea, and work with your hands. You can clearly see the amount of possibilities you could get with all these skills properly developed.
Taking good architects off the menu for exploitation by architecture firms is a great way to educate firms that architects are not there to be financially abused. It's bizarre how much we do and how little we get paid. I do most my renderings in gaming environments. My clients love it. It's interactive and fun!
That's very cool. And I personally think that the type of expression available to architects these days have pushed this skill to require more from architects. Yes, there are still mannequins. Yes, there's digital. And in between, there's a myriad of disciplines to tackle.
I think he means that he is creating architecture that no one will actually physically occupy - literally the digital environments of video games. It is my understanding that AI is starting to eat into that industry. AI is being used to create gaming environments.
I was so exploited working for one of the top 10 in the World! Never was I paid overtime, while I never missed a deadline and when the first crisis happened, they sent us away, laid off people like it was nothing! Never again I will give my blood to other people’s designs.
all the hours (days-nights_weekends) in architecture school and all the work were great - loved it) but someone with a high school diploma and a real estate license can make ten times more on the property you designed. architecture is truly a love affair.
I think with anger and frustration about my school years (6y:B+M.arch). It was, by far, the most challenging major out of all of my friends (engineering: tech, mech, structural; med; law; etc.). While they were chasing skirts and living the student life, I would stay in and bend over a drawing board night after night. I'd rather put it: sadistic love affair. I've just quit arch and don't plan to ever come back.
You got that right. It's insane how unappreciated and disrespected the field is. I worked in places where they will have literally high school dropouts wanting to do the work a trained architect should be doing.
Let’s be candid-architecture, esp in school wayyyyy more interesting and creative than comp sci….pre med…let alone pre law yuk! This is something people train in because they love designing , creativity, building etc. but just like athletes,it’s a very very narrow lane, and we have too many architecture schools. I think most architecture students let alone faculty understand who is at the top of their class-they don’t have huge issues making a living in architecture. But there aren’t many jobs for ‘average’ architects. Just like actors, opera singers etc. let’s acknowledge this is a narrow lane and look very objectively at your skill sets. I can’t believe erics obvious ability in architecture was not apparent early on to him and his mentors.
@@johnwhite2576 I remember when I was a child (not long ago) that you could become an architect with ten years of architectural drafting experience a I even saw architetural study by Mail, dont know if it made you a practicing architects.
How I wish I would have listen this 20 years ago when I was invited to leave the architecture firm I was working for…. Struggling to be independent and having to make a living with other skills away from architecture while figuring out how to be independent… thanks for such an inspiring interview.
even though im still struggling, henry has been one of the greatest if not the greatest inspiration i' ever had as an architec but also an artist. he is awesome
Great video! I left the the traditional path of architecture years ago to do design work, design consult, and now small scale residential development. I've worked remotely and location independent for years. As a result I've created a rich, interesting and well compensated life for myself. An architectural education gives you the tools to be solopranuer and I encourage everyone who has a spark to do it to explore this path. You have the tools to see through conventional thinking. Use them to create the career and life that you want.
Great content, I can’t remember a time since I’ve started working as an architect where I didn’t think that I should have opted for another profession, due to the income rate compared to IT ones. You both are truly inspiring!
Really apriciate all the quality content & resources you put out for all of us in Architecture space. You can tell there's a lot of effort, hours & thought that goes into each one of these. Cheers Eric
Very inspiring. The Architect of tomorrow is definitely becoming a Renaissance man, trying to make as much as he can to contribute to the world and adding more value through entrepreneurship.
I remember being a design student and watching all of these videos, and now I'm finally on the other side of my degree and the possibilities that await in architecture and design keep me feeling super inspired. Thank you for helping to keep me going over those four years!
Hey Eric! Thanks for interviewing Henry! I have been follwing him for a while now too and would always wonder how much his style would remind me of you! Love what both of you are doing for the architectural fraternty. I really am inspired by both of you! Regards Rafia
I have learned so much from both of these guys. I came late to the party and have been putting off my desire to become and architect. No school, just experience in construction and drafting led me to Eric’s channel and that has led me to work in a large firm for the last year and a half. I am 2 years away from licensure and I already have a side hustle doing remodel plans in my area that makes more than my 9-5. I connected with Henry’s channel when I realized I could mend my drawing skills with my photography and make a passive income for my creative outlet. Thank you both for changing my life!
I am pondering the idea of doing a very similar thing to him for a while now, only that I would go into industrial design instead (I'm a mechanical engineer). I even have a product portfolio of actual sellable products lined up. This interview motivated me strongly to pursue this more intensely, and to dare starting. Thank you.
Great video! I really appreciated the way you broke down the transition from freelancer to business owner-especially the part about negotiating a four-day workweek to create more space for side hustles. It's inspiring to see how you've built multiple income streams while still maintaining balance. One small suggestion: it would be awesome to hear more about the specific tools you used early on to streamline your workflow. Thanks for sharing your journey!
AMAZING VIDEO!! this is the reason I subscribed to this channel long time ago, such vital information and most important example! Thank you. Been having this vision and focus for a while now as a student, and now that I just graduated and started to work as an employee I feel eager to learn more and to make this vision a reality just like Henry... wishing you all the best from Venezuela!
Cheers for the vid Eric. I hope you're keeping well. I think Henry's playing the game right. I reckon a lot architects/architectural designers will pursue the same avenue. The situation you both describe is the same here in the UK as well.
The key here is to be productive, but don't think always that has to mean "money". I think there is a danger in 'monetising' all your hobbies and interests. Keep something back for yourself.
Such an honest humble discussion. I’m not an architect but I have so much respect for the profession, and I’ve always wondered WHY architects don’t get paid more. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Wow - thank you for making this video. I totally agree with so many of the comments made here - I am starting this journey myself and happy to see others in this industry speaking out about these topics!
I have a perpetual love-hate for my industry and profession, thank you for this video, it helped me understand the creative path I wish to follow better moving forward.
I agree on the concept that the profession of an architect allows you to open many doors and perhaps it is even limiting to be very vertical on only one aspect of our work. We're also lucky to live in a time when it's not so weird to be paid to write for a blog or create podcasts, as happened to me. The desire to create the ‘white space’ to reflect is the first step that leads to the development of one’s creative skills.
I am studying and still have 2,5 + 1 year to be able to firm any peoject. Thats how things works in Spain. And I do enjoy a lot architecture, any kind, from cool creative to more basic and monotous works. I love to draw with AutoCAD. Literally the only downside for me is too much hours, and no sleep. But the rest I love it. I read all the comments here and got surprised on how a lot of people dont even want to go solo, for me this is the only path, as harder it is, I just want to put my little print in anything, as small it can be. And also love entrepenourship, I have a lot of side projects as I am very polyfacetic, so being able to have a architecture bussiness sounds so great for me. Also surprised on how everyone wants to do big ass projects, while I would love to do small houses or small buildings, or even, rehab. And people realise that they wont be doing big ass projects +4 years into the school? Like what? From first year on school I always told my mates that I was studying arch because is my hobby and to design my own home, just for that, as I had very clear that my money would come from one of my side bussiness (and if everything goes fine, I hope so, but I need holydays to devolop some of them). Now I am planning on doing my own arch web, despite have no clue (relatively) to share my drawings, projects and ideas (landscaping and territorial structure mostly). Love your videos, and loved some of the tips you give, seriously.
Excellent interview and perspective. Salary is a problem in architecture (among other things), especially considering the the time invested and responsibilities. We have done it to ourselves by undercutting our prices and accepting less. However, salary is a different issue than changing how you work for lifestyle choices; service business vs more passive income streams. You covered it all quite well. Life happens and it often requires entrepreneurial skills. Let’s get busy.
Really inspiring video. I'm in a similar position to Henry before he started his 'side hustles'. I feel under utilised and underpaid at my firm but feel as if I need to stay to achieve registration as soon as possible. It really is hard to make time to do the creative things I love in my own time but this video motivates me to try harder.
Cheers, many of us struggle to find the time for the creative work that excites us. What I've discovered is that doing so and sharing it with others becomes self-sustaining when done consistently over time. If you're interested in my systems for doing this be sure to check out my courses here: architect-entrepreneur.teachable.com/
Focusing is hard because focusing doesn’t mean saying “yes” it means saying no. You need to decide to not do a lot of things so you can focus on a few handful of things and do them well. We need to stop with perpetuating the myth that Architects don’t make any money because we choose to have 9 side hustles instead of pursuing your singular soul purpose. I may have been blessed to have worked for Architects who were highly successful and wealthy. Ironically, they didn’t have to work, they chose to work because they LOVED what they did.
We all have different ways of working, goals, and aspirations. Some find success in focusing on a singular 'sole' purpose, others find that exploring multiple creative practices allows them to fully express their talents + achieve financial success. Architects who pursue side hustles or multiple creative practices aren't any less capable or unworthy of praise. In fact, this diversity of creative practice can often lead to new insights, fresh perspectives, and unique approaches to architecture. Personally, I've found building a business, devising new ways of monetizing my diverse skill sets and interests, and creating multiple streams of income has led to financial freedom, stability and a more interesting creative life. Rather than criticizing or dismissing those who choose to explore multiple creative outlets, we should celebrate the diversity and richness that comes from different approaches to architecture and creative expression.
This has given me a lot of food for thought as I'm facing redundancy after 18 years in the corporate world doing graphic design but also am quite highly skilled in other creative fields so the future does have interesting options. Also with modern processes the risk is minimised in production, for example with print on demand / shipping etc.
First here✋ Man love Henry too been seeing his videos for a long time even tho I don't have an iPad still useful for digital sketching as a whole good to see the two best architecture youtubers i have been seeing since the starting on one screen .
This opened my mind. Using your potentials is the real deal. But i was thinking: What were the struggles in starting the side hustles? When did a hobby became a business enjoyable when you did those before in pursuit of happines, now you may be pressured because your client is demanding it from you?
I see more and more young architects migrating to freelance or opening their own firms in Romania. They don't make much more money the first few years, comparing to working in a big office, but independence and working for themselves instead of serving others are more important for the younger generation. Here in Bucharest we have the same issue with medium wages of different specialties (around 25k $/year for senior architects, compared to more than 75k $/Year for senior software engineers - all before tax). Comparing to software engineers makes no sense at all...
Most of my university peers (2013-2019, Timisoara) are quitting or have done it already. None is happy with the (horrendous, MCDonald's level:3000-3500 lei) money. I've finally taken the jump and quit this sh*tshow and won't ever come back, unless the society somehow does a 180 (highly improbable). Started relearning to code, as I enjoyed it before.
I totally get the idea of changing your work/ life balance, but as an architect there are other aspects of professional satisfaction. Working with two appreciative clients a year to bring your design skills to $1 million beach houses is fine, but to do the bigger projects in the world requires a team, which involves marketing, management, hiring great team members, delegating aspects of the work, and being responsible for budget and scheduling and the construction process. Using architectural skills to deliver a really great $200 million medical clinic or a $75 million school renovation requires not just designers but also managers and, yes, people doing Revit documentation. The highest-earning architects are the ones who can build that sort of team. The 80/20 rule applies in professional services: 20% of the design firms nationally generate 80% of the revenue, and larger firms offer some types of clients specific skills and expertise. What I wish is that architectural education would move beyond a focus on Design Heros and teach broader skills. That is the new graduate mis-match, we all were trained to design but we have to learn other skills on the fly.
I want to start by thanking you for your comment, I appreciate the perspective. Personal satisfaction is relative to the individual. I've worked on those $75M school renovations and they were dreadful (to me). I can't think of a more unsatisfying way to spend a career: value engineering, design-by-committee, the bureaucracy of the process simply drove me insane. Having said that, I'm thankful that others in this profession (perhaps you?) prefer those challenges to the ones I am more aligned with ($1M beach houses, as you put it). I do sense there's some judgement from those running larger projects that the $1M projects (let's be real, those days are long gone...er, $3-5M now) are somehow less of a challenge and require less of the design professionals involved. I too work with clients, teams of engineers, tradespeople, agencies, craftspeople, and interior designers. I too manage schedules, invoicing, change orders, RFIs, manage budgets and monitor construction progress. This all happens at a different scale, but the challenges are similar. With respect to compensation, the kinds of businesses we are able to operate given leveraged labor and the factors of scale online shouldn't be underestimated. Building a nimble business and diversified income streams can aggregate to a sum greater than top a tier principal salary in the largest cities in the world. To each their own!
@@30by40 - first let me say how much I enjoy your videos, you have the best architecture TH-cam series. I agree totally, to each his own. There are lots of types of projects, and I know that dealing with residential clients is a special skill I never had the patience for. Your projects in Maine are a delight, and your videos explaining the process are clear and watchable. Thank you! My larger point, I guess, is that architecture school should teach more than just design, it should at least introduce the skills you have learned like planning and budgeting and managing a consultant team. I think there tend to be a lot of unhappy arch graduates who have only the self-image of being “A Designer” but the reality is some are talented in that way but many are not. A variety of skills are needed and marketable. Even in your small practice, you probably need to hire staff and delegate work as the flow of $3-5mm projects outruns your ability to produce every drawing, which means hiring a talented ‘Revit operator’ and asking them to do detailed development of your design ideas, at least until they tire if ‘working for the Man’ and develop their own side hustles. Long ago there was a cartoon in the AIA Journal, two tweedy architects chatting at a cocktail party: “…If I won a $million lottery? I guess I’d just keep practicing architecture til it was all gone.” The stat used to be that there are 60,000 US architects, and the average firm size was like 2.5 employees. I think that part of the overall compensation problem in architecture is that people are educated to think of it as a cottage industry rather than as a process to manage. I guess I am advocating for broader education, not for any particular scale or type of practice. Personally, I did well in arch school and fell into a large firm with complex projects, and I was sorted into the planning silo vs design group early. Over a long career I managed design teams but I was never the Project Designer and I had to deal with that, after a 5 yesr degree that only taught me about career models like Corbu or whomever…
Oh my goodness the passion spewing from the reply is utterly infectious you are an inspiration to young aspiring architects such as myself, you deserve so much for what you’ve done here online sharing the wealth of value you have at your disposal is truly gratifying. Thank you! Please keep up the good work.
@@johnnkurunziza5012 I began reacting to comments about the difficulty of Architecture School or practicing architecture, the reality is it’s an interesting field and a great career but it’s not Rocket Science, as they say. I appreciate great design, and I hate a lot of clunky design you see everywhere, I always think “who could have drawn THAT??”. Architecture is about people, and organizing data and having a process, it is not about any complex math or unique fine arts skills. I want to encourage young people in particular to be interested and involved in the world around them, everything that gets made or built had to be imagined by someone. Why not you?
Henry, great interview. Everyone has their own set of challenges in their own lives. It is important to realize that their are many ways of earning a living pursuing your strengths and interets.
You'd think architects are compensated well, but they're really not. One architect told me ten years ago that "We're a dime a dozen." It's a shame, and that can lead to burnout. The true path to fair compensation I believe is going solo. As a solo S.E., I book on average $14k a month ($22,750 this month alone, as of this afternoon). That's on top of my day job (completely different market for the day job). The only thing that makes that possible is technology. I might put in long days here and there, but it's worth it.
So true...when I went out on my own it completely changed my financial position! Earnings are unlimited by an employer. Wishing you all the best with your business!
All wonderful professional insights of this conversation are very much appreciated. So aligned with how I have experience, how I feel about working for myself (as opposed to working for others) and the multi-skill set that allows me to span outside of the Architectural field and still utilize my Arch skills into another role. Just I would love for people to keep in mind that it is still a male privilege to decide on that work life balance while multi tasking on many fields. Because there is a woman looking after the kids, keeping them away from his home office so that he can perform, plus cooking, shopping, getting the door, and possibly even cleaning, so that the man can stay at his desk. Just so none of us forget that.
I did a similar thing in the early nougjhties. I moved over to the US to marry a woman and had a job offer already on the table. Thing's didn't pan out well for reasons I still dont know so I went to another practice. I got involved with people on a 3d forum and stated getting asked to modelling for them. The extra dosh was great but I was doing 90 hours a week. I jumped ship and went solo. The money was great but I had no clue on US taxes. I got done by the IRS and I'm still fighting it out. In the meantime the first side gig (hussle) was with the bloke I work for now. I'm salaried again now so my takes are dealt with. I'm not earning 6 figures but not far off of it. I still do side gigs for another architect so things are okay. The architecture profession is probably the most alluring yet most disappointing one to get into. Unless you're a chosen one, you will never, ever, get to do any major design work.
Kudos to the two of you who spoke frankly about the lack of financial gain in architecture. The millennials, genzers and the ones after them will be more equipped to decide if it's worth it.
Love this, Eric. So relatable across the pond. Thanks for making and sharing. Keen to know how you got your eyeline straight down the camera. Mirror box? Camera in front of the screen?
Cheers, my friend...thanks for watching! RE: eyeline...I simply stare at the lens as I'm talking. Takes a little practice at first, but after many, many consultations and recording 60+ episodes of my video podcast it's second nature. Here's the other channel/podcast: www.youtube.com/@TwoSidesOfFI
My hand drawing has been a blessing as much as it has been a curse. Because I can draw really well, I was pigeon holed into doing conceptual / schematic stuff a lot and my technical / management side suffered a lot.
Watching the two of you this video, and it occurred to me that yes the system is broken. Here we have a talented artist, who was offered design work at less than an affordable salary, and he would rather be an artist than an architect. We have a talented architect who so wanted to design and, yet, perhaps because the drawing skill set wasn't quite there as much as the competition, he really didn't have much of a chance until he went out on his own. How and why does the profession pick and choose the star designers and the high salaries? Broken system. Great to see some solutions, keep up the vids! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As a person who owns a small Architecture firm I have to say we pay our employees as much as we possibly can but there are certain limitations to the profession that need to be addressed - not only limits to what we can charge but the cost of insurance, taxes, overhead. On the surface you might be able to say that you can earn $10k/mo with side hustles but does that include the expenses that running a business involves? And finally, what about licensure? You can’t earn IDP credit working part time. Maybe licensure is no longer desirable but it is necessary to design certain projects.
While limitations to the architecture profession are certainly a challenge, acknowledging them alone won't pay the bills or enact change. I think the proactive approach that Henry (and other architect-entrepreneurs) has taken is but one of many possible creative solutions. Being an owner of a small firm, like you, I can confidently say that the $10K/month (net of business expenses) is at the absolute low end of what's possible. Why not apply the same creative muscle we use as design professionals to our business and revenue models in equal measure?
How to start local and international architectural design business what are the pros and cons that you have to encounter? What are the restrictions from country to country if you operating internationally?Do really need a bigger capital to Start?
Are these really side hustles or sister hustles? Smart side hustles! Because they have a cohesive synergy. He’s not starting up a hot dog stand on the weekends exactly is he? Nothing wrong with that but it isn’t tied directly to architecture like all the other cool stuff he does. Very smart!
No issues with having side hustles. I have them. No issues with your side hustle making you more money than your main profession. But when your side hustle commands equal or more time than your professional job, your architecture job is now the side hustle. At which point you've changed careers. You can't call yourself an architectural design with a good side hustle. You are a content creator that side hustling a 20 hr/wk consulting gig as an architectural designer. Nothing wrong with changing careers to make more money either...but just dont fool yourself into think your side hustles are side hustles any more.
I think the for many, a side hustle may be viewed as a way to leave your current 9 to 5. It doesn't matter how anyone views it or defines it. If you're an architect by trade and apply it to other things outside the 9 to 5, who cares what anyone calls it? You're still an architect whether you do consulting, youtube, or anything where you apply your skills. In other words, you can call yourself whatever you want.
@@ronin7645 I'm not saying he can't be an architect if he not working a full time job as an architect. Once he, or anyone, gets their license then they get to call themselves an architect regardless of what they actually do. My point is, If my side hustles get to the point where they are equal, in time, to my profession, then how do you tell them apart? How can you call something your profession when you spend more time doing other work? Just like you need a work life balance. You need to balance your profession and your side hustles accordingly. Just how Henry started by only working 32hr/wk in the office but now is down to 20hr/wk. Look at any millionaire and they have one profession with many side hustles....but none of those side hustles take equal to or greater than their main profession. Otherwise they start presiding themselves too thin and they start weighing them down from being truly successful. To be clear, theres nothing wrong with how Henry is managing his time. He can do that how he pleases. To me, it sounds like he is at a crossroads where he will need to decide if he still wants to practice architecture with his side hustles giving him extra cash flow or is he transitioning out of the practice of architecture and focusing on content creating? Nothing wrong with either route. But you have to pick something to focus on or you will end up just creating multiple jobs for your self and defeating the purpose of having a side hustle.
@Nik My point was who cares what you call your profession if you work more in one than the other. Call yourself an entrepreneur or an architect or the wandering sketch master from the planet Zotar. In the big picture called life, you're worried or barking up a tree that has no relevance. I don't understand why you or anyone else needs to conform to "you have to pick or focus on one" mentality. Then call yourself that one thing. It doesn't matter man. Why is it so important to you that if you work more in one, you can't be the other? Or even be called the other? That type of compartmentalization is so insignificant I personally can't fathom how anyone would be concerned with it. Love your family. Love your friends. Share moments with them. Spread love and kindness. Be a good person and everything else really doesn't matter. If you can, make as much money in the shortest amount of time and call it whatever you want. Life is good man, try not to get caught up in the little things.
@@ronin7645 in england you cannot call yourself an architect unless you are registered. you cannot be registered unless you have the education and experience. you cannot maintain registration unless you pay an annual fee, indemnity insurance and do at least 35 hours CPD per year. then you can call yourself and architect. personally, i have little time left for anything other than growing assets in whatever form satisfies
I am at the state where I feel like I'm stuck... I love architecture but I'm also really into film and basically the entertainment industry and I'm conflicted on what to do. even though I worked with a small company for a short while and it was a good time and I had a good manager and good coworkers but I was not satisfied and I did not feel good at the end of the day. I hope I can find a compromise 🤞
Asking this question in Canada (might) completely change the result: The principles of very poorly run architectural firms here in Canada earn around 1 million per year. Needless to say they pay their employees next to nothing. These firms do EVERYTHING wrong. A good architect is worth tons of money. A good architect doesn't even earn the amount of money they save the contractors (compared to a lesser architect) by producing quality design work.
Hi Henry, Iam in a similiar position. I got university in Interior Design degree, Iam working as a freelancer since my 2nd year on university, now im making around double the cashier sallary. I want to start side hustle, but i dont know which path to take. I do 3D models, Architecture and Interior high end visualizations and graphic and interior design. I was thinking about stareting a YT channel, but its super time consuming. IDK what to do now. Shall i quit freelancing, get hired in small firm, and try my niech as a side hustle? It seems more profitable, but i have now after 6 years of freelancing, around of 4 stable clients, that keeps me busy 7days in a week.
Hi, Eric! How are you doing? About the 7:00 mark, he talked about using an iPad and a Wacom tablet. I am interested in the Wacom he used. Would you mind answering me with the specs and price for the setting, if possible?
Hello! Eric i just want to ask a question about Building information modeling, and computer aided design operator what's the difference between the two? Do CAD operator need licenses?
About to graduate with my bachelor's in architecture and have a projected salary of 50k after interviewing with 30+ firms. Almost all state the they pay so low because everyone is paying so low. We need to get rid of institutions like the AIA that condemn and promote such low wages for such a difficult degree and career. I wish anyone who hopes to major in architecture or is currently majoring in it is smart in choosing another career path. I chose to stick to architecture beacause "I already did one year I might as well keep going". However, I wish I would have done anything else other than architecture. Nost of my peers and friends all came to the same conclusion after 4 grueling years of architecture; "I made the wrong choice". We all feel discouraged in our future because our education is worthless. Our time spent was wasted. Our money was wasted. And now we have nothing to show for it.
Sorry to hear this! Why practical entrepreneurship + business isn't part of modern architectural curricula is puzzling to me. Running your own business in this field is immensely profitable and creatively rewarding. Don't fall for the sunk cost fallacy, you have time to pivot away from this if it isn't right for you, there are many things you can do with a BArch. Good luck!
@@30by40 that is very true, but personally if someone goes into a college degree and is expected to do other things other than what they went into the degree for, then the college amd field failed them.
Seems to me that if maybe you formed some kind of association or union and the architect members decided they wouldn’t work for the big firms for pennies… stand together. See what happens then. I realize this might be difficult but I’ll bet there’s a lot of you feeling under paid. Imagine a few thousand architects pausing all at the same time. Revolution is the only way to correct this.
I’ve been an architect for 23 years. Running my own firm. I quickly realized I’ll never be able to create decent wealth , you can’t scale as an architect. So I decided to become an architect led real estate developer. I’ve created millions of dollars in wealth and a decent cash flow stream from rentals. I’ve created my own projects and have not had a client in over decade. Never been happier.
Hey, do you have any thoughts on AI? and AI potentially taking over those type of architect design jobs? I want to study architecture, but im scared there wont be a future in it in 5-6 years when im done with school. Or do you think it wont be that big of a problem?
AI definitely will make it harder for designers, I advise you to have a clear idea of the skills you have or you will have in the future, and how you will fit.
Right, but taking his side hustle to $120K for a new business in year one deserves a lot of respect. His goal is per 23:47 which means it'll go much further than in the bay area.
I've been watching you for a few years now so Im gonna take a leap and beg for you to review my portfolio if you had the time. Im really never at the end of my degree with thinking my work isn't up to par but I've put 3 months of effort into sitting and redoing my portfolio every month until I'm happy with the final results but I'm lacking guidance and confidence.
thank you so much currently I'm working on a forest resort project and your videos are really helpful in our college there is limited knowledge about contour planning. Your channel is very helpful for the community ❤️✨
It's funny because I was just thinking about this a lot recently. I don't know why, but I'm disappointed at the architects that spent 4-5 years studying hard in school, just to go work in the dob and stamp other people's designs for approval to built. When talking with them, they are the most miserable and disgusting people to interact with. I'm just like.....I thought architecture was to create and bring into fruition. But since it is NYC and it's a city job, I guess the pay package and the benefits will stop people from fully following their dreams.
18:53 To the extent that architecture is broken, it is a subset of the wider social, political, and economic reality in which it is practiced - the values as put into practiced by that society. Architects literally shape the reality of our built world as we navigate through and around the homes and edifices they create. It is an extremely important profession that can be positively impactful when practiced with wisdom and intelligence. The fact that a real estate agent often makes more money from the sale of a home than the architect that designed it, generally reflects societal values in terms of salaries, and the quality of architecture in the United States. You have addressed options for individual architects to survive, and even thrive, depending upon how much that particular individual values the design/construction aspects versus the entrepreneurial aspects. Do you believe this is a viable long-term strategy for the profession as a whole, or are you speaking of short-term solutions? Have you given thought to other strategies or systems that might benefit the less entrepreneurial?
Architecture doesn´t pay much, you don´t study Architecture to get rich... but the looks I get from airport immigration officials when they ask me "what do you do for a living?" and I answer, "I´m an Architect"... priceless, just priceless.
I feel like there's been a certain shift in the world in the last 10-15 years. And probably not for the best. There's more and more people studying architecture (and law, medicine, etc.) solely because of money. These fields should be filled with people with a passion towards helping others. Or would you want a heart surgeon who blabbers about his F.I.R.E plan during the appointment? I know this sounds naive but architecture should not be about what it can do to YOU personally (=money), but what it can do to the environment were living in and people around us. I don't mean you should grind in a huge office all day and all night, but to find a reason WHY you are doing architecture in the first place. If it's just for money then you are way better off just studying economics in the first place.
While it's certainly admirable to pursue a career with the goal of helping others and making a positive impact on the world, it's important to remember that not everyone has the privilege of pursuing their passions without considering financial stability. Many people have families to support and bills to pay, and they simply can't afford to take a job that doesn't provide a decent income. I also think it unfair to assume that someone who pursues a career primarily for financial reasons lacks passion or won't be dedicated to their work. There are plenty of people who are able to find meaning and purpose in their jobs, even if they initially pursued them for financial reasons. And, as you mentioned, it's crucial to have professionals in fields like medicine and law who are highly skilled and committed to their work, regardless of their initial motivations. In an ideal world, everyone would be able to pursue their passions without worrying about money. But the reality is that financial stability is a basic need for many people, and it's not fair to judge them for prioritizing that need. Instead of focusing on why someone is pursuing a particular career, we should strive to create a society where everyone has access to the resources and support they need to pursue their passions and make a positive impact on the world.
It's funny, as a practicing professional of 25 years with my own business I thought just the opposite: these numbers are low! Here's the US data: www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes171011.htm
We are paid a terrible wage given all we do. It's not sketching on a napkin and winning awards. Ask any student or graduate at any age, trying to support a family, bills, its impossible. Im on half that US wage in Australia in AUD and why should we need side hustles? Crazy I spent 5 years at Uni, 3 years gaining hours to try and get registered to which you sit an exam, then if you pass, you sit an interview, only then are you registered. Thats at least 8 -9 years!
But you forget that design is an art form, and therefore a "luxury" item, only a small percentage of the population needs these services. You have 60,000 American architects all chasing the same limited clientele, that's why the money is so low. Don't believe me? ask yourself this, have your parents , your relatives or any of your friends had a custom home designed by a registered architect? I am willing to bet the answer is no. This just highlights how few people require their services. As well, Architects generally design one building for one place and time, it is almost impossible to scale. It is an art form and only a handful of super-talented individuals are going to make big money. You are not entitled to big money just because you sat thru some subjective education for 5 years.
@@rozinant1237 Kidding ya self mate. I myself work on social housing projects for crisis housing, shelters, alterations and additions, big and small projects across a wide variety. Design crosses all levels of people/ with or without high or low budgets. We can scale it. Subjective education, haha thats funny, not to mention the debt we have for that education. Go get a draftsman mate and let's see how that goes for ya.
@@erikleypoldt8275 Ha Mate, now you are just virtue signalling and proving my point at the same time. Social housing projects run by non-profits have virtually no budget, hence the low pay, but good on ya for being involved with them. It’s your choice to work for peanuts. To only, just now, realize that you earn less than the average school teacher after studying for 9 years shows a total lack of investigation on your part. The wealthiest person in our community builds pre-fab steel buildings with a room full of lowly draftsman. There isn’t an Architect involved in any of the projects. But of course, he doesn’t have the shelf full of awards that you do.
Until money is not a requirement for daily life, no profession will be enjoyable. Don't fool yourself, you're not happy! I don't even work, have all I need and still not happy. Video's like this drive me crazy. Heard this shit for 50 yrs!
I doubt that anyone making youtube videos currently, will still be around in 10 years. The medium rewards novelty, and people will always migrate away from a channel eventually. Ask yourself how many television shows (remember those?) lasted more than 10 years? Look how click-baity it has become in the last couple of years, just to attract views.
Henry’s 3-part (free) workshop is fantastic, check it out here: thirtybyforty.com/ipad-workshop
After 2 years at a firm, I realized the time and money invested in myself wasn't worth working for someone else. I stepped out and started my own business taking on clients. I started by partnering up with a residential developer who builds small exclusive neiborhoods. Smallest being 26 homes and the largest is 54 homes. I design and render the homes for his clients and he builds it. I now have 4 residential developers that are clients and its been great over the last 8 years. I'll never ever work for corporate again.
I'm always inspired by other professionals who refuse to accept the status quo and exercise agency and creativity to improve their position. Well done! Wishing you much success...
Hi can I get contact with you ?
In fact, the competition among architects in China is fiercer, and the design time is endlessly compressed for the owners. Moreover, real estate is no longer a pillar enterprise. Architectural design has been severely impacted. Many design firms are facing bankruptcy, and there is no direction for the future.
can i get in contact with you as well?
This video taught me that an architecture degree is not solely a means to enter a typical architectural firm, but rather an adaptable skillset that can be utilized in various professional domains to achieve one's professional goals.
Which is weird for architecture from a professional standpoint imo. While it follows the "get educated, get experience, and take an exam" to become a professional, it lacks the sort of grounding that a profession like doctors or lawyers have. Not that you can't gain an adaptable skillset from the education in those other fields, but it's usually expected that getting a professional degree gets you into those professions and into some form of stability, whether it be financially, or even in terms of identity. Architecture? Not so much.
As someone who graduated with a humanities degree (anthropology), I understand a bit gaining a very adaptable skillset but with no practical application in the modern workforce. A humanities degree is deep and wide and you can gain a lot of wisdom and applicable approaches to problem solving, but it is almost useless in a professional setting in terms of degree value. In a broad sense, how is me getting a degree in architecture any different than my humanities degree if all I get in the end is an "adaptable skillset"?
@@latteARCH because within a degree in architecture you learn how to draw, design, 3D model, present to an audience, sell your idea, and work with your hands. You can clearly see the amount of possibilities you could get with all these skills properly developed.
Taking good architects off the menu for exploitation by architecture firms is a great way to educate firms that architects are not there to be financially abused. It's bizarre how much we do and how little we get paid. I do most my renderings in gaming environments. My clients love it. It's interactive and fun!
Gaming environments means in this context
That's very cool. And I personally think that the type of expression available to architects these days have pushed this skill to require more from architects. Yes, there are still mannequins. Yes, there's digital. And in between, there's a myriad of disciplines to tackle.
Agreed. What do you mean by rendering in gaming environments though?
I think he means that he is creating architecture that no one will actually physically occupy - literally the digital environments of video games. It is my understanding that AI is starting to eat into that industry. AI is being used to create gaming environments.
I was so exploited working for one of the top 10 in the World! Never was I paid overtime, while I never missed a deadline and when the first crisis happened, they sent us away, laid off people like it was nothing! Never again I will give my blood to other people’s designs.
all the hours (days-nights_weekends) in architecture school and all the work were great - loved it) but someone with a high school diploma and a real estate license can make ten times more on the property you designed. architecture is truly a love affair.
I think with anger and frustration about my school years (6y:B+M.arch). It was, by far, the most challenging major out of all of my friends (engineering: tech, mech, structural; med; law; etc.). While they were chasing skirts and living the student life, I would stay in and bend over a drawing board night after night.
I'd rather put it: sadistic love affair. I've just quit arch and don't plan to ever come back.
@@BarAlexC not to mention all the time making those models and maquettes
You got that right. It's insane how unappreciated and disrespected the field is. I worked in places where they will have literally high school dropouts wanting to do the work a trained architect should be doing.
Let’s be candid-architecture, esp in school wayyyyy more interesting and creative than comp sci….pre med…let alone pre law yuk! This is something people train in because they love designing , creativity, building etc. but just like athletes,it’s a very very narrow lane, and we have too many architecture schools. I think most architecture students let alone faculty understand who is at the top of their class-they don’t have huge issues making a living in architecture. But there aren’t many jobs for ‘average’ architects. Just like actors, opera singers etc. let’s acknowledge this is a narrow lane and look very objectively at your skill sets. I can’t believe erics obvious ability in architecture was not apparent early on to him and his mentors.
@@johnwhite2576 I remember when I was a child (not long ago) that you could become an architect with ten years of architectural drafting experience a I even saw architetural study by Mail, dont know if it made you a practicing architects.
How I wish I would have listen this 20 years ago when I was invited to leave the architecture firm I was working for…. Struggling to be independent and having to make a living with other skills away from architecture while figuring out how to be independent… thanks for such an inspiring interview.
even though im still struggling, henry has been one of the greatest if not the greatest inspiration i' ever had as an architec but also an artist.
he is awesome
Great video! I left the the traditional path of architecture years ago to do design work, design consult, and now small scale residential development. I've worked remotely and location independent for years. As a result I've created a rich, interesting and well compensated life for myself. An architectural education gives you the tools to be solopranuer and I encourage everyone who has a spark to do it to explore this path. You have the tools to see through conventional thinking. Use them to create the career and life that you want.
how does one shift from working for corporate to going independent and having clients? design consult and design work as you mentioned?
Great content, I can’t remember a time since I’ve started working as an architect where I didn’t think that I should have opted for another profession, due to the income rate compared to IT ones. You both are truly inspiring!
Really apriciate all the quality content & resources you put out for all of us in Architecture space. You can tell there's a lot of effort, hours & thought that goes into each one of these. Cheers Eric
Really appreciate your kind words and support!
Cheers...
Eric
Very inspiring. The Architect of tomorrow is definitely becoming a Renaissance man, trying to make as much as he can to contribute to the world and adding more value through entrepreneurship.
I remember being a design student and watching all of these videos, and now I'm finally on the other side of my degree and the possibilities that await in architecture and design keep me feeling super inspired. Thank you for helping to keep me going over those four years!
Hey Eric! Thanks for interviewing Henry! I have been follwing him for a while now too and would always wonder how much his style would remind me of you! Love what both of you are doing for the architectural fraternty. I really am inspired by both of you!
Regards
Rafia
I have learned so much from both of these guys. I came late to the party and have been putting off my desire to become and architect. No school, just experience in construction and drafting led me to Eric’s channel and that has led me to work in a large firm for the last year and a half. I am 2 years away from licensure and I already have a side hustle doing remodel plans in my area that makes more than my 9-5. I connected with Henry’s channel when I realized I could mend my drawing skills with my photography and make a passive income for my creative outlet.
Thank you both for changing my life!
Cheers + well done, my friend! Congrats on all your accomplishments thus far...inspiring! Glad I could play some small role in your journey.
-Eric
@@30by40 Thanks Eric
I am pondering the idea of doing a very similar thing to him for a while now, only that I would go into industrial design instead (I'm a mechanical engineer). I even have a product portfolio of actual sellable products lined up.
This interview motivated me strongly to pursue this more intensely, and to dare starting.
Thank you.
Great video! I really appreciated the way you broke down the transition from freelancer to business owner-especially the part about negotiating a four-day workweek to create more space for side hustles. It's inspiring to see how you've built multiple income streams while still maintaining balance. One small suggestion: it would be awesome to hear more about the specific tools you used early on to streamline your workflow. Thanks for sharing your journey!
Couldn't agree more, thank you for an excellent discussion on this topic, and to Henry for discussing his architectural route to financial freedom.
Cheers...thanks!
Very very inspiring to hear your story, Henry. Thanks for this great interview, Eric!
AMAZING VIDEO!! this is the reason I subscribed to this channel long time ago, such vital information and most important example! Thank you. Been having this vision and focus for a while now as a student, and now that I just graduated and started to work as an employee I feel eager to learn more and to make this vision a reality just like Henry... wishing you all the best from Venezuela!
Eric, thanks for posting this! Henry nice to meet you and learn about your ingenuity. Look forward to seeing more from you! Fantastic interview.
Cheers for the vid Eric. I hope you're keeping well. I think Henry's playing the game right. I reckon a lot architects/architectural designers will pursue the same avenue. The situation you both describe is the same here in the UK as well.
So many new ways to improve practice! Thanks for watching...
The key here is to be productive, but don't think always that has to mean "money". I think there is a danger in 'monetising' all your hobbies and interests. Keep something back for yourself.
Agree...however, as a business owner, money is a proxy for the value you create in the world...
Such an honest humble discussion. I’m not an architect but I have so much respect for the profession, and I’ve always wondered WHY architects don’t get paid more. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Because institutions like the AIA condemn and promote low wages.
Awesome video, it gives me another view of where creatives are heading, as well as to be able to mentor others in the office I work in, thank you!
Cheers...🙏
You have no idea how this video has helped me. I send you a big hug mate.
Really inspring video for young Architects! Definitely lit a spark in my mind and motivated me to take the risks.💯
\m/
Wow - thank you for making this video. I totally agree with so many of the comments made here - I am starting this journey myself and happy to see others in this industry speaking out about these topics!
Cheers...good luck to you! Many resources to help you get started here: architect-entrepreneur.teachable.com/
I have a perpetual love-hate for my industry and profession, thank you for this video, it helped me understand the creative path I wish to follow better moving forward.
I worked for 15 years or more for firms. Starting my own business was best move ever
Love this collaboration!🙌🏼
So glad!
I agree on the concept that the profession of an architect allows you to open many doors and perhaps it is even limiting to be very vertical on only one aspect of our work. We're also lucky to live in a time when it's not so weird to be paid to write for a blog or create podcasts, as happened to me. The desire to create the ‘white space’ to reflect is the first step that leads to the development of one’s creative skills.
I am studying and still have 2,5 + 1 year to be able to firm any peoject. Thats how things works in Spain. And I do enjoy a lot architecture, any kind, from cool creative to more basic and monotous works. I love to draw with AutoCAD.
Literally the only downside for me is too much hours, and no sleep. But the rest I love it.
I read all the comments here and got surprised on how a lot of people dont even want to go solo, for me this is the only path, as harder it is, I just want to put my little print in anything, as small it can be. And also love entrepenourship, I have a lot of side projects as I am very polyfacetic, so being able to have a architecture bussiness sounds so great for me.
Also surprised on how everyone wants to do big ass projects, while I would love to do small houses or small buildings, or even, rehab. And people realise that they wont be doing big ass projects +4 years into the school? Like what? From first year on school I always told my mates that I was studying arch because is my hobby and to design my own home, just for that, as I had very clear that my money would come from one of my side bussiness (and if everything goes fine, I hope so, but I need holydays to devolop some of them).
Now I am planning on doing my own arch web, despite have no clue (relatively) to share my drawings, projects and ideas (landscaping and territorial structure mostly).
Love your videos, and loved some of the tips you give, seriously.
Very inspiring, great content as always ❤️
Amazing! Thanks for the video Eric!!!
Excellent interview and perspective. Salary is a problem in architecture (among other things), especially considering the the time invested and responsibilities. We have done it to ourselves by undercutting our prices and accepting less. However, salary is a different issue than changing how you work for lifestyle choices; service business vs more passive income streams. You covered it all quite well. Life happens and it often requires entrepreneurial skills.
Let’s get busy.
Well said!
Really inspiring video. I'm in a similar position to Henry before he started his 'side hustles'. I feel under utilised and underpaid at my firm but feel as if I need to stay to achieve registration as soon as possible. It really is hard to make time to do the creative things I love in my own time but this video motivates me to try harder.
Cheers, many of us struggle to find the time for the creative work that excites us. What I've discovered is that doing so and sharing it with others becomes self-sustaining when done consistently over time. If you're interested in my systems for doing this be sure to check out my courses here: architect-entrepreneur.teachable.com/
Focusing is hard because focusing doesn’t mean saying “yes” it means saying no. You need to decide to not do a lot of things so you can focus on a few handful of things and do them well. We need to stop with perpetuating the myth that Architects don’t make any money because we choose to have 9 side hustles instead of pursuing your singular soul purpose. I may have been blessed to have worked for Architects who were highly successful and wealthy. Ironically, they didn’t have to work, they chose to work because they LOVED what they did.
We all have different ways of working, goals, and aspirations. Some find success in focusing on a singular 'sole' purpose, others find that exploring multiple creative practices allows them to fully express their talents + achieve financial success. Architects who pursue side hustles or multiple creative practices aren't any less capable or unworthy of praise. In fact, this diversity of creative practice can often lead to new insights, fresh perspectives, and unique approaches to architecture.
Personally, I've found building a business, devising new ways of monetizing my diverse skill sets and interests, and creating multiple streams of income has led to financial freedom, stability and a more interesting creative life. Rather than criticizing or dismissing those who choose to explore multiple creative outlets, we should celebrate the diversity and richness that comes from different approaches to architecture and creative expression.
This has given me a lot of food for thought as I'm facing redundancy after 18 years in the corporate world doing graphic design but also am quite highly skilled in other creative fields so the future does have interesting options. Also with modern processes the risk is minimised in production, for example with print on demand / shipping etc.
First here✋
Man love Henry too been seeing his videos for a long time even tho I don't have an iPad still useful for digital sketching as a whole
good to see the two best architecture youtubers i have been seeing since the starting on one screen .
This opened my mind. Using your potentials is the real deal. But i was thinking: What were the struggles in starting the side hustles? When did a hobby became a business enjoyable when you did those before in pursuit of happines, now you may be pressured because your client is demanding it from you?
This is awesome thank you for introducing Henry Gao.
I see more and more young architects migrating to freelance or opening their own firms in Romania.
They don't make much more money the first few years, comparing to working in a big office, but independence and working for themselves instead of serving others are more important for the younger generation.
Here in Bucharest we have the same issue with medium wages of different specialties (around 25k $/year for senior architects, compared to more than 75k $/Year for senior software engineers - all before tax).
Comparing to software engineers makes no sense at all...
Most of my university peers (2013-2019, Timisoara) are quitting or have done it already. None is happy with the (horrendous, MCDonald's level:3000-3500 lei) money.
I've finally taken the jump and quit this sh*tshow and won't ever come back, unless the society somehow does a 180 (highly improbable). Started relearning to code, as I enjoyed it before.
I totally get the idea of changing your work/ life balance, but as an architect there are other aspects of professional satisfaction. Working with two appreciative clients a year to bring your design skills to $1 million beach houses is fine, but to do the bigger projects in the world requires a team, which involves marketing, management, hiring great team members, delegating aspects of the work, and being responsible for budget and scheduling and the construction process. Using architectural skills to deliver a really great $200 million medical clinic or a $75 million school renovation requires not just designers but also managers and, yes, people doing Revit documentation. The highest-earning architects are the ones who can build that sort of team. The 80/20 rule applies in professional services: 20% of the design firms nationally generate 80% of the revenue, and larger firms offer some types of clients specific skills and expertise.
What I wish is that architectural education would move beyond a focus on Design Heros and teach broader skills. That is the new graduate mis-match, we all were trained to design but we have to learn other skills on the fly.
I want to start by thanking you for your comment, I appreciate the perspective. Personal satisfaction is relative to the individual. I've worked on those $75M school renovations and they were dreadful (to me). I can't think of a more unsatisfying way to spend a career: value engineering, design-by-committee, the bureaucracy of the process simply drove me insane. Having said that, I'm thankful that others in this profession (perhaps you?) prefer those challenges to the ones I am more aligned with ($1M beach houses, as you put it). I do sense there's some judgement from those running larger projects that the $1M projects (let's be real, those days are long gone...er, $3-5M now) are somehow less of a challenge and require less of the design professionals involved. I too work with clients, teams of engineers, tradespeople, agencies, craftspeople, and interior designers. I too manage schedules, invoicing, change orders, RFIs, manage budgets and monitor construction progress. This all happens at a different scale, but the challenges are similar.
With respect to compensation, the kinds of businesses we are able to operate given leveraged labor and the factors of scale online shouldn't be underestimated. Building a nimble business and diversified income streams can aggregate to a sum greater than top a tier principal salary in the largest cities in the world. To each their own!
@@30by40 - first let me say how much I enjoy your videos, you have the best architecture TH-cam series. I agree totally, to each his own. There are lots of types of projects, and I know that dealing with residential clients is a special skill I never had the patience for. Your projects in Maine are a delight, and your videos explaining the process are clear and watchable. Thank you! My larger point, I guess, is that architecture school should teach more than just design, it should at least introduce the skills you have learned like planning and budgeting and managing a consultant team. I think there tend to be a lot of unhappy arch graduates who have only the self-image of being “A Designer” but the reality is some are talented in that way but many are not. A variety of skills are needed and marketable. Even in your small practice, you probably need to hire staff and delegate work as the flow of $3-5mm projects outruns your ability to produce every drawing, which means hiring a talented ‘Revit operator’ and asking them to do detailed development of your design ideas, at least until they tire if ‘working for the Man’ and develop their own side hustles.
Long ago there was a cartoon in the AIA Journal, two tweedy architects chatting at a cocktail party: “…If I won a $million lottery? I guess I’d just keep practicing architecture til it was all gone.” The stat used to be that there are 60,000 US architects, and the average firm size was like 2.5 employees. I think that part of the overall compensation problem in architecture is that people are educated to think of it as a cottage industry rather than as a process to manage. I guess I am advocating for broader education, not for any particular scale or type of practice. Personally, I did well in arch school and fell into a large firm with complex projects, and I was sorted into the planning silo vs design group early. Over a long career I managed design teams but I was never the Project Designer and I had to deal with that, after a 5 yesr degree that only taught me about career models like Corbu or whomever…
Oh my goodness the passion spewing from the reply is utterly infectious you are an inspiration to young aspiring architects such as myself, you deserve so much for what you’ve done here online sharing the wealth of value you have at your disposal is truly gratifying. Thank you! Please keep up the good work.
@@johnnkurunziza5012 I began reacting to comments about the difficulty of Architecture School or practicing architecture, the reality is it’s an interesting field and a great career but it’s not Rocket Science, as they say. I appreciate great design, and I hate a lot of clunky design you see everywhere, I always think “who could have drawn THAT??”. Architecture is about people, and organizing data and having a process, it is not about any complex math or unique fine arts skills. I want to encourage young people in particular to be interested and involved in the world around them, everything that gets made or built had to be imagined by someone. Why not you?
Nice going Henry!
Henry, great interview. Everyone has their own set of challenges in their own lives. It is important to realize that their are many ways of earning a living pursuing your strengths and interets.
Thanks guys. Great discussion!
You'd think architects are compensated well, but they're really not. One architect told me ten years ago that "We're a dime a dozen." It's a shame, and that can lead to burnout. The true path to fair compensation I believe is going solo. As a solo S.E., I book on average $14k a month ($22,750 this month alone, as of this afternoon). That's on top of my day job (completely different market for the day job). The only thing that makes that possible is technology. I might put in long days here and there, but it's worth it.
So true...when I went out on my own it completely changed my financial position! Earnings are unlimited by an employer. Wishing you all the best with your business!
All wonderful professional insights of this conversation are very much appreciated. So aligned with how I have experience, how I feel about working for myself (as opposed to working for others) and the multi-skill set that allows me to span outside of the Architectural field and still utilize my Arch skills into another role. Just I would love for people to keep in mind that it is still a male privilege to decide on that work life balance while multi tasking on many fields. Because there is a woman looking after the kids, keeping them away from his home office so that he can perform, plus cooking, shopping, getting the door, and possibly even cleaning, so that the man can stay at his desk. Just so none of us forget that.
I did a similar thing in the early nougjhties. I moved over to the US to marry a woman and had a job offer already on the table.
Thing's didn't pan out well for reasons I still dont know so I went to another practice. I got involved with people on a 3d forum and stated getting asked to modelling for them. The extra dosh was great but I was doing 90 hours a week.
I jumped ship and went solo. The money was great but I had no clue on US taxes. I got done by the IRS and I'm still fighting it out. In the meantime the first side gig (hussle) was with the bloke I work for now.
I'm salaried again now so my takes are dealt with. I'm not earning 6 figures but not far off of it. I still do side gigs for another architect so things are okay.
The architecture profession is probably the most alluring yet most disappointing one to get into. Unless you're a chosen one, you will never, ever, get to do any major design work.
Kudos to the two of you who spoke frankly about the lack of financial gain in architecture. The millennials, genzers and the ones after them will be more equipped to decide if it's worth it.
Many thanks Eric, very interesting and useful interview
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love this, Eric. So relatable across the pond. Thanks for making and sharing.
Keen to know how you got your eyeline straight down the camera. Mirror box? Camera in front of the screen?
Cheers, my friend...thanks for watching!
RE: eyeline...I simply stare at the lens as I'm talking. Takes a little practice at first, but after many, many consultations and recording 60+ episodes of my video podcast it's second nature. Here's the other channel/podcast: www.youtube.com/@TwoSidesOfFI
@@30by40 Superb on all counts. Subscribed!
My hand drawing has been a blessing as much as it has been a curse. Because I can draw really well, I was pigeon holed into doing conceptual / schematic stuff a lot and my technical / management side suffered a lot.
Watching the two of you this video, and it occurred to me that yes the system is broken. Here we have a talented artist, who was offered design work at less than an affordable salary, and he would rather be an artist than an architect. We have a talented architect who so wanted to design and, yet, perhaps because the drawing skill set wasn't quite there as much as the competition, he really didn't have much of a chance until he went out on his own. How and why does the profession pick and choose the star designers and the high salaries? Broken system. Great to see some solutions, keep up the vids! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As a person who owns a small Architecture firm I have to say we pay our employees as much as we possibly can but there are certain limitations to the profession that need to be addressed - not only limits to what we can charge but the cost of insurance, taxes, overhead. On the surface you might be able to say that you can earn $10k/mo with side hustles but does that include the expenses that running a business involves? And finally, what about licensure? You can’t earn IDP credit working part time. Maybe licensure is no longer desirable but it is necessary to design certain projects.
While limitations to the architecture profession are certainly a challenge, acknowledging them alone won't pay the bills or enact change. I think the proactive approach that Henry (and other architect-entrepreneurs) has taken is but one of many possible creative solutions. Being an owner of a small firm, like you, I can confidently say that the $10K/month (net of business expenses) is at the absolute low end of what's possible. Why not apply the same creative muscle we use as design professionals to our business and revenue models in equal measure?
architecture related professions are extremely underestimated.
How to start local and international architectural design business what are the pros and cons that you have to encounter? What are the restrictions from country to country if you operating internationally?Do really need a bigger capital to Start?
Are these really side hustles or sister hustles? Smart side hustles! Because they have a cohesive synergy. He’s not starting up a hot dog stand on the weekends exactly is he? Nothing wrong with that but it isn’t tied directly to architecture like all the other cool stuff he does. Very smart!
Great video!!!
Wow, thanks for the advice
No issues with having side hustles. I have them. No issues with your side hustle making you more money than your main profession.
But when your side hustle commands equal or more time than your professional job, your architecture job is now the side hustle. At which point you've changed careers. You can't call yourself an architectural design with a good side hustle. You are a content creator that side hustling a 20 hr/wk consulting gig as an architectural designer. Nothing wrong with changing careers to make more money either...but just dont fool yourself into think your side hustles are side hustles any more.
I think the for many, a side hustle may be viewed as a way to leave your current 9 to 5. It doesn't matter how anyone views it or defines it. If you're an architect by trade and apply it to other things outside the 9 to 5, who cares what anyone calls it? You're still an architect whether you do consulting, youtube, or anything where you apply your skills.
In other words, you can call yourself whatever you want.
My take on this is at 18:54
@@ronin7645 I'm not saying he can't be an architect if he not working a full time job as an architect. Once he, or anyone, gets their license then they get to call themselves an architect regardless of what they actually do.
My point is, If my side hustles get to the point where they are equal, in time, to my profession, then how do you tell them apart? How can you call something your profession when you spend more time doing other work? Just like you need a work life balance. You need to balance your profession and your side hustles accordingly. Just how Henry started by only working 32hr/wk in the office but now is down to 20hr/wk. Look at any millionaire and they have one profession with many side hustles....but none of those side hustles take equal to or greater than their main profession. Otherwise they start presiding themselves too thin and they start weighing them down from being truly successful.
To be clear, theres nothing wrong with how Henry is managing his time. He can do that how he pleases. To me, it sounds like he is at a crossroads where he will need to decide if he still wants to practice architecture with his side hustles giving him extra cash flow or is he transitioning out of the practice of architecture and focusing on content creating? Nothing wrong with either route. But you have to pick something to focus on or you will end up just creating multiple jobs for your self and defeating the purpose of having a side hustle.
@Nik My point was who cares what you call your profession if you work more in one than the other. Call yourself an entrepreneur or an architect or the wandering sketch master from the planet Zotar. In the big picture called life, you're worried or barking up a tree that has no relevance.
I don't understand why you or anyone else needs to conform to "you have to pick or focus on one" mentality. Then call yourself that one thing. It doesn't matter man. Why is it so important to you that if you work more in one, you can't be the other? Or even be called the other? That type of compartmentalization is so insignificant I personally can't fathom how anyone would be concerned with it.
Love your family. Love your friends. Share moments with them. Spread love and kindness. Be a good person and everything else really doesn't matter. If you can, make as much money in the shortest amount of time and call it whatever you want.
Life is good man, try not to get caught up in the little things.
@@ronin7645 in england you cannot call yourself an architect unless you are registered. you cannot be registered unless you have the education and experience. you cannot maintain registration unless you pay an annual fee, indemnity insurance and do at least 35 hours CPD per year. then you can call yourself and architect. personally, i have little time left for anything other than growing assets in whatever form satisfies
I am at the state where I feel like I'm stuck... I love architecture but I'm also really into film and basically the entertainment industry and I'm conflicted on what to do. even though I worked with a small company for a short while and it was a good time and I had a good manager and good coworkers but I was not satisfied and I did not feel good at the end of the day. I hope I can find a compromise 🤞
Asking this question in Canada (might) completely change the result: The principles of very poorly run architectural firms here in Canada earn around 1 million per year. Needless to say they pay their employees next to nothing. These firms do EVERYTHING wrong. A good architect is worth tons of money. A good architect doesn't even earn the amount of money they save the contractors (compared to a lesser architect) by producing quality design work.
Transitioning from employee to business owner was the best professional decision I've ever made and financially transformative!
I've been in the architecture field for 35 years and I don't know anyone who goes into it for the money.
Hi Henry, Iam in a similiar position. I got university in Interior Design degree, Iam working as a freelancer since my 2nd year on university, now im making around double the cashier sallary. I want to start side hustle, but i dont know which path to take. I do 3D models, Architecture and Interior high end visualizations and graphic and interior design. I was thinking about stareting a YT channel, but its super time consuming. IDK what to do now. Shall i quit freelancing, get hired in small firm, and try my niech as a side hustle? It seems more profitable, but i have now after 6 years of freelancing, around of 4 stable clients, that keeps me busy 7days in a week.
This Architect Doubled His Income - He became an engineer.
Hi, Eric! How are you doing?
About the 7:00 mark, he talked about using an iPad and a Wacom tablet. I am interested in the Wacom he used. Would you mind answering me with the specs and price for the setting, if possible?
He talked about abandoning the Wacom in favor of the iPad
Hello! Eric i just want to ask a question about Building information modeling, and computer aided design operator what's the difference between the two? Do CAD operator need licenses?
Uh... why was there this caveat added in at 22:41? Seems a bit snarky.
Thank you. Very informative.
Glad you enjoyed it!
About to graduate with my bachelor's in architecture and have a projected salary of 50k after interviewing with 30+ firms. Almost all state the they pay so low because everyone is paying so low. We need to get rid of institutions like the AIA that condemn and promote such low wages for such a difficult degree and career. I wish anyone who hopes to major in architecture or is currently majoring in it is smart in choosing another career path. I chose to stick to architecture beacause "I already did one year I might as well keep going". However, I wish I would have done anything else other than architecture.
Nost of my peers and friends all came to the same conclusion after 4 grueling years of architecture; "I made the wrong choice". We all feel discouraged in our future because our education is worthless. Our time spent was wasted. Our money was wasted. And now we have nothing to show for it.
Sorry to hear this! Why practical entrepreneurship + business isn't part of modern architectural curricula is puzzling to me. Running your own business in this field is immensely profitable and creatively rewarding. Don't fall for the sunk cost fallacy, you have time to pivot away from this if it isn't right for you, there are many things you can do with a BArch. Good luck!
@@30by40 that is very true, but personally if someone goes into a college degree and is expected to do other things other than what they went into the degree for, then the college amd field failed them.
Seems to me that if maybe you formed some kind of association or union and the architect members decided they wouldn’t work for the big firms for pennies… stand together. See what happens then. I realize this might be difficult but I’ll bet there’s a lot of you feeling under paid. Imagine a few thousand architects pausing all at the same time. Revolution is the only way to correct this.
I’ve been an architect for 23 years. Running my own firm. I quickly realized I’ll never be able to create decent wealth , you can’t scale as an architect. So I decided to become an architect led real estate developer. I’ve created millions of dollars in wealth and a decent cash flow stream from rentals. I’ve created my own projects and have not had a client in over decade. Never been happier.
Hey, do you have any thoughts on AI? and AI potentially taking over those type of architect design jobs?
I want to study architecture, but im scared there wont be a future in it in 5-6 years when im done with school.
Or do you think it wont be that big of a problem?
AI definitely will make it harder for designers, I advise you to have a clear idea of the skills you have or you will have in the future, and how you will fit.
Honestly, 10k is still pennies in the bay area...
All the best going forward. Still a tremendous improvement.
Right, but taking his side hustle to $120K for a new business in year one deserves a lot of respect. His goal is per 23:47 which means it'll go much further than in the bay area.
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
I've been watching you for a few years now so Im gonna take a leap and beg for you to review my portfolio if you had the time. Im really never at the end of my degree with thinking my work isn't up to par but I've put 3 months of effort into sitting and redoing my portfolio every month until I'm happy with the final results but I'm lacking guidance and confidence.
if you were working so mush when did you find the time to learn how to draw? and not digitally?
I'm from Liberia 🇱🇷. But I'm an emerging Architect. How do I make money?
07:52
hi, would your course be of use to someone like me who lives in the United Kingdom? Thank you
Can you plz explain the designing process in the contour site
Sure here's a video describing that: th-cam.com/video/b59rmytlTBQ/w-d-xo.html
thank you so much currently I'm working on a forest resort project and your videos are really helpful in our college there is limited knowledge about contour planning. Your channel is very helpful for the community ❤️✨
When I first working in landscape architecture, we would call ourselves cad monkeys. haha
It's funny because I was just thinking about this a lot recently. I don't know why, but I'm disappointed at the architects that spent 4-5 years studying hard in school, just to go work in the dob and stamp other people's designs for approval to built. When talking with them, they are the most miserable and disgusting people to interact with. I'm just like.....I thought architecture was to create and bring into fruition. But since it is NYC and it's a city job, I guess the pay package and the benefits will stop people from fully following their dreams.
I hope that the young man does not keep his money in the
SVB banking system.
How inspiring !!! Thank you (^_^)
18:53 To the extent that architecture is broken, it is a subset of the wider social, political, and economic reality in which it is practiced - the values as put into practiced by that society. Architects literally shape the reality of our built world as we navigate through and around the homes and edifices they create. It is an extremely important profession that can be positively impactful when practiced with wisdom and intelligence. The fact that a real estate agent often makes more money from the sale of a home than the architect that designed it, generally reflects societal values in terms of salaries, and the quality of architecture in the United States.
You have addressed options for individual architects to survive, and even thrive, depending upon how much that particular individual values the design/construction aspects versus the entrepreneurial aspects. Do you believe this is a viable long-term strategy for the profession as a whole, or are you speaking of short-term solutions? Have you given thought to other strategies or systems that might benefit the less entrepreneurial?
Architecture doesn´t pay much, you don´t study Architecture to get rich... but the looks I get from airport immigration officials when they ask me "what do you do for a living?" and I answer, "I´m an Architect"... priceless, just priceless.
HI, not sure why but the website is down, cant access the courses
This is working for me: thirtybyforty.com/ipad-workshop You can also try: www.henrygao.com/30x40
Wow!
I feel like there's been a certain shift in the world in the last 10-15 years. And probably not for the best. There's more and more people studying architecture (and law, medicine, etc.) solely because of money. These fields should be filled with people with a passion towards helping others. Or would you want a heart surgeon who blabbers about his F.I.R.E plan during the appointment? I know this sounds naive but architecture should not be about what it can do to YOU personally (=money), but what it can do to the environment were living in and people around us. I don't mean you should grind in a huge office all day and all night, but to find a reason WHY you are doing architecture in the first place. If it's just for money then you are way better off just studying economics in the first place.
While it's certainly admirable to pursue a career with the goal of helping others and making a positive impact on the world, it's important to remember that not everyone has the privilege of pursuing their passions without considering financial stability. Many people have families to support and bills to pay, and they simply can't afford to take a job that doesn't provide a decent income.
I also think it unfair to assume that someone who pursues a career primarily for financial reasons lacks passion or won't be dedicated to their work. There are plenty of people who are able to find meaning and purpose in their jobs, even if they initially pursued them for financial reasons. And, as you mentioned, it's crucial to have professionals in fields like medicine and law who are highly skilled and committed to their work, regardless of their initial motivations.
In an ideal world, everyone would be able to pursue their passions without worrying about money. But the reality is that financial stability is a basic need for many people, and it's not fair to judge them for prioritizing that need. Instead of focusing on why someone is pursuing a particular career, we should strive to create a society where everyone has access to the resources and support they need to pursue their passions and make a positive impact on the world.
As a soon to be graduate. These salaries that you habe put in the video are highly inflated.
It's funny, as a practicing professional of 25 years with my own business I thought just the opposite: these numbers are low! Here's the US data: www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes171011.htm
This is honestly pretty depressing the prefession should not require a side hussle.
We are paid a terrible wage given all we do. It's not sketching on a napkin and winning awards. Ask any student or graduate at any age, trying to support a family, bills, its impossible. Im on half that US wage in Australia in AUD and why should we need side hustles? Crazy I spent 5 years at Uni, 3 years gaining hours to try and get registered to which you sit an exam, then if you pass, you sit an interview, only then are you registered. Thats at least 8 -9 years!
But you forget that design is an art form, and therefore a "luxury" item, only a small percentage of the population needs these services. You have 60,000 American architects all chasing the same limited clientele, that's why the money is so low.
Don't believe me? ask yourself this, have your parents , your relatives or any of your friends had a custom home designed by a registered architect? I am willing to bet the answer is no. This just highlights how few people require their services. As well, Architects generally design one building for one place and time, it is almost impossible to scale. It is an art form and only a handful of super-talented individuals are going to make big money. You are not entitled to big money just because you sat thru some subjective education for 5 years.
@@rozinant1237 Kidding ya self mate. I myself work on social housing projects for crisis housing, shelters, alterations and additions, big and small projects across a wide variety. Design crosses all levels of people/ with or without high or low budgets. We can scale it. Subjective education, haha thats funny, not to mention the debt we have for that education. Go get a draftsman mate and let's see how that goes for ya.
@@erikleypoldt8275 Ha Mate, now you are just virtue signalling and proving my point at the same time. Social housing projects run by non-profits have virtually no budget, hence the low pay, but good on ya for being involved with them. It’s your choice to work for peanuts.
To only, just now, realize that you earn less than the average school teacher after studying for 9 years shows a total lack of investigation on your part.
The wealthiest person in our community builds pre-fab steel buildings with a room full of lowly draftsman. There isn’t an Architect involved in any of the projects. But of course, he doesn’t have the shelf full of awards that you do.
But im sure he's paying the draftsmen top salary, with beautifully designed un eco friendly steel boxes, that sit within the site. See ya mate.
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Can someone help me summarise this. He started a TH-cam channel and now that is doing better than his job? Is that the gist of it?
No, that's not it. 5:01
how fast you can draft in AutoCAD 🤦
th-cam.com/video/YkTfTfhWIAY/w-d-xo.html
Until money is not a requirement for daily life, no profession will be enjoyable. Don't fool yourself, you're not happy! I don't even work, have all I need and still not happy. Video's like this drive me crazy. Heard this shit for 50 yrs!
Perhaps you are unhappy because you do not work
Passive income by TH-cam is possible and sustainable.
I doubt that anyone making youtube videos currently, will still be around in 10 years. The medium rewards novelty, and people will always migrate away from a channel eventually. Ask yourself how many television shows (remember those?) lasted more than 10 years? Look how click-baity it has become in the last couple of years, just to attract views.