James

Bryan

Thanks for your correspondence this morning. Wish I had more conclusive information to offer you but your interest interests me.

1. We both like the MLS access system you’ve used on and off. As you may know, it’s one of dozens options offered by the vendor community to real estate brokerages. One of their competitive advantages is that it offers ACTIVE listings in a lifestyle decision-making context. The other advantage is that it once offered access to public records from the same interface.

2. It appears that they no longer offer public records showing tax assessments, so my desire to offer clients the opportunity to search 100% of the inventory can no longer be delivered through this vendor.

3. I’ve asked them to confirm the status of that functionality, before I decide whether to renew my account which is currently inactive.

4. I offer another MLS option, and have been selected by a NEW start-up to offer another next generation MLS access option. The new vendor, TLCEngine, will give homebuyers to option to sort listing “matches” by TLC, which means True Living Costs.

5. Knowing you are an architect, if you’d like to be able to BETA test that site, it should be ready to test in the next 30 days if not next week.

Finally, there was a time in my academic life 35 years ago when I aspired to be part of MIT joint architecture / city planning program. As a young parent, I opted to finish the MCP. Over a decade, that path turned towards devoting my life to reforming the real estate industry. Still, I have never lost my interest in architecture, and am pleased that my daughter works at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

I’m intrigued by your development of “this forum as a virtual coffee shop,” and would enjoy the opportunity to have friendly conversation with you offline sometime. I’m at the Starbucks at Wendell St (my last name with two LL’s) and Mass. Ave every morning, but glad to meet anywhere.

Bill

Out here, far away from the glamor and romance of the university architecture studio, a jaded architect who does this for the money will say “RUN!”, and then while flailing about he or she will rant negatively about what we do. Another architect in the same room who does this for reasons not related to money will stand up and say “Wait a minute, before you go…”, and proceed to talk you to death about his passion for what he does. It’s a personal preference but success, whether it’s being happy or wealthy, at any level will require passion… and patience.

But like any career you have to determine what YOU want out of it AND what you want to do with it. Being an architect can be frustrating and lonely. No one really understands what we do and can’t see the value unless their project requires a stamp. Some architects do not feel rewarded unless they get that big paycheck, and for them the frustration will likely cause weariness and resentment, wishing they chose a more financially rewarding career. That’s not to say an architect can’t make a lot of money. Those who do are likely doing something in addition to designing and building, such as real estate development. Those architects who are indeed able to break into the 1% by doing only architecture will tell you that it takes hard work, mind numbing patience, days and days without sleep and countless unappreciative bosses and clients. But they are probably a peace and comfortable with their choice, fueled by their passion to create places for people to live, work, play and pray. A couple of dream clients that we all search the horizon for tend to help as well. However, this breakthrough in the careers of what the industry calls “starchitects” is not likely to occur at all for most of us, if one does reach that level of success it will not be until he or she begins to approach the age of 50.

If by your 2nd year you are not waking at 5am and rushing to your studio to study and test an idea, on a project that will never be built, working for what seems like just a few hours only to realize that the sun is rising and it’s the day after tomorrow. Then it might be time to explore some options. The talents that you use to design a composition of rooms, or buildings are not relegated only to architecture. Right brain thinkers are also found in fashion, film making, mechanical engineering (designing cars, door knobs or toys… not HVAC systems), even software engineers and entrepreneurs need that level of creativity. If you have not found your passion don’t sweat it, your young. Stay where you are for awhile, see where it takes you.

But don’t take just my word for it. There are other bloggers out there who are architects. See what they have to say…
Coffee With an Architect
Think Architect
Life of an Architect

Good luck!
Bryan

I googled ‘Myths About Architects’ and your site came up. I am a second semester Architecture student and I am having second thoughts, I do not have a passion for it, but my professors says that I have “a tremendous amount of ability” and “that there is a lot of talent and intelligence” in me. So, my question is, how is “a life of an architect”, I feel like if I don’t like it now, would I like it later? How far should I go before I decide to drop? I’m afraid of regretting it. Do architects make a lot of money? I know some of them do, but I mean what does it take for an architect to make lots of money?

Best,
Tamara Awad