Reddit reviews Architect? A Candid Guide to the Profession

Very cool how much you want to support him.

The biggest misconception about the industry is probably how little math we actually use. There is of course a spectrum to our field that spans from sculptors and artists to programmers and engineers. By and large, however, we are visual people who hone our skills by practicing art. I was happily surprised in my first term of college to find out how much time we'd spend sketching and drafting. Hopefully that's appealing to him!

As far as what skills to learn: I took a CAD drafting class in high school that gave me a good head start in college. Sketchup is easy to pick up and I'd encourage him to get comfortable with Rhino to really be able to model digitally. I would not recommend Revit at this early stage as it's extremely technical. Physical modeling is also helpful. I grew up on Legos before moving to paper / cardstock / cardboard sketch modeling. Messy and fast and gives three-dimensional insight you can't get from a page or a screen, plus having the ability to make clean models is a great way to impress professors early on.

Regarding reading material. These books made an enormous impression on me:

• 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School
  
• The Fast Guide to Architectural Form
  
• Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language
  
• Francis D.K. Ching's Form, Space, Order
  
• and Architect? A Candid Guide to the Profession
  
  I would highly recommend each and every one to him. All very approachable reading for a 14 year old already sketching commercial spaces.
  
  And Bjark Ingel's Yes is More is a fun read in graphic novel form.
  
  Lastly— reach out to your local AIA chapter. They can connect you and your brother with resources specific to your area including firms to check out / potentially shadow at, scholarships to apply for, and summer programs and other workshops to attend.
  
  ​
  
  Best of luck to you both! It's quite a journey and a rewarding one if it fits.
  I'm happy to talk more if you'd like to message me.

Read this book Architect?. We read it before school and it helps to lay out what to expect from your classes.

No problem, all the best, it's a fantastic education and career.
One bit of advice though: do it because you love it. Architects do ok, but they don't make a heap of money unless they get famous.

This is a pretty good, realistic look at the profession:

http://www.amazon.com/Architect-Candid-Guide-Profession-Roger/dp/0262621215

Also, check out this guy's YouTube channel:

http://howtoarchitect.com/home/

Lastly, because most architects are enthusiastic about the profession, they are often happy to talk about it and give advice, so it might be worth your while approaching some in your area when you need advice/ work experience.

Check out 30x40 on YouTube and: Architect? A Candid Guide to the Profession https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262621215/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_sEKUCb18R797Q

Buy.

This book is a great into to the less "sexy" parts of the profession and is largely accurate. I would recommend reading it alongside something more design focused or history focused. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0262621215/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1381420212&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

Read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Architect-A-Candid-Guide-Profession/dp/0262621215/ref=pd_sim_b_60

It's a good description of what the field is actually like. Also, take art classes, and get really good at Photoshop and Illustrator.

Last year of school, eh? What are your plans for next year, then? Are you going to community college, or university? Or do you plan on jumping right into the world of work? Maybe the job market is different where you are, but here, one high school grad in a thousand has a shot at getting an entry-level job with an architectural or engineering firm. Pretty much everybody who hires anybody where I am wants either a trade-specific certification (either the official Autodesk Certification or the local junior college certification) or an AA/AS degree in CAD. So it's off to school for you, maybe...in that case - How do you know that a career in architecture is really what you think it is? Here is my advice: enroll in junior college and take Intro to Architecture ASAP. If the professor is honest, he'll tell you what you're in for: 5 or more years of school, followed by years as an intern, followed by the AREs, which cost a ton and many people fail the first time they take them. Then you are an architect, in a career with surprisingly low pay for such high stress and high levels of required education. If your professor is not honest, read this book:http://www.amazon.com/Architect-A-Candid-Guide-Profession/dp/0262621215 and follow this web comic: http://architexts.us/ . These will ground you in the reality of this field.
Have you ruled out the other other fields of study that utilize CAD? Locally, my students all go to work drawing piping systems or doing electrical drafting. I know, not as sexy as designing a skyscraper, but right now there is record levels of unemployment for persons with a degree in architecture, while other areas in related CAD disciplines have critical shortages. PLEASE consider taking some Drafting & CAD classes at you local community college. Learning from YouTube or a website is NOT the answer for MOST people. You need someone to explain the "why" behind the "what." You need someone to teach you the theory behind the fields that use CAD, not just how to press the buttons. yes, Revit is a good product, but don't fall too deeply in love with a piece of software. 5 years from now when you have a degree maybe we'll be using a completely different program for architectural design and documentation (e.g.: Tony Stark's holographic interface in the Iron Movies)