Inside Architecture
- Diya Sindol
- Jan 25
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 11
Introduction
I grew up fascinated by architecture, but like many people, I had a limited view of what the job actually entailed. I pictured a life of sketching "cool" buildings and assumed artistic talent was the only requirement. As it turns out, the reality is far more complex. To get the inside scoop, I sat down with Misbah, a professional architect at Field Paoli, to discuss the balance of math, the digital grind, and why this career requires more passion than most.
Key Takeaways
Perfect hybrid major for students who enjoy art and technical math
Genuine motivation and passion prevents burnout in this field
Modern architecture is driven by more 3D work & coding than hand sketching
Interest Rates and economy dictate job security
Choosing Architecture as a Major
Misbah decided on architecture during her senior year of highschool after taking an architecture class that blended art and technical skills. She found it interesting as she enjoyed art. At the same time, she was also interesting in biomedical engineering. "I was between architecture and biomedical engineering senior year, and just kind of called a bunch of architects in the area and got their thoughts on it." This is what helped her settle on architecture in the end.
Why Architecture Requires Passion
Many times during the interview Misbah stated how people in architecture must really be passionate for it and have motivation to stay in the field.
“Architecture is one of those things that you have to actually really like, because it’s so hard that if you don’t like it, it’s so not worth it.”
She says how every single day many in the industry are fighting the urge to drop it and deciding if they are interested enough in it to continue to keep working.
What She Enjoys About the Job
Misbah's main enjoyment comes from the continous learning of every single part of a building or project.
"There's honestly never enough to learn about it."
` She also really loves seeing projects move from just an idea to reality. "I love seeing things come to fruition, like seeing where something started and seeing where it can lead to."
Day-to-Day Work as an Architect
A typical day to day for Misbah is usually working on 2-3 projects at a time. She starts off the day with team check-ins and sometimes meets with clients. Although, 3D modeling of buildings and structures on the computer is what she spends most of her day working on.
Her day to day work is less about sketching and more about computer work, research, and code analysis.
“If you love like sketching and stuff, that stuff is really fun, but you don’t do that much in the actual field. It’s a lot of computer work and boring stuff too. So you have to know that going into it.”
Main Challenges in the Field
Challenges in the field usually get mainly impacted by the economy. If the economy is down that means architecture in general is down as well as clients end up canceling projects due to high interest rates and etc.
It is also normal to work extremely long hours, especially when working for top firms.
“If you want to do really cool things, you kind of have to not have a life.”
Salaries are also relatively low, especially at the start. Out of the entire construction industry, architecture is the least valued which is why you get paid not to the value of what you actually contributed to the project. Also in general architecture salaries are not typically high so unless you become the owner of a firm you don't earn much.
Getting Into the Industry
Overall it is easier to get into the industry if you go to a school with a lot of connections. Since Misbah went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo which had a great architecture college, it was really easy to get a job when she graduated. Although the economy crashed a year after Misbah graduated and it was hard for architecture students to find jobs as it relies on the economy.
She said that it can be easy getting into the industry depending on what type of work you are willing to do.
“If you want to do like really cool, like innovative projects, those are gonna be really competitive.”
Surprising Parts of the Job
She was mainly surprised by how much boring computer work there was and how it felt like a standard office job. She was also really shocked about the complexity and detail of real architecture. She loved watching how the technical side helped make every single part of construction look so nice. Misbah realized how a lot of things that are really simple, clean and beautiful take a lot of effort.
Experience and Future Thoughts
She has been working as an architect for about three years now. Over her time she noticed how much of a high dropout rate architecture school had but she never felt like quitting. She kept waiting for the desire to drop it but ended up slowly liking it. She really does enjoy it but she questions if it is worth financially.
“I know I love this thing, but I don’t know if it’s worth it to keep doing it for the amount of money.”
She also said how when she constantly does something she loves with a deadline, it takes away the enjoyment from it. This is why her doubts of architecture have risen over the years. In the future she is considering to look for more different creative opportunities similar to this field but doesn't see herself leaving at the moment.
Current Firm and Projects
She works at Field Paoli, an architecture firm in San Francisco. Before this job she did a lot of high-end residential work which was basically "rich people's houses". Now she mainly focuses on commercial projects like coffee shops and Trader Joe's buildings.
Conclusion
Architecture is clearly a career of contrasts. As Misbah’s journey shows, it’s the place where high-level artistic design meets the grit of technical problem-solving and economic reality. While the "sketching all day" myth might not be the reality, the satisfaction of seeing a project—whether it's a high-end home or a local Trader Joe’s—come to life makes the "boring computer work" worth it. If you have the passion to push through the long hours and a constant hunger to learn, this field offers a unique way to literally shape the world around you.
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