I received the email below last week and at first didn’t know how to respond. I finally responded as best I could and it turned into some sort of personal manifesto. In writing this I also felt a sense of renewed pride in what brings us into this crazy, sometimes frustrating, world of architecture.
One thing we have learned from doing theStudio is that there are many of us who share the same experiences. In the hope that this might help more people, or at least cause you to think about your place in this profession, we are reposting my response here. Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Here’s to good people and good architecture!
I graduated from Washington State University in 2002 with an naab b.arch, and just left the profession all together. I was sick of being treated like shit. I contacted the NCARB coordinator here in Washington a month ago thinking I might stand to deal with this idiot occupation in a year or two if I had the strength. And they pointed me to the NCARB web site, God knows I was having a hell of a time finding it with google.
My question is, is this still an idiot occupation, where people are treated like shit and forced to make video games all day long, or has it actually changed any? Or would you recommend that I flush my degrees down the toilet where they belong?
-Frustrated
Here is my response: