Chief Vs Autocad

[sutcac]

I also had a lot of "real life" experience, working as a carpenter part time during the school year in college, and full time each summer. I got my general contractor's license 12 years before I got my architect's license and spent most of that time as a design-build contractor. So I have seen it from both sides and I can almost always tell the difference between a designer that never had any formal education, and one that has taken the time and made the kind of commitment becoming a licensed architect requires, just be seeing their work. And I can even see within myself how the "that's the way it has always been done" mentality you can pick up from "real life" can block you from coming up with something more creative and innovative. And I don't just mean pretty details and sexy design. It can mean something as simple as spatial and functional relationships within a plan.

I can't tell you the number of people that tell me they regret never having gone to college and gotten their degree, and more specifically ones who "wanted to be an architect" but "couldn't handle the math" or "couldn't handle the long hours of time in design lab", or any number of other reasons. Once you "put your education on hold", you often can never get back to it because "real life" gets in the way. I watched this happen to someone I worked for on and off for 6 years. He has a lot of regrets I think as he has seen me move on and do what he always wanted to.

Yes, both have their place but neither is "king", that is just silly.