[Man With No Name]

Hey all,

I've been an architect for about six years now and I'm pretty sure that I no longer wish to be in this field. What I'm wondering is... Does anybody out there work from home? (Designing, drawing, sketching etc.) And if you do, how did you get a job like that? (ie, what field did you study in college, What type of employers did you send resumes to... etc.)

If anyone can help me I'd greatly appreciate it. Also, if any of you are interested in architecture, perhaps I can talk you out of it... Thanks for your time.

[Svanur]

Understand your position, I work as a graphic designer for a small firm and I hate it(and I've only been doing it for 2 years.)

You could try to go into conceptual design. Francis studied architechture before going into concept design, if I remember correctly.

check
http://www.teamgt.com/

it's his webpage and you might find some info there.

[sunraven0]

I know someone that was once in your field...now he works from home doing architectural stuff in virtual reality using game engines. He does promotional packages for things like casinos, etc.

[Frog]

Hiya,

I work from home as an illustrator and animator, doing a whole range of jobs for a whole range of clients, in 2d and 3d and Flash. It's taken me a while to get to the stage where I do over 90% of my stuff from home (even now the occasional client insists on in-house work - they sometimes don't trust freelancers!).

I started out in graphic design but found that a bit boring and with limited creativity so I quit my job and went freelance, initially as a designer and gradually started getting illustration stuff as well. It took me a couple of years before I could stop doing design stuff and just do the work I wanted.

There is a risk involved in ditching your job and going it alone but then you sometimes need to take risks to succeed, and besides even full time jobs are never 100% safe. Best advice I can give is that to get work you need contacts, without them even the most talented people will not get work. Use whoever you know (maybe in architecture) to get jobs, and be patient as the first year of any new business is usually the hardest one. Also, to get comissioned you need to be really good, there is a lot of competition and if there is someone else better than you then they will get the work - that's capitalism However, having looked at your site you've obviously got the technical ability to pull it off, but you need to find a suitable market for your stuff or maybe adapt your style to suit other markets (this is a business remember!).

I'm a really strong believer in following your dreams, 90% of people just drift along in jobs they hate wishing they could do something else or just give up working altogether, you don't have to be one of them. In many ways it's much harder to a really demanding and creative job, you'll work longer hours and really need to be on the ball (no hangovers!) but then the satisfaction you can get is worth more than a million $ paycheck.

Good luck

[eyewoo]

Couldn't have said it better Frog... I've freelanced for over 25 years. Can't imagine it any other way... and I've even had a few hangovers...

[Man With No Name]

Thanks to all who have responded,

I checked out Francis's site and it was kind of erie just how similar his path in life was to mine. I even contacted him via e-mail for some pointers (thanks Francis!) I'd love to free-lance from my home, and I think that is my ultimate goal. I realize that this is no easy task, but I'm pretty sure I can do anything if I put my mind to it. I imagine it's going to be tough to get going over the first few years (obviously, I'm not going to quit my day job.)
Errr, Frog, you looked at my site? uggh, I keep meaning to take that damn thing down. It's in sore need of a complete over-haul (Content included). But hey, that's a good start point.. my portfolio REALLY needs work.

Thanks again for replying everyone. A little encouragement goes a long way.

[convoyrider]

I would love to work from home. I think its the best deal.

[Tron]

i�m studying architecture at the moment and i�m also interested in design. i think that�s no problem. architects can work everywhere: merchandising, product-design, game-industry and so on .... oh yes and they create buildings.

is it hard to get a job as an architect in mi or in the usa? in europe it is! there are so many of them, is it the same in the usa?

[tron]

[Man With No Name]

Hey Tron,

At the moment, we have an opening in our office... so I would have to say, no, it isn't hard getting a job here. However, we are no-where near an architectural school (where the job competition can be fierce.) The pay isn't all that spectacular (especially for the hellish curriculum we have to endure) unless you own your own buisness. Unless you have an undying passion to design buildings and deal with a ton of different people (clients, contractors, sales reps, building inspectors...etc) I'd strongly recommend a different career. Of course you always have the option of switching careers, but if you want to get into video games, I've recently found out, that you MUST keep up with technology. Sorry to sound so negative, I've just had a really rough weak... maybe architecture is the right thing for you, my wife loves it. Good luck!

[itchi]

i dunno maybe its just me, but even when i was freelancing i had to work in a studios setting. i get so lazy if i work from home. i got no discipline i love working in a studios! well if you can make your own hours that is.

[Bomu]

I thought architects got paid tons and was the best paid art bast job you could get?!

After leaving school 7 months ago, I've spend most of my time unemployed, but I've also spent a few months working from home as a freelance designer. I actually WANT to work outside of home! I've never had a job like that for more than a week and people that do don't realise that working from home, ain't all that great at all.

One of the worst things is the fact I don't get to socialize or interact with anyone! Meeting people and chatting to fellow workers is very useful and can be fun if you make friends with peers. At the moment I'm not gaining any social skills - which are very important in life. Plus, as Frog mentioned, client lists are very important- the fact that I've been stuck at home has lead to me having a short list of people to turn to for freelance work.

I'm desperate for a full time job where I'm guaranteed a wage at the end of the day without the stress of worrying about tighter deadlines and wondering where me next job will come from.
Keep that in mind
---
Curt, really liked your appleseed fanart. I remember it from the contest last year

[ March 11, 2002: Message edited by: Bomu ]

[Frog]

Working from home is a double-edged sword really, some people are suited to it and some people aren't.

It's true that social interaction can be somewhat lacking. I make up for that in my social life outside of work, and with email and posting on boards This does have benefits though, you can really concentrate at home and there are fewer interruptions. I do sometimes miss having a laugh though, in some offices you can have a great time

The biggest problem with working from home is aquiring the discipline to actually do the work, I've known people do absolutely f*ck all for months on end. If you have the motivation then it's fine, I think enjoying your work has a big part to play in this equation.

Once you're used to the sense of freedom you get from working at home it can be very difficult to adjust back to working in an office environment. The rigid routines, hours and regulations can be suffocating when you are no longer used to them. Not to mention the politics!

Stupid as it sounds your own environment and routine can be the best creatively. I often like to go out for a walk or have a nap to recharge my batteries, not something that goes down well in an office. Not to mention getting up at 10 if i feel like it