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Caambridge / Architecture

What is architecture in Cambridge like

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Very good. One of the best courses, if not the best course in the UK. Has a more academic/research focus than most other courses, and is generally slightly more grounded in reality than places like the Bartlett.

It's biggest downside is also one of its greatest assets; it's a very small department. This means that it does have limited workshop facilities compared to some schools, but it means you get lots of time with staff, and in terms of facilities in general Cambridge is unbeatable, and it probably has the best department-specific architecture library of any architecture school.
(edited 8 years ago)
Almost impossible to get onto.
Reply 3
Original post by Farchitect
Very good. One of the best courses, if not the best course in the UK. Has a more academic/research focus than most other courses, and is generally slightly more grounded in reality than places like the Bartlett.

It's biggest downside is also one of its greatest assets; it's a very small department. This means that it does have limited workshop facilities compared to some schools, but it means you get lots of time with staff, and in terms of facilities in general Cambridge is unbeatable, and it probably has the best department-specific architecture library of any architecture school.


Are you saying this from experience or is it what youve been told. Also I did a bit of research and i found there isn't many jobs in this field. I really want to be an architect but im being put off by this. Would it be hard getting a job and do you have to study 7 years to become an qualified architect.
It's very difficult to make a living. In your early career, at a big firm, you'd be lucky to be detailing loos initially. After that, if you go it alone, there'll be a lot of domestic extensions, if that works for you. You have lifelong legal liability for your work btw.
Reply 5
Original post by DrSocSciences
It's very difficult to make a living. In your early career, at a big firm, you'd be lucky to be detailing loos initially. After that, if you go it alone, there'll be a lot of domestic extensions, if that works for you. You have lifelong legal liability for your work btw.


What about a career in Engineering ?
Original post by DrSocSciences
It's very difficult to make a living. In your early career, at a big firm, you'd be lucky to be detailing loos initially. After that, if you go it alone, there'll be a lot of domestic extensions, if that works for you. You have lifelong legal liability for your work btw.


Bit of an exaggeration, its very easy to make a comfortable living in architecture, just hard to be really rich from.
Original post by Farchitect
Bit of an exaggeration, its very easy to make a comfortable living in architecture, just hard to be really rich from.


Not from my observation. Perhaps your aspirations and interpretations of comfort are lower than mine. A lot of architects I know end up teaching students to supplement their income. Not very glamorous, coaching know-it-alls who can handle CAD but have no conceptual ability.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 8
Original post by DrSocSciences
Not from my observation. Perhaps your aspirations and interpretations of comfort are lower than mine. A lot of architects I know end up teaching students to supplement their income. Not very glamorous, coaching know-it-alls who can handle CAD but have no conceptual ability.


I know im still a long journey from all this but i want to make the right decisions for my future. I still have few months to decide for my a level courses. You know if i get into a top university like Cambridge would i be able to work for a really good company?
Original post by DrSocSciences
Not from my observation. Perhaps your aspirations and interpretations of comfort are lower than mine. A lot of architects I know end up teaching students to supplement their income. Not very glamorous, coaching know-it-alls who can handle CAD but have no conceptual ability.


You can easily get to a point in architecture where you are earning around £50k by the time you are in your 40s. That is comfortable by most people's standards I would have thought.
Original post by Farchitect
You can easily get to a point in architecture where you are earning around £50k by the time you are in your 40s. That is comfortable by most people's standards I would have thought.


Not nearly enough for London, where the best practices are, to own your home and raise a family. If your goal is just to raise £50k by your 40s, stick to town planning and a nice pension. Honestly, £50k before tax in your 40's in London, it's absolutely nothing (I've lived in London for over 20 years.)

If your partner earns £35k+, then it's do-able.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by DrSocSciences
Not nearly enough for London, where the best practices are, to own your home and raise a family. If your goal is just to raise £50k by your 40s, stick to town planning and a nice pension. Honestly, £50k before tax in your 40's in London, it's absolutely nothing (I've lived in London for over 20 years.)

If your partner earns £35k+, then it's do-able.


I live and work in London as well. £50k is enough for a fairly comfortable life in London. Obviously a comfortable life in London is a different kettle of fish compared to a comfortable life outside of London, in terms of living arrangements at least. You obviously aren't going to get a 5 bedroom house with a big garden on 50k in London.

Besides I'm saying that £50k by the time your in your 40s is easily do-able, as in, most people who aren't idiots will get to that level at some point in their 40s, if you're good you can easily earn more than that. Directors and Associates of practices in London earn upwards of £70k, if the OP is ambitious enough to get into Cambridge, then presumably that would be a potential goal, if not having his own practice.
(edited 7 years ago)
Yes, £50k net of tax is £36k annually. This would cover:

Food, weekly transport costs excluding car, mortgage, council tax, utilities, professional and casual clothing, car, servicing any existing debt, plus any other costs (eg. leisure, entertainment, sport) beyond these essential basics that enable you to live. If kids are in the picture, it's another whole scenario, and private education would not be feasible for them.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by DrSocSciences
Yes, £50k net of tax is £36k annually. This would cover:

Food, weekly transport costs excluding car, mortgage, council tax, utilities, professional and casual clothing, car, servicing any existing debt, plus any other costs (eg. leisure, entertainment, sport) beyond these essential basics that enable you to live. If kids are in the picture, it's another whole scenario, and private education would not be feasible for them.


36k would support kids, but if you have kids and are comfortable you would also have a partner who would be earning. I've lived in London recently on significantly less than 36k, and I can easily afford to cloth myself, eat, go out regularly, have multiple holidays, as well as rent in a relatively desirable part of London and save several hundred quid a month.

I wouldn't class not being able to have your kids in private education as not being comfortable. Anyway this debate is farcical now, given your definition of comfortable apparently requires being able to afford to privately educate your children.
(edited 7 years ago)
It's not possible to educate children privately on a salary that is less than comfortable. That's not contentious, it's a fact.
Original post by DrSocSciences
It's not possible to educate children privately on a salary that is less than comfortable. That's not contentious, it's a fact.


It's not possible to educated children privately on a salary that is not significantly more than comfortable.
Reply 16
Original post by Farchitect
I live and work in London as well. £50k is enough for a fairly comfortable life in London. Obviously a comfortable life in London is a different kettle of fish compared to a comfortable life outside of London, in terms of living arrangements at least. You obviously aren't going to get a 5 bedroom house with a big garden on 50k in London.

Besides I'm saying that £50k by the time your in your 40s is easily do-able, as in, most people who aren't idiots will get to that level at some point in their 40s, if you're good you can easily earn more than that. Directors and Associates of practices in London earn upwards of £70k, if the OP is ambitious enough to get into Cambridge, then presumably that would be a potential goal, if not having his own practice.


I still have time to decide my a level courses. Would a career in Engineering or Accountant/Finance have more jobs compared to Architecture.
Original post by MDbd
I still have time to decide my a level courses. Would a career in Engineering or Accountant/Finance have more jobs compared to Architecture.


I wouldn't say there would be more jobs, but there would be more better paid jobs to begin with. Obviously you can earn a lot by going into finance, but if you're already considering a "sell-out" path like that then I doubt you're really interested enough in architecture to see it through anyway. If you're just interested in making as much money as possible and having a relatively easy life then don't do architecture.
Original post by Farchitect
I wouldn't say there would be more jobs, but there would be more better paid jobs to begin with. Obviously you can earn a lot by going into finance, but if you're already considering a "sell-out" path like that then I doubt you're really interested enough in architecture to see it through anyway. If you're just interested in making as much money as possible and having a relatively easy life then don't do architecture.


^ This.
Reply 19
Original post by Farchitect
I wouldn't say there would be more jobs, but there would be more better paid jobs to begin with. Obviously you can earn a lot by going into finance, but if you're already considering a "sell-out" path like that then I doubt you're really interested enough in architecture to see it through anyway. If you're just interested in making as much money as possible and having a relatively easy life then don't do architecture.


My plan is not to do finance in the future. Im just one of them people who want to be successful in life for me this would be a career in Architecture. However the fact there isnt a lot of jobs available puts me off a lot. Also i dont want to work hard and get nothing in end of it. I would not want to do something that i dont have passion (finance) for but thats what ive been recommended as its in a better position for employment.

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