This summer I have just completed a HND in Architectural Design ( got a merit overall ).. Before I did this I completed my alevels in Graphic Design ( got a E) and a certificate in Financial Studies ( got a D in ).. I also have all my GCSE's including maths ( grade D) and english (grade C).. all my other gcse's were D''s and E's.. I have also passed a Free standing maths qualification, i.t. level 2 key skills and a GNVQ intermediate Business Studiess ( got a merit in).

Right at the moment im at uni on my first year studying ba architecture, but am finding the course difficult, not just that ut im way behind with the work.. I was thinking of changing to the real estate degree.. but am not too sure..

my interests are in architecture, cars, different types of property developments- like high rise office buildings, casinos, hotels, property managing etc..

below I came up with a couple of different job/industry ideas.. which one would I best be suited to?

Architect

Architect Assistant

Property Developer

Property Management

Designer

Finance/Banks

General Construction

Builder

...

thanks

No, university isn't for you.

You are asking strangers about potential industries for you to go into. Doing a degree requires genuine passion and enthusiasm (as well as a flair for) that subject. If you don't know what you want to do, then don't do a degree!

Also, maybe you are not capable of degree-level work. Do you really think your previous qualifications are to the level required to study at degree level?

No, university isn't for you.

You are asking strangers about potential industries for you to go into. Doing a degree requires genuine passion and enthusiasm (as well as a flair for) that subject. If you don't know what you want to do, then don't do a degree!

Also, maybe you are not capable of degree-level work. Do you really think your previous qualifications are to the level required to study at degree level?

Once again I tell people that I am passionate about the degree, but just find it difficult.. I can still be passionate and like the industry tho.

I think my previous qualifications are to the level, which is required for a degree.. exmaple the HND is a uni degree level course.. i admit my a levels werent great, but I did really well in the HND

Once again I tell people that I am passionate about the degree, but just find it difficult.. I can still be passionate and like the industry tho.

I think my previous qualifications are to the level, which is required for a degree.. exmaple the HND is a uni degree level course.. i admit my a levels werent great, but I did really well in the HND

You can't have it both ways. If you're capable of doing the degree then you should stick with it, if you're not then there's no point even mentioning your your HND since it obviously hasn't prepared you for the course.

Shouldn't you be discussing this with your course director, tutor, or equivalent? Rather than expecting people who don't know you at all to advise you? It's almost as if you want people to tell you what you want to hear rather than speaking to someone who will be honest with you.

I will be honest with you - your qualifications aren't very distinguished at all. Your HND is no doubt useful, but given the D at GCSE maths I'm not convinced you're very well cut out for architecture which is a mathematical and engineering discipline as much as it is a design one.

The one thing you DO have going for you is that you were accepted on the course, which means those who run it thought you would be able to cope with it - and that is not the same as saying that they though you would find it straightforward! It's really those people (i.e. course directors, tutors etc) you should be approaching if you feel you've bitten off more than you can chew. You will be able to be specific about which elements you're finding difficult and they may be able to either reassure you or give you some practical advice about other directions you could pursue.

I'm sure you have posted a few similar threads like this? My advice would be speak to your tutor and field chair. They are often more understanding than you think. Changing courses isn't going to make life any easier. Every course has its good and fun parts alongside tough and boring ones, not one or the other.

What about switching to part time?

You've been at uni for a month now? Give it a bloody chance. I have to be blunt here. ITS BEEN A MONTH. Finish the year first. If you give up on things this quick you'll end up doing nothing. Everyone goes through this. Suck it up and man up.

How old are you?

How old are you?

22

You've been at uni for a month now? Give it a bloody chance. I have to be blunt here. ITS BEEN A MONTH. Finish the year first. If you give up on things this quick you'll end up doing nothing. Everyone goes through this. Suck it up and man up.

I know.. but I dont want to waste an entire year, and have to do another year.. That would cost more money, which I do not have.. am thinking realstically

I'm sure you have posted a few similar threads like this? My advice would be speak to your tutor and field chair. They are often more understanding than you think. Changing courses isn't going to make life any easier. Every course has its good and fun parts alongside tough and boring ones, not one or the other.

What about switching to part time?

Yep I have posted similar threads to this one.

I have spoken to my personal tutor, and we both talked about me, giving it a couple of days first to see how it goes.. but I shouldnt leave it too long, or I wont be able to change.. you are probabaly right in the fact that changing courses may not improve or do anything.. the only difference being that I would be able to go into the 2nd or 3rd year as I have the HND, which will allow me to top it up.

I was just thinking of going part time today, and I shell enquire about this tomorrow

You can't have it both ways. If you're capable of doing the degree then you should stick with it, if you're not then there's no point even mentioning your your HND since it obviously hasn't prepared you for the course.

Shouldn't you be discussing this with your course director, tutor, or equivalent? Rather than expecting people who don't know you at all to advise you? It's almost as if you want people to tell you what you want to hear rather than speaking to someone who will be honest with you.

I will be honest with you - your qualifications aren't very distinguished at all. Your HND is no doubt useful, but given the D at GCSE maths I'm not convinced you're very well cut out for architecture which is a mathematical and engineering discipline as much as it is a design one.

The one thing you DO have going for you is that you were accepted on the course, which means those who run it thought you would be able to cope with it - and that is not the same as saying that they though you would find it straightforward! It's really those people (i.e. course directors, tutors etc) you should be approaching if you feel you've bitten off more than you can chew. You will be able to be specific about which elements you're finding difficult and they may be able to either reassure you or give you some practical advice about other directions you could pursue.

I agree with you. I should be discussing it with my tutors. And I have been doing this. I just wanted other peoples opinons on what I had said.

Thank you for being very honest :) I was thinking my gcse maths wasnt that great either, and I have resit it 3 times already. Like you say though architecture is a math based course.. such as angles, measurements etc.

What im gonna do is speak to the lecturers tomorrow and then im gonna see them again on monday. Hopefully they can point me in the directtion which I would be better off in ( in the fact that I will hopefully find the course slightly more easier - less work, as you know architecture is a very intensed course.

Main thing is I am giving the course a go, and im trying my best at it.. I just dont want to waste an entire year and have to start all over again

I haven't done anything maths based in 5 years at uni.

Jack it in; drift around for years; take loads of drugs; lose your mind; get involved in some 'dodgy s**t' for a bit and then clean up and go to university when you're about 30.

Worked for me! :)

Also consider before you flip to Real Estate that it will also be hard at first and you won't be confident at what you are doing. All the same problems will be there. The course isn't the problem from what I can see.

^^ That is definitely the worst lyric I've ever heard...

...oops! Wrong thread! :lol:

Also consider before you flip to Real Estate that it will also be hard at first and you won't be confident at what you are doing. All the same problems will be there. The course isn't the problem from what I can see.

so what would you say is the prob then?

Jack it in; drift around for years; take loads of drugs; lose your mind; get involved in some 'dodgy s**t' for a bit and then clean up and go to university when you're about 30.

Worked for me! :)

30 LOL

The problem is you are not giving it a chance. Surely you thought long and hard about what course to pick. You also did an HND in architecture. If it wasn't what you wanted to do you would have noticed by now. I think you are just running away from the fact you are finding uni hard.

YES IT IS RIGHT FOR YOU!!!

Just make sure you study something you like, then it will be the best time of your life! Enjoy the freedom and the social dramas!

I know.. but I dont want to waste an entire year, and have to do another year.. That would cost more money, which I do not have.. am thinking realstically
The degree isn't just to teach you a subject and it certainly isn't something you do for fun.

This level of education proves you can self motivate, self organise, work under pressure and to deadlines. You can put in the extra hours when needed and keep going and get the job done no matter how miseable you may be feeing. . The subject you study is irrelevant.

However if you want to progress into a highly specialist field you also need to cope with the highly specific requirements and the competitiveness within the field.


Get your head down and do what needs to be done to pass. You don't need to produce genius level work - just aim to get by. Organise yourself, just sit down and plod though your work stage by stage to a basic level. Later on in the course you can build up.

The way it goes is each time deadlines are arriving at uni you think oh shit I can't do this! I hate this! I will never get it done. ( unless you are a nerd ). Then somehow you get through it. Hand it in then next day forget all about it and think you love being at uni. Until the paper comes back. Then you go out have a few drinks look at the comments again and it dosen't feel so bad.

End of the day is it right or you? Well you are asking folk here question we can't answer. I couldn't even tell you if you were my own kid. Who knows. In the long run it probably dosen' matter all that much - one way or another things just work out.


ummm - you're 22? Are most of the students younger then you or is there a nice wide mix? If there is quite an age gap it might not be helping you feel you can fit in so easily and you will just need to be more patient.


off on a tangent but I met a lovely couple yesterday. Their son just started at uni and they drive him there and drive to pick him up each day. They won't let him travel on his own and can' afford the fees for him to stay at uni. I kind of thought it defeats one of the objects of going to uni: learning independance. But wow my goodness is that boy loved. Amazing. I bet he's a really wonderful lad. Is't it nice when you meet total strangers who are simply oozing with goodness. He will have better foundations for life then any uni life can give him.

Jack it in; drift around for years; take loads of drugs; lose your mind; get involved in some 'dodgy s**t' for a bit and then clean up and go to university when you're about 30.

Worked for me! :)

I did do Fine Art though so that doesn't count.

The problem is you are not giving it a chance. Surely you thought long and hard about what course to pick. You also did an HND in architecture. If it wasn't what you wanted to do you would have noticed by now. I think you are just running away from the fact you are finding uni hard.

Yep, you are right. I am finding uni really hard. My HND in architecture, wasnt really related to architecture that much. It was more related to building surveying, quantity surveyoring, building/construction management/property development. We only did two units which were related to architecture. And they were design studies -talked about the design of a building, which the lecturer gave to us. The other unit was design history, so we talked about the history of a certain type of structure- this was done in a portfolio - which I got a distniction in - the uni didnt agree with it tho, when they saw it

I did do Fine Art though so that doesn't count.

why?:banana:

YES IT IS RIGHT FOR YOU!!!

Just make sure you study something you like, then it will be the best time of your life! Enjoy the freedom and the social dramas!

:) thanks

The degree isn't just to teach you a subject and it certainly isn't something you do for fun.

This level of education proves you can self motivate, self organise, work under pressure and to deadlines. You can put in the extra hours when needed and keep going and get the job done no matter how miseable you may be feeing. . The subject you study is irrelevant.

However if you want to progress into a highly specialist field you also need to cope with the highly specific requirements and the competitiveness within the field.


Get your head down and do what needs to be done to pass. You don't need to produce genius level work - just aim to get by. Organise yourself, just sit down and plod though your work stage by stage to a basic level. Later on in the course you can build up.

The way it goes is each time deadlines are arriving at uni you think oh shit I can't do this! I hate this! I will never get it done. ( unless you are a nerd ). Then somehow you get through it. Hand it in then next day forget all about it and think you love being at uni. Until the paper comes back. Then you go out have a few drinks look at the comments again and it dosen't feel so bad.

End of the day is it right or you? Well you are asking folk here question we can't answer. I couldn't even tell you if you were my own kid. Who knows. In the long run it probably dosen' matter all that much - one way or another things just work out.


ummm - you're 22? Are most of the students younger then you or is there a nice wide mix? If there is quite an age gap it might not be helping you feel you can fit in so easily and you will just need to be more patient.


off on a tangent but I met a lovely couple yesterday. Their son just started at uni and they drive him there and drive to pick him up each day. They won't let him travel on his own and can' afford the fees for him to stay at uni. I kind of thought it defeats one of the objects of going to uni: learning independance. But wow my goodness is that boy loved. Amazing. I bet he's a really wonderful lad. Is't it nice when you meet total strangers who are simply oozing with goodness. He will have better foundations for life then any uni life can give him.


Hiya,

Yep most of the students are about 18, which is quite alot younger than me.. in a way I get on fine with them.. sometimes I find it difficult to settle in tho, cause alot of them are wanting to go clubbing and dinking.. I have already done that, when I was there age..

I dont think uni is right for me, because im findingg it too hard.. I know having a challenge is good.. but when I dont get it or understand it, when lecturers have told me.. then its confusing.. Like I said to somone today Im passionate about that area of work, but find it too hard to cope with.. maybe I need to go into a career, whicch has something a little abit easier for me to handle.. also architecture is a very difficult course and the drop out or fail rate is alot.. I found out the other day that 75 percent of students failed the first year.

Yep, you are right. I am finding uni really hard. My HND in architecture, wasnt really related to architecture that much. It was more related to building surveying, quantity surveyoring, building/construction management/property development. We only did two units which were related to architecture. And they were design studies -talked about the design of a building, which the lecturer gave to us. The other unit was design history, so we talked about the history of a certain type of structure- this was done in a portfolio - which I got a distniction in - the uni didnt agree with it tho, when they saw it

I didn't really understand what the hell was going on until about 6 months into architecture. You will be much better off getting a degree. It is really worth it. Please just stick it out. If you are passionate about it now is the time to go for it. Get through the tough times. You don't want to set a precedent in your life where you quit when things get tough.

I didn't really understand what the hell was going on until about 6 months into architecture. You will be much better off getting a degree. It is really worth it. Please just stick it out. If you are passionate about it now is the time to go for it. Get through the tough times. You don't want to set a precedent in your life where you quit when things get tough.

Took me until my third year to 'get' it.

First year I kinda treated like an extension of college - expecting to be told what to do to pass. When the second year tutors took the stabilisers off my marks dipped massively and I started to really doubt I was up to it. Then - third year did Erasmus, lived and studied in Denmark for a year - got stoned - got drunk - got nekkid with beautiful scandinavian girls, travelled around Europe looking at architecture with other European students and argued about what we'd seen (whilst getting stoned / pissed etc). Fourth year - final project - blasted through my final project and dissertation having finally found a genuine passion for architecture and finally realised that it was up to me to form my opinions about design and prove my case with my projects.

Haven't lost my passion for architecture since - but it did take me three years!

So.... it may not be right for you? Your marks suggest you're not particularly academically minded, but there's more to architecture than that, so if you have a genuine passion for it, then pursue it. It won't make you rich though! :)

I always write down what I need to do each day, or what I want to do by a certain date, so i try stay on schedule for a crit.

Keep at it, it's a learning curve - we were told that we should have no ego's or think we are good because we know nothing and its all about learning in the first year lol (lecturer was a funny guy).

hope that helps abit :)

NEWS UPDATE PEOPLE - finally decided hard and long about this, but I am 100 percent gonna change the course on monday to the BSC Real Estate ( thats if the course lecturer will let me, and hes been away for a week, and its 2 weeks into the course already. )

Things I like about real estate - property development side of it - build and design , the property management and running of buildings , financial side of it.. generally I feel more suitable to this as Im more business minded than practical..

Going back to the architecture - I cant draw that great, im not veery acurate or precise, im not practical, I find working out the angles and degress difficult - maths side of it basically.. only thing I do enjoy about it is the designing- but that includes all the things that I listed that Im not good at

I have no idea why they are making you work out angles in your class mate. Sounds like something from the Victorian era of teaching architecture. I've never worked out an angle in 5 years.

I'm quite into the real estate side of the industry as well. I feel that I have an advantage with an architecture degree though. I have a deeper understanding of buildings and how they work. Very valuable knowledge if you want to be a good developer. You can pick up business/ financial experience easily but you will never understand buildings quite as well. It also would mean you develop good architecture and not cheap shite.

NEWS UPDATE PEOPLE - finally decided hard and long about this, but I am 100 percent gonna change the course on monday to the BSC Real Estate ( thats if the course lecturer will let me, and hes been away for a week, and its 2 weeks into the course already. )

Things I like about real estate - property development side of it - build and design , the property management and running of buildings , financial side of it.. generally I feel more suitable to this as Im more business minded than practical..

Oh no! I wouldn't have given you any advice if I'd known you were gonna become an estate agent! ;)

Oh no! I wouldn't have given you any advice if I'd known you were gonna become an estate agent! ;)

hahahah.. no way not an estate agent lol.. no dis respect.. im planning to become a property developer.. its way easier than the architecture degree ;)

I have no idea why they are making you work out angles in your class mate. Sounds like something from the Victorian era of teaching architecture. I've never worked out an angle in 5 years.

I'm quite into the real estate side of the industry as well. I feel that I have an advantage with an architecture degree though. I have a deeper understanding of buildings and how they work. Very valuable knowledge if you want to be a good developer. You can pick up business/ financial experience easily but you will never understand buildings quite as well. It also would mean you develop good architecture and not cheap shite.

Yeah Tell me about it.. they get us to work out all the angle, and scales - which i understand, cause you need to do that in architecture..

I understand wat you are sayig if you have the architecture degree.. everythings a bonuse really if you do the degree and then go into real estate.. thing is if you do the architecture degree.. you would be in debt for years anyway, cause of how much the course cost.. where as if I do the real estate one, it would be cheaper.. being an architect would be great, but im thinking realistically.. thinking realsitically does have it set backs, but thats part of growing up and understanding about it

Degrees are easily paid back over your career, many times over. You shouldn't make that the main selling point. Think what will make you more money in the long run. Having an architecturally trained mind? Or business acumen that you can study in your spare time or learn with work experience? You can't pick up architecture on the fly. You can pick up business knowledge much easier. How many people do you hear of starting businesses with no education. I read real estate books in my spare time.

Degrees are easily paid back over your career, many times over. You shouldn't make that the main selling point. Think what will make you more money in the long run. Having an architecturally trained mind? Or business acumen that you can study in your spare time or learn with work experience? You can't pick up architecture on the fly. You can pick up business knowledge much easier. How many people do you hear of starting businesses with no education. I read real estate books in my spare time.

theres loads of people.. I know a builder, he got no degree and hes rich.. got a big house, nice car.

I know wat you mean though, cause having that architectural training means you can knowledge things better.. architects do not get paid that much, which makes me think is it really worth it.. well in that case im passionate about it, so maybe yes.. but just cause it me I find it a struggle to do..
I read real estate books too.. may I wask, wat interests you in real estate? wate area within it?

I just love buildings really. From construction to running the daily operations. While I love architecture I would prefer not to work on a project and walk away when it is done. I want to be in charge of what is getting built and where. The quality of the building and I want to own it. My passion is building quality. I don't plan on being an architect in the long term. I plan to get into real estate when I can control the quality of what is being built and have a hand in the design.

I just love buildings really. From construction to running the daily operations. While I love architecture I would prefer not to work on a project and walk away when it is done. I want to be in charge of what is getting built and where. The quality of the building and I want to own it. My passion is building quality. I don't plan on being an architect in the long term. I plan to get into real estate when I can control the quality of what is being built and have a hand in the design.

thats excalty wat I want to do aswell.. I spoke to a freind last nite and he said the excat same thing.. there are loads of developers though that dont have degrees and they build buildings, and they have their names on them and control and run them as if they were a business.. while at the same time creating a high quality building (as you have said)

Obviously you could work from now and become a successful developer. You aren't talking about doing that though. You still plan to do a degree just a different one. So you have to decide which one is more beneficial. The thing is you don't need a real estate degree to be a successful developer (like you said) but you do need to study an architecture degree to get deep understanding of architecture. To be a developer who has been trained as an architect, to have actually designed buildings is a massive benefit. It also trains your mind to work under pressure, to work to big deadlines, to use your mind creatively, etc. You won't get this in a real estate degree. It will just be studying and exams I would assume. An architecture degree really gets your juices going in a way that some lectures and exams won't. You will be a much more confident, intelligent person at the end of it. If you want to do the work you will also be a registered architect. If you do the real estate degree then you can never do that.

I was also thinking. One of things you were finding hard is getting to know people at uni. I think this would be much worse in a real estate degree. Im assuming it would be a course with mainly lectures and exams. You will find it hard to get to know anyone in this setup. Surely less than in a studio environment where you have to work with other people.