Architects After Architecture: Alternative Pathways for Practice

In architecture as in many professions, we glamorise, celebrate and expect an attitude of unwavering self-confidence in our practitioners. This type of bold, assertive character is an inherent part of the paradigm of ‘success’ as we have learned to perceive it; a stereotypically white, male, middle-class character who need never experience self-doubt. — Philip Watson¹

Do you suffer from impostor syndrome? Do you worry that others are more talented, diligent, stylish, well-connected or business -savvy than you? Do you struggle to attract Instagram followers? Does office work – erm, studio culture – wear you down? Is the Climate Crisis eroding your faith in architecture? Are you quietly less-than-convinced that designing beautiful, timeless buildings for an elite few is a worthwhile pursuit?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, congratulations! As a misfitting student, graduate or fully-fledged architect, you might still have time to avoid your own obsolescence. You see, the architectural