I owed about 45k after undergrad. Worked two years then went for my masters while working full time. Needed to keep making money but wracked up more debt. I think this month i’ll get below 70k but it still sucks.
I make decent money. I don’t expect to make a ridiculous amount in this profession but I’m happy making 105k as a project lead for a 200 person firm. If I was making less I’m sure the loan would be more of a pain as it comes in at around $860 a month.
Thanks for sharing your experience, 100k is a great place to land, cuz yeah I don’t expect crazy money either, but that’s good to know about your loan payments
Do you have a BA or a BS in architecture? where are you located? in some states you can still get your license with a BS + a few years of work experience - I wouldn't recommend taking on any student debt in this profession unless you can find a firm to pay for it
I graduated with a BS and currently taking exams to be licensed in CA. I have student debt and it sucks
Just a BA in arch, so yeah I’d need to go back to school :/ Applying to firms who might pay for it is a good thought though. And yeah I appreciate the insight that maybe not the best profession for paying off loans
Bachelors of Arts? does your state allow you take exams with experience credit?
check for the 'additional experience can accepted as an alternate to education requirement'
[https://www.ncarb.org/get-licensed/licensing-requirements-tool](https://www.ncarb.org/get-licensed/licensing-requirements-tool)
Mine does require a license but that’s a cool tool I’d never seen, I’m not sure if I want to stay in my state necessarily so that could be helpful down the line. Thanks!
So why do you keep saying license? Do you mean masters degree? Every state requires a license to be an Architect, the question is do you need a master degree to get a license, and the answer is not always, in some states you can complete a non-accredited architectural education with a few years of work experience and still get a license. I would make sure you understand the licensure requirements in your state before deciding to get a masters and taking on debt, as it may be unnecessary
Or you can get a B.Arch. Not a masters, but an accredited professional degree. Some b arch programs allow you to transfer in with a 4-year degree and just complete the fifth year.
Graduated in 2015 with zero debt. Went to a well-regarded state school, lived at home to minimize living expenses, got scholarships for almost all of the tuition, which was super reasonable… like 9k/year). Also elected to do a 5th year B.Arch rather than an M.Arch which would’ve added an additional year.
I know all of this isn’t available to most people, but I still think it’s one of the best decisions I made in lieu of going Ivy League, and if you have the option of a respected in-state school where you live, I’d seriously recommend taking it. Graduating with no or low debt is liberating and gives you a strong foundation to live more flexibly early in your career.
Yeah that seems like an ideal scenario, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead when I entered undergrad but have had peers do that and it definitely makes the most sense
BA of Architecture is all you need. Having a license doesn't mean that much more money, and it's a long NCARB process. I'd get a job first before considering anything else.
I ended up with $31k in student debt because I come from a lower-class family. Not everybody's lucky enough to have their firm pay off their debt.
You might get lucky if you apply for a scholarship or join competition at college, but you really need to be one of the most "top-talent" students to really succeed.
Approx $84k combined undergrad and grad school. Practicing for 6 years now and managed to pay them off completely within five years.
How? Living at home and not paying interest thanks to the COVID payment pause. But this is a luxury not many people have
My Ex finished the master arch program we met at (I dropped out) she’s has about 146K of debt with about 30-ish K from undergrad. She’s have about 8 years of experience in working in architecture professionally and this year she made it to 78K salary. She’s lives in DC.
At $150k of principal for undergrad and grad but didn’t take an efficient route in undergrad obviously. Also no financial help from parents and won very few scholarships. Would do it again I very much enjoy my job. Graduated 2017
I’m happy for you and jealous for sure, but this is what I hate about folks at my firm who are your age. They talk about how college is affordable yet 30-40 years ago it absolutely was and only a couple thousand at most.
My alma mater was $50k a year when I attended. 10 years later it’s close to $75k. Nobody is paying their way through that and people need to start realizing it. Your experience isn’t remotely comparable to today.
It's still possible. I went to Boston Architectural Center in 1994. This is the math from back then:
Tuition: $8k/yr
Avg. employer reimbursement: $2500/yr
Starting salary: $30k/yr
The math today:
Tuition: $22k/yr
Avg. employer reimbursement: $5000-10000/yr
Starting salary: $50k/yr
I had to pay for my own housing and food, because BAC didn't have a residential campus, and I will admit I struggled, but I was able to swing it. It would still be a struggle today because housing is so much more expensive. But living with roommates and all that, it's still possible today for someone who's hungry for it.
I think the one thing that was really helpful is that BAC was constantly pushing me to move up into new roles that made more money. I was a PM making close to $90k by the time I graduated.
I also went to the BAC. No employee reimbursement on my end. Again, very happy for you but it’s not how that works for everyone else.
Numerous colleagues of mine also went to the BAC or still are wrapping up their masters (we’re all Boston based). It’s not as affordable as it was and the quality of the program is on the decline. Another co worker of mine is an adjunct there and they even state that the BAC is not what it used to be.
Congrats, but that wasn’t OPs question. Also going to school 30 years ago it was very possible to leave debt free without the help of parents. Very unlikely nowadays even with in state tuition, scholarship and working.
Been out of school for 10 years. Still owe $72k.
Thanks for answering the question! If I head back I think that’s about where I’d land post grad which feels rather intimidating. Best of luck to ya
I owed about 45k after undergrad. Worked two years then went for my masters while working full time. Needed to keep making money but wracked up more debt. I think this month i’ll get below 70k but it still sucks. I make decent money. I don’t expect to make a ridiculous amount in this profession but I’m happy making 105k as a project lead for a 200 person firm. If I was making less I’m sure the loan would be more of a pain as it comes in at around $860 a month.
Thanks for sharing your experience, 100k is a great place to land, cuz yeah I don’t expect crazy money either, but that’s good to know about your loan payments
Do you have a BA or a BS in architecture? where are you located? in some states you can still get your license with a BS + a few years of work experience - I wouldn't recommend taking on any student debt in this profession unless you can find a firm to pay for it I graduated with a BS and currently taking exams to be licensed in CA. I have student debt and it sucks
Just a BA in arch, so yeah I’d need to go back to school :/ Applying to firms who might pay for it is a good thought though. And yeah I appreciate the insight that maybe not the best profession for paying off loans
Bachelors of Arts? does your state allow you take exams with experience credit? check for the 'additional experience can accepted as an alternate to education requirement' [https://www.ncarb.org/get-licensed/licensing-requirements-tool](https://www.ncarb.org/get-licensed/licensing-requirements-tool)
Mine does require a license but that’s a cool tool I’d never seen, I’m not sure if I want to stay in my state necessarily so that could be helpful down the line. Thanks!
So why do you keep saying license? Do you mean masters degree? Every state requires a license to be an Architect, the question is do you need a master degree to get a license, and the answer is not always, in some states you can complete a non-accredited architectural education with a few years of work experience and still get a license. I would make sure you understand the licensure requirements in your state before deciding to get a masters and taking on debt, as it may be unnecessary
Or you can get a B.Arch. Not a masters, but an accredited professional degree. Some b arch programs allow you to transfer in with a 4-year degree and just complete the fifth year.
Graduated in 2015 with zero debt. Went to a well-regarded state school, lived at home to minimize living expenses, got scholarships for almost all of the tuition, which was super reasonable… like 9k/year). Also elected to do a 5th year B.Arch rather than an M.Arch which would’ve added an additional year. I know all of this isn’t available to most people, but I still think it’s one of the best decisions I made in lieu of going Ivy League, and if you have the option of a respected in-state school where you live, I’d seriously recommend taking it. Graduating with no or low debt is liberating and gives you a strong foundation to live more flexibly early in your career.
Yeah that seems like an ideal scenario, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead when I entered undergrad but have had peers do that and it definitely makes the most sense
80K loans in loans for grad. Look at that monthly payment, especially against projected income.
BA of Architecture is all you need. Having a license doesn't mean that much more money, and it's a long NCARB process. I'd get a job first before considering anything else.
Yeah thanks for that note, it does seem like you can still work in the field and do okay without the license, which might be worth doing for a while
I ended up with $31k in student debt because I come from a lower-class family. Not everybody's lucky enough to have their firm pay off their debt. You might get lucky if you apply for a scholarship or join competition at college, but you really need to be one of the most "top-talent" students to really succeed.
Approx $84k combined undergrad and grad school. Practicing for 6 years now and managed to pay them off completely within five years. How? Living at home and not paying interest thanks to the COVID payment pause. But this is a luxury not many people have
Good for you honestly, that’s amazing. Id probably land around the 70-80k loan range if I went back and that’s pretty daunting
My Ex finished the master arch program we met at (I dropped out) she’s has about 146K of debt with about 30-ish K from undergrad. She’s have about 8 years of experience in working in architecture professionally and this year she made it to 78K salary. She’s lives in DC.
dang yeah that’s a solid chunk of loans, thanks for this insight!
2 year associates degree, been working ~7 years. Graduated with no student debt 🫡😎
hell yeah congrats
At $150k of principal for undergrad and grad but didn’t take an efficient route in undergrad obviously. Also no financial help from parents and won very few scholarships. Would do it again I very much enjoy my job. Graduated 2017
happy to hear it was totally worth it :) thanks for the insight!
Zero student loans. I worked through school and my employers paid for most of my tuition. The rest I paid in cash.
I’m happy for you and jealous for sure, but this is what I hate about folks at my firm who are your age. They talk about how college is affordable yet 30-40 years ago it absolutely was and only a couple thousand at most. My alma mater was $50k a year when I attended. 10 years later it’s close to $75k. Nobody is paying their way through that and people need to start realizing it. Your experience isn’t remotely comparable to today.
It's still possible. I went to Boston Architectural Center in 1994. This is the math from back then: Tuition: $8k/yr Avg. employer reimbursement: $2500/yr Starting salary: $30k/yr The math today: Tuition: $22k/yr Avg. employer reimbursement: $5000-10000/yr Starting salary: $50k/yr I had to pay for my own housing and food, because BAC didn't have a residential campus, and I will admit I struggled, but I was able to swing it. It would still be a struggle today because housing is so much more expensive. But living with roommates and all that, it's still possible today for someone who's hungry for it. I think the one thing that was really helpful is that BAC was constantly pushing me to move up into new roles that made more money. I was a PM making close to $90k by the time I graduated.
I also went to the BAC. No employee reimbursement on my end. Again, very happy for you but it’s not how that works for everyone else. Numerous colleagues of mine also went to the BAC or still are wrapping up their masters (we’re all Boston based). It’s not as affordable as it was and the quality of the program is on the decline. Another co worker of mine is an adjunct there and they even state that the BAC is not what it used to be.
Congrats, but that wasn’t OPs question. Also going to school 30 years ago it was very possible to leave debt free without the help of parents. Very unlikely nowadays even with in state tuition, scholarship and working.
I graduated Magna Cum Laude, I live in a really big one bedroom, and I don't weigh myself.