For 35+ years the Government of the United States has been slowly, perhaps unwittingly, massaged into creating an increasingly deregulated, lopsided corporate playground.
In the short run this generates swaths of development, blossoming markets and bulging job landscapes. Thus "bubbles" spring about the econmic landscape. In the long run, however, this permissive froth results in a polarization of the age-old pattern, which may or may not be an inevitability of Nature: the have, and have nots. That results in a climax of civil unrest, sudden population reduction and rather sloppy economic equalization. As many a history professor has described to us, the cycle then repeats with the cultural flavor du jour.
We may all be in the mid-latter stages of that cycle. As such, the corporate juggernaughts seek not more leadership, vision, intellect or otherwise forward thinking employees as "co-workers". Rather their requirements become increasingly simple: "worker bees". Aka, MBA's. Unchallenging, obedient managers of extant, industrial, administrative systems; preservationists of the system that perpetuates rapid profit at the cost of virtually all else. To this point, it may be worthwhile following the money to what prompted this article in the first place, eh...?
Fellow Architects, we live in a moment where fewer and fewer of us will be hired to do more and more of the bidding of Trump-esque clients who neither understand the design process nor care to be informed about its benefits. We, too,are being relegated to a sort of corporate drafting service, executing the bidding of the unethical whim.
There are pockets of bliss, however. Thus I moved to southern Vermont from a quarter century of Manhattan drama and chaos, which I loved in its own way. Here, there are fronts where a degree in architecture is of use to the local populace. I am helping fight a big box (Dollar General - there are 12 in VT so far, and some of us are considering kicking them out) store incursion into one of the nation's oldest communities. Who's working for that Dollar General? MBA's, I expect.
As the professionals that we are, we should be part of the Revolution, in the architect's tradition: quietly, with strength, insight, agility and get results. New Year's resolution: enlighten a few worker bees.
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Claudio Veliz AIA
Owner/Architect
Claudio Veliz Architect PLLC
Chester VT
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-17-2012 11:18
From: Eric Davis
Subject: Another negative reinforcemnet article on the worhtlessness of an Architecture Degree
Wow. That is pathetic. Of course, the media functionary who wrote the piece only sees merit in apparatchiks, not innovators. At the risk of going all Ayn Rand on it, there is a difference between those who create and those who build - or depend - upon that which is created. A business degree teaches the latter, yet without the former, the latter has no job either. Our country already suffers from an overabundance of "business efficiency experts" - we just rejected one who thought he'd make a great President - people who are well trained at optimizing numbers for quarterly reports but who never actually make anything.
Interestingly, I've recently been involved in a thread on the TED Talks network which is the other side of this. The question there is what is the best all-around program, the most versatile degree. The consensus there, among smart people who actually create stuff (I'm just a tourist mind you) is that architecture may be the best all-around degree for someone who wants to learn to be an innovator, and someone who can achieve what they dream up.
So I certainly hope that any young people reading this drivel from Yahoo realize that what they are being fed is just so much pablum. Become a business widget! Great. Don't bother with that messy creative and technical stuff that might, you know, make folks' lives better. Be selfish and short-sighted and focus on the next dollar.
Thanks for pointing out this article, James. While it would be good if folks contacted its know-nothing author, I doubt that the message would penetrate their consciousness. For the rest of us, winning is the best revenge.
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Eric Davis AIA
Oak Park IL
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2012 12:15
From: James Walbridge
Subject: Another negative reinforcemnet article on the worhtlessness of an Architecture Degree
This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Committee on Design and Custom Residential Architects Network .
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Once again, the media has more teeth to bite into the profession of architecture on a negative basis.
Please follow the link below to see that Architecture has been deemed the number one most "unwanted" degree to pursue by potential employers.
http://education.yahoo.net/articles/degrees_to_avoid2.htm?kid=1NQM0
I agree that times are challenging for the profession due to the economic mess a handful of greedy individuals gestated which ballooned into our our current situation.
However, I feel this is an egregious and erroneous look at the profession and should be challenged with vigor!
All comments are welcome...looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
All best to my fellow architects!
James
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James Walbridge AIA
President
Tekton Architecture
San Francisco CA
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