Architecture or Engineering?

Someone brought up a very good question in MetaFilter.com. It goes:

Which is better, pays more, has more personal freedom?

I’m an undergrad architecture student questioning my career choice. I like design work, but I understand that the life of an architect is characterized by stress, sleep deprivation and no personal time.

I’d like to hear from people in the field:

*Is architecture really as torturous as it sounds (I get about 5 hrs sleep average as a student, does it get better?)? *Do you have any artistic influence as an engineer? *Are the hours as demanding? Job security? *Any special training or certification required (like the licensing exam for architects)? *Environmental/civil/structural??? *Bachelor’s or Master’s?

I’ve browse thru the answer posted by various readers of the article, some are quite true for example reader Orangemiles said that engineers think architects are the dreamers, and architects think engineers are the killjoys.

Another reader Salvia pointed out that architecture graduates design stairwells, spec out bathroom tile, and are “AutoCAD monkeys” (this is the phrase other people use) for the first 5 years after graduation. I’m not sure they get any artistic influence there. Of course, people tell you scare stories about almost every profession — I’m sure the talented and self-motivated escape this somehow, which is very true.

Personally, I think what salvia said is very true and I hate it when people use the word architorture. If architecture is indeed so torturing, then why in the world one would want to take up the course? They said that only architecture student sleep 5 hours per day, and they spend most of their time in studio not knowing what life is all about, I say that is so untrue. It doesn’t matter what course you are studying, if it is torturing then you are in the wrong course. If it is interesting, then you has passion for it, and if you know every facts at your fingertips then you are a bookworm, constantly updating yourself with magazines and books.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5a836arwi8 

 discussion going on over there is well worth reading, what are you waiting for?