What is the most challenging part of being an Architect?

What I have experienced and hear from my buddies in Architecture is that one of the hardest things in this career, like many careers, is building an awesome network from which to pull from; more specifically, having great personable skills since clients are foundation to Architecture.

That being said, it is amazing how the things that seem to propel one to success comes from within. I hope that helps.

Hi! I have had a variety of friends from college who studied architecture, in addition to some people who now work in other fields who used to practice architecture earlier in their careers. Architecture requires a lot of professional study and accreditation; oftentimes not just a 4 year bachelor's degree but an additional master's for a year or two, followed by work for many years at an architecture firm before you are able to do the full nature of the role. For people who love to design and see the resulting work in real life, however, the rewards are great even though many architects don't get to be a partner (a senior role) or start their own firm until their 40s or later. (After sometimes 20 years of working.) In fact, this is how I got to meet one such architect who now has his own firm who graduated from my college many years ago and initially was set to study molecular biology before switching midway through. (So you don't have to decide for sure right now!)