You will make a phone call to explain to someone that their idea would lessen the design intent and is therefore wrong. This person will be your client. They will not enjoy this conversation.

You will make a fresh pot of coffee at 4:00 pm, and 4:00 am.

You will not rest until the vision that you have, that no one shares, becomes a pale representation of your original intent.

You will dream of making door schedule tables more efficient, waking up at 3 am to make notes.

Not only will you notice things that are not aligned, you will notice that if you did align the thing, some other thing would be out of alignment, but you could shift something else to align with it, then something else would be out of alignment, but you could move this, then that would, but this. This is will be a typical Tuesday.

You will know that design is an interconnected series of decisions that push and pull on one another, and your job is to set the direction that the resulting forces move and to define the goals that they move towards. It’s easy.

You will be called aloof and arrogant when actually you’re shy and conflicted. Or tired.

You’ll wear a uniform to work. Black sweater, dark jeans, round glasses, etc. It may be a stylish uniform, but it is a uniform.

You’ll spend more time explaining what you mean to do than doing what you mean to do.

You will look out of place on a jobsite. The contractors will talk about you behind your back.

You’ll be disappointed in your own home. Because you can’t afford your own taste. Your home will be littered with creative compromises.

Your brother-in-law will ask you to take a look at his lake house, to figure out a way to make the flow work better. You will.

Everyone you meet will ask you what you do, then they will ask you if you design houses. Every single person you meet.

You will be weary and content at the same time.

You will be an Architect.