Hi, Eric here with Thirty by Forty Design Workshop, today I wanted to answer a viewer
question that was submitted from Marcel in Wisconsin and he asks,
"Hello Eric, my name is Marcel and I am a 39 year old MArch student in Wisconsin.
I returned to school after spending 15 years in the building industry as a carpenter doing
residential homes.
I am very interested in trying to form a design-build business with my brother, and do simple, well-made
and well-designed homes."
While I can get licensed now in the State of WI, since I completed the BSAS degree at
UW-Milwaukee - which is unaccredited - I thought that doing another 2 years for the Masters
degree - which would be an accredited degree - would be the way to go in case I needed
to pursue jobs out of state, or different types of jobs that would require NCARB certification.
My question is, what do you think about this route?
By spending another year and a half to finish, I could essentially use that time to finish
the ARE's.
If I am hoping to focus on residential and some light commercial type design-build projects,
I don't really need the Masters degree however I feel that I wouldn't really have a 'professional
degree' and for some reason this bothers me.
My doubts arise from asking myself, why can't I just continue to do this on my own instead
of hoping that the studio I picked for whichever semester will shed more light on the things
that I am really trying to learn?
Bottom line is, I am trying to get from where I am now to working for myself, hopefully
building a design-build business that focuses more on the end user, and delivers well built,
well designed homes and spaces.
What do you think?
Is it worth getting the Masters to accomplish this?
Will it help in the longer trajectory or am I just kidding myself and stalling from getting
started?
So, Marcel's goal is to form a design-build business but he's torn between finishing his
professional degree while taking the ARE and just getting started.
So, I wanted to respond to this not because I think everyone will be struggling with this
precise issue but rather because it points out an important dilemma we all face.
Marcel clearly states it in the last sentence, "Will getting X help me get to where I want
to be or am I just stalling?"
Well, Marcel, my answer may disappoint you, but the fact is, I don't really know what
the right thing for you to do is.
You have very specific goals, which is a great start.
As you point out, there's more than one path to get there and I have an opinion on what
I would do - which I'll share - but what I thought would be most helpful would be to
offer you the framework and questions I use when I'm making important decisions.
So number one: Does this support my definition of success?
If you don't have a short list of what actually defines success for you, try to create one.
For me, success is having three things: The Freedom to do what I choose and control my
time.
Purpose; in other words I want something meaningful driving me each day.
And, relationships.
I want to be surrounded by family and friends to share my life with.
Without these three things, I won't be successful.
Your definition of success will likely be different than mine, but it's essential to
begin your decision process by explicitly stating your definition so you can reference
it as you evaluate your options.
You don't have to rely on the definitions of others - the big house, extravagant vacations,
expensive watches, etc.
What's important to you?
Having done this, ask if each path forward supports or undermines this success statement.
Would you need a professional degree to be successful according to your definition?
Would not having one stand in the way?
Would completing your degree leave you in so much debt that you may not be able to achieve
success?
Maybe, maybe not.
Here, you'll begin to see the difficulty.
You may find that both paths support your definition of success, and then it's a matter
of figuring out which will make you happier.
So number two: which route provides the most optionality?
When evaluating the choices consider whether it selects for more options or fewer?
As an example, when I travel if I'm looking for optionality, I would travel to a city.
More options, more things to do, more places to eat, places to stay, a variety of sights
to see, and many more people to meet.
Options allow for alternate paths to similar goals and make life interesting.
However, simply maximizing for optionality may not always get us what we want.
If I want to go hiking in the wilderness, maximizing for optionality wouldn't necessarily
meet that goal.
For your situation, having a professional degree is likely to provide more optionality.
I say likely as the cost of an education and licensure can reduce optionality in the form
of debt.
This is a personal question for you to answer.
Number three, does choosing one option preclude exercising the other or others at a later
date?
This builds on the optionality metric, but it's slightly different.
Linear progressions tend to necessitate the rejection of one path when choosing another
whereas parallel progressions don't.
Licensure is an example of a linear progression.
It's a choice that necessitates certain professional standards - in both education and practice
- be met.
If your goal is to become licensed, then there's really only one way to get there.
If you want to practice large scale, public architecture seeking reciprocal licensure
as you point out may be important.
Or, it may not.
For example, you might choose to partner with other firms for out-of-state work if this
becomes important in the future.
By contrast, choosing to start a business today doesn't mean you couldn't return to
school later if you decided you wanted or needed a professional degree, right?
Number four, what is the opportunity cost?
Opportunity cost is the price difference between options.
What are you missing out on by choosing one track over another?
The opportunity cost of leaving school is: missed networking opportunities with students
and professors, academic education and all the attendant energy and value that comes
with it, more design exposure.
The opportunity cost of deciding to stay in school is: waiting to build your business,
to develop a network of contacts, on-the-job training which is different than an academic
learning environment, project experience (remember construction timelines are long), and real
costs: things like lost revenue.
As an aside, this is probably a good time to mention another option you may not have
thought about.
Have you considered going to work for someone else who is doing precisely the kind of work
you want to do in your future business?
Build an award-winning portfolio of under the tutelage of an experienced practitioner.
There's much to learn outside of an academic environment.
Don't get me wrong, school is fantastic for teaching strategic thinking, design methodology,
and for having meaningful conversations with peers at 3am.
There's real value there.
What I can't say is how much that's worth to you.
Alright, back to the rubric:
So number five, is this a false choice?
Is there only a single way of reaching your defined goal?
Is this a choice you even need to make?
Could you do both?
Could you - for example - stay in school while creating your design-build business?
Both paths can lead to similar outcomes, the difference then is execution and of course
talent.
As an example, I play the guitar and I'm a huge early Metallica fan the rhythm guitarist
from Metallica is James Hetfield.
Let's compare a guitar in my hands versus one in his it's a completely different outcome,
same guitar, same strings, same amp; completely different result.
Now, I may never achieve his down-picking speed, or tone, but with consistent practice
- the execution - I know I could come close.
Consistent execution may not erase a talent vacuum, but it's the only thing I know that
can even come close.
So, that's the basic framework; the simple questions I ask when I'm trying to make an
important decision.
Having said all this and because you asked for my opinion, my overall sense is that you're
stalling.
However, the incremental cost of finishing your degree will never be lower than it is
right now.
And so, neither choice in front of you is easy.
My sense is that school - for you - is a known quantity.
It's comfortable, whereas the decision to start your business is an unknown and it's
an intimidating one.
I think at the core of your question -- what you're really asking -- is for permission
to get started.
And, naturally, to get started means you'll face the very real possibility that you'll
come up short; that you'll fail.
You won't create the successful business venture you'd intended, the one mapped out in your
mind and your email.
To that I say, "Yes, you absolutely will fail."
Hopefully many times!
Each failure will make the business better.
The thing you create is guaranteed not to look like the one you're envisioning.
It might be better, it might be worse, but it's certain to be different.
If it's a financial failure, you'll probably conclude that you'll need to find another
job.
Is that so bad?
What's the opportunity cost of that?
Pretty low I would guess.
We spend most of our time and mental energy - as architects especially - optimizing for
perfection.
How many times have you tweaked and refined something with no real goal other than to
make it perfect.
Instead of optimizing for perfection, we should be optimizing for results.
So, what does this mean?
You could spend the next 18 months becoming a better designer, perfecting those skills,
but ask yourself if that time would be better invested in generating results: testing, experimenting,
and building your business?
If it were me and I could afford it - I would stay in school and lay the foundations of
my business.
This would meet my definition of success, maximize optionality, it doesn't preclude
alternate future paths, and has little or no opportunity cost.
You can even start today.
So, why would you wait?
I want to end by saying that there's no wrong decision and this is only my opinion.
You should take the best information available to you and act upon it.
And, I hope others will share their thoughts in the comments and that you'll let us know
what you decide to do.
I really appreciate these questions, they force me to think about things more critically
and if you liked this format please reach out and let me know in the comments.