Questioning the exams/ industry
After three years of effort, I sat for my fifth ARE division today, PPD, and experienced my first fail. It hit harder than I expected. Three months of steady preparation. Four hours in the testing center. Watching people from other industries walk out in two hours with their certifications, while I remained, seven years of school, 5 years into this profession, thousands of dollars in study materials, exam fees trying to choose the best answer instead of the clearly correct one because we’re told every answer could technically work. It made me reflect on the return we get for the time, stress, and money invested in licensure. Five to seven years of school. Thousands in exam fees and materials. Years of apprenticeship. Weekends spent studying. And for many of us, sacrificing parts of our social lives during our 20s. All for a title that, in many markets, doesn’t proportionally reflect the financial return compared to industries with fewer barriers and significantly higher pay. So I’m genuinely asking: is it worth it? Is the payoff financial, professional autonomy, credibility, personal validation, or something else entirely? A big part of the licensure exam is testing decisions based on very few variables than testing definite results which has always felt very vague to me. I’m not quitting. I’m just questioning the equation because it most certainly feels flawed. For those who’ve finished the process, was it worth it for you? In the end it’s all contractor driven design in the industry today.
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For me it is. And it actually reinvigorated my passion for this profession after 15 years of working professionally.
It's all about your professional and personal aspirations.
The license gives options and professional freedom without limits – the ability to really choose your professional path. Want to be a tenured partner at a large corporate office? Probably best to have the license. Want to start your own practice? Probably best to have the license. I chose the latter. At the end of the day it is not a requirement, but a high standard to put yourself in to operate without limitations.
I'll agree with you that the testing process is not as linear as a lot of professions and it takes real determination to get through the process. Trust me, I went through it too.
I do want to say that your last statement is not true. There is a large part of our professional sector that is turnkey architect-led custom design. And that is where Architects can show their true value in the design and coordination process. All projects are different, but when you get the hang of it, it can be rewarding both financially and emotionally.
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