What is the level of alumni donation like at Cooper Union? I would think a free education in architecture or engineering (I can't say the same about a free education in art) ought to have some real economic value, and allow some alumni to pay it forward to keep alma mater financially sound.
Apparently, you are unfamiliar with the economics of architectural practice. Six figure salaries are for senior licensed staff. The typical age these days for completing licensure requirements is about 33 based on the few states which have made such data available...and new graduates, well New York City has a long tradition of unpaid internships ( graduates are interns in the licensure process). In the heady days of the boom, an intern from a top school at a big firm might make 60k - for 70 hours a week and holding a degree which takes at least five years to complete.
To put it in perspective, Frank Gehry was unknown until his mid-forties, and only came to the national spotlight for work he did on his own house. How many programmers do you know who are still running a company in their 80's?
Edit: Mathew Arnold did the study which extracted the age at which licensure is achieved. It is presented here: http://www.di.net/blog/tag/ncarb/
Matt is a Cooper Union Alum. I played a minor role in the data collection phase - I egged him on.
All that. And, if you're at a small firm, you're often chasing small commissions with cheapskate clients who use all kinds of methods to stiff and delay payments. It's tough to build a good portfolio that way. (Like lots of design work in that regard.) Add in the cyclical nature of the construction trade, and it's a rough business.
Architecture is currently oversupplied with architects. The salaries are not that great, especially for starting (it runs under $50k and more likely in the low 40s).
(a few architecture boards I frequent, for the cool pictures, are full of endless complaining about the lack of jobs and the poor pay for starting architects)
Starting salary right now is probably $32,000 to $33,000. Then, licensed architects, usually licensed architects are making around $50,000. It varies between all of their capabilities .
You and your parent comment are exaggerating. The pay (with a masters) starts in the low 40's for 40-50 hour weeks. There are exceptions, but they are not the norm.
Pay progresses decently over a career, but no one gets into it for the money. (On the upside, all of your coworkers are passionate for the right reasons.)
http://www.collegeresults.org/search1b.aspx?institutionid=19...