A client would tell me that, at some earlier time in their life, they too wished to be an architect. I’ve heard it a number of times. I suppose this should not be surprising, since we were all working on some building project together. They were just working at it from a different angle.
But I would also hear it from acquaintances at dinner parties and from doctors during check-ups. “I carefully considered it, early in my career,” they will say, “but it seemed to be too daunting, just too much work for not a lot of money.“ Or they would say, “I saw what it was like inside an architect's office and realized it wasn't really for me.”
One of these people told me that architecture was the number one second choice among professionals and I think I believe it. It takes a certain kind of person to want work that hard for someone else, willing to slave away for someone else's work and recognition. You have to take the long view and hope it’s worth it.