Architecture... is it worth the 6 years of study?

I suppose a more relevant question is why does architecture appeal to him? Does he have a passion for design and ... well, architecture? Or is it just cos it sounds interesting/ cool?

What are his passions? His strengths? Perhaps he’d be better off doing a more general degree that would open up a range of career opportunities (eg engineering if he’s into the tech/maths side of things or something design related if he’s leaning towards the creative/ artistic).

I agree with the "how many years" reality check. A lot of professions are degree, then post-grad qualification and on-the-job training. It's just that the sections are split therefore it's not so obvious.

When I last looked, Quantity Surveying could mostly only be done at a certain type of University, not the sort of University that someone with Architect-worthy grades would normally apply to. As an alternative, you can do a degree at somewhere prestigious and then do a surveying Masters but then that costs more.
RICS is missing a trick regarding the Universities that it partners with.

Can agree with the above statement. Daughter done her part 2. Now in practice on training programme for part 3 but failed the exam. Said she took it too early.
One of the top ones on the course at uni. Drop out rate at uni is high or should say. Just do part 1 don't continue to part 2.
Think she has spells enjoys it and days when she hates ut. Definitely a lifestyle choice.

I've worked with a lot of architects, very few of them in the career they expected. They ended up working as lecturers, project and site managers, bid coordinators and designers (products and fit out). It generally takes a lot longer than 6 years and the pay is not what people think and if you strike out on your own there's a huge amount of admin and insurance issues to grapple with as well. The happiest architect I know has become a professional architectural photographer and he says he earns more doing that than he probably would if he'd remained an architect. I think you need to be truly passionate about it to make it work, if he is then go for it. If not I'd delve into what elements made them point him that direction and see where they apply in other industries.

6 years of training in an understatement.

3 years undergrad degree
1 year part 1 placement (minimum)
2 years masters degree

Then comes the final steps before qualifying, this is a minimum 1 year part 2 placement and then a year long part 3 course to gain the professional qualification. Very few people move straight onto part 3 after part 2 as you need the right balance of experience and the drive to put the effort into the part time course.

From start to finish I qualified after 7.5 years because I wanted to get it all out the way so I could get pregnant. There was nobody else from my masters cohort who qualified this quickly.

In my office it took people the following to qualify from start to finish
9.5 years
8 years
8 years
9 years
8 years
14 years
10 years

As you can see it takes a very long time!

Best advice is for him to have to some work experience so he can see what the work actually entails.

That aside the hours are bloody long. Over time is never paid. I have a mid level position and regularly work 60+ hour weeks for about 35k pa. It definitely a lifestyle choice rather than a 9-5 job. I do like how easiest I could go self employed though.

The hours expected in the undergrad course were also pretty horrific. All nighters were a fairly regular occurrence. When we complained to the uni we’d get too that if we worked 8am - 10pm everyday then we wouldn’t have to do all nighters. Which is a bit of a shit response really. You have to really really want to do it to do well. One guy was very insistent that he would only every do uni work 9-5 and he got a third. Not everywhere is like that but a lot of places are.

I remember being really annoyed in first year when all my other friends who’d gone to uni were having a ball any not having to put much effort in an I was slaving away.

Quantity surveying is a great degree to do. Lots of career options, in construction and in other industries.

What about something like quantity surveying?

You can do an apprenticeship in architecture which leads to a degree. E.g. UWE do one.
Entry requirements much lower, employer support etc. Takes a bit longer.

My DP is an architect and as a bit of a reality check, if you think it’s actually designing stunning buildings etc... dream on. Very very very few people are doing that. The vast majority will be working on large scale construction projects; dealing with tiny elements. You’ll be completely creatively curtailed by penny pinching QSs saying “no not that needs to be a cheaper option” (that Was me and it was how we met!) structural engineers tend to have more say in those projects and don’t get me started on dealing with arsehole contractors.
There’s also likely a lot of contract administration.
The pay isn’t as brilliant as you’d maybe expect.

He may want to take a look at architectural engineering and perhaps the Bath prospectus for options they have that are similar which are 4 year masters degrees. eg.

www.bath.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate-2021/civil-engineering/meng-civil-and-architectural-engineering/

Well I am not an architect but I know that architecture is extremely competitive and a great many dedicated, enthusiastic and talented hopeful architecture wannabes who start off on those 6 years will fall by the wayside and not make it to being an actual architect (there are related careers like being an architectural technician or architectural assistant which can be done instead by those who don't make the grade). So someone who is hoping for an easy life definitely won't make it. Thinking that it's "Not worth it" to invest the time needed to learn a profession will close an awful lot of other careers off too. It's not unusual in vast numbers of careers to take several years of formal or informal training after getting an initial degree before one can practice the function fully independently and unsupervised. Architecture may be at the formal end of this but if he's not willing to invest time of this sort of scale, he will be limiting himself to quite basic, relatively easy to master and therefore relatively low-status and low-pay jobs.