Many people dream of becoming an architect, but then due to one reason or another, they find themselves off track and pursuing other less appealing career options. In most cases, most young people have no idea what architecture is all about, even though they are interested in it as a career. Many think that being an architect is like a foreman, walking around the job site, inspecting, and managing the project. While some architects may have that type of involvement, most stick to the design elements that made this career so appealing in the first place.
Being an architect is about creativity, design, and ingenuity. You need to be innovative and have a keen attention to detail. You must also manage issues related to your business and projects.
Here is everything you should know before pursuing architecture as a career:
You Need to Be Smart
Architects tend to wear many hats because there is a lot that goes into being an architect. It would be helpful if you had a variety of qualities before you ventured down this path. An understanding of project management would benefit your career. Getting on a construction site and getting a first-hand look at the process will help you in the long run.
You must have a solid understanding of building trades like electrical, structural, and mechanical disciplines. This requires you to be smart and with a good foundation. This is especially crucial when you are required to determine the calculations that will make a building work.
Hence, you must understand all the properties of all the materials you will work with to create a safe and sound structure from the beginning to the end.
Learning Should Be Fun
Architects require a regular commitment to continuous education because you have to go through a licensing process even before becoming an architect in any state. This process, therefore, requires you to go through education, work experience, and architect examination.
Hence, we recommend choosing an accredited school by the National Architectural Accrediting Board for your architecture degree. Once you complete your coursework, then you should take an exam to acquire your work license. Once the proper credentials have been acquired, you can seek employment at companies like BY Projects Architecture. If you intend on becoming self employed, you should consider working for a developer for a year or more to gain the experience required to be successful in this industry.
Architectural Industry is Huge
The architectural world is continually growing thanks to computer access to info that has changed architecture in the past 100 years. In this day and age, the word architecture has become as general as the word music. Like music, architecture also has a million niches that can be sustainable and ensure specialization of engineering specialties, tiny houses, masonry experts, interiors, waterproofing, building envelope fanatics, and much more.
The architectural industry is so vast, and there is plenty of work to go around for anyone looking to advance their talent, skill, and interests.
You Must Have Killer Negotiation Skills
The architectural industry requires a high level of social skills. Hence, you must communicate with your clients, interior designers, engineers, and staff efficiently. Hence, you should be able to share and convince your clients of your vision and ideas for a particular design. It is crucial to embody excellent negotiation and communication skills to present your vision more professionally. This will help you make presentations and pitches to your clients comfortably.
