Architect Career
Architects design houses, buildings, hospitals, churches, facilities, and other structures. Whereas engineers are more inclined towards the science of design, architects are more inclined toward the art of design. Architects will often be based out of an office, but will also visit work sites and talk with clients.
Often architects will visit work sites and assess the progress of the project and some will even manage a team of staff architects.
Architects often employ computers to create their design drawings. They must have a thorough knowledge of the materials used in building and the proper way to design them safely.
Architect Career Snapshot
Architects mostly work in offices either for an architect firm or self-employed and will often travel to construction sites to assess the progress of a project. Generally, they work full-time and may be required to do overtime for special projects that are more complicated than usual.
Further details on a career as an architect are listed below (statistics from the May 2015 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):
is the average pay for architects per year.
increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.
have a Bachelor’s degree while 19% have a Master’s degree.
Architect Education
Aspiring architects are required to first obtain an undergraduate degree in architecture from an accredited college or university. Once you have earned the college degree, you must then acquire a paid internship to gain work experience in the field of architecture. This internship will typically last for about 3 years. Upon completion of this internship, you will then need to pass the Architect Registration Examination to obtain a license. After passing the license exam, many architects advance their careers further by earning a master’s degree.
Architect Job Duties
Architects create drawings of building plans and work with clients to ensure a good and desired building design. They design houses, buildings, and facilities in an economical and safe way
Architect Salaries
In May of 2015, the median annual income for an architect was $76,100 according to the BLS.gov. The top 10% earned over $125,520 while the bottom 10% earned less than $46,080.
Architect Job Outlook
There is expected to be a 7% growth of architect jobs between 2014-2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov). Green jobs will especially be on demand as newer methods of environment-friendly building designs become more prominent.
Architect Skills & Traits
| Architect Skill Set: | Required Abilities: | Tools Used by Architects: | Typical Work Activities: |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Critical Thinking • Speaking • Active Listening • Complex Problem Solving • Decision Making | • Visualization • Fluency of Ideas • Deductive Reasoning • Inductive Reasoning • Arranging information | • Drafting kits • Photocopiers • CAD software • Power saws • Utility knives | • Creative thinking • Providing documentation • • Decision making • Communicating with others |
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