4 Essential Steps to Follow for Making a Successful Career in Architecture

Just like any profession, the steps for having a career in architecture look very simple. However, the profession involves hard work and it is also filled with fun. Simply put, becoming an architect requires having an academic qualification, experience and also passing professional examinations. Your journey from student to professional architect could also move through various stages. You can start by selecting the right school for yourself and after that, you can move and grow through your career. Architecture could prove to be a great career for individuals that enjoy solving a diverse range of issues by using their creative skills. They also use these skills come for the purpose of getting aesthetic and functional answers. In this article, we will provide you 4 steps to follow for making a successful career in the field of Architecture.

Graduate school

There are many individuals that are interested in designing and building things when they are still in high school. This is certainly a great place for starting your career in architecture. Since the 19th century when architecture had become a profession within the USA, students had to go to college for becoming an architect. There are several paths that could also lead to making a career in architecture. You could even become an architect even if you are able to earn a bachelor's degree from a school that does not have an architecture program. You could also become an architect that has a professional undergraduate degree (B.Arch). In several architecture schools, B.Arch takes at least five years to complete and you just get an undergraduate degree as a result. An important area of architecture is the Design Studio. This is an experience that may well consume a lot of your time. For many students that may well be relatively less interested in becoming an architect, there are several schools that also provide non-professional degrees in architecture. This excludes Design Studio. There are several opportunities for architecture majors as well as for professional architects. Selecting the school that is aligned with your individual needs is the first step.

Gain practical experience

For a career in architecture or any professional field, it is essential to gain relevant experience. If possible, you should go for a part-time job that is related to design or architecture. You can do drafting, clerical work and crowdsourcing for a designer or architect. You should also consider volunteering for a charitable program or emergency relief organization that also provides design services and also for those specifically in need. Irrespective of you getting paid or not, the experience will provide you with an opportunity to develop skills and build a strong portfolio.

Connect with your school alumni

You should also select a college or university that has a strong and active alumni network. You should if your school sponsors alumni homecomings. This will also help to bring your school's graduates back on campus. You can also get your face out there across all the popular and established architects it does not depend on whether all these gatherings are called "networking" opportunities or even "meet and greet" gatherings. You can also mingle with individuals that you could well be associated with forever and be associated with as an alumnus of the same college. Alumni could also be a great source for getting externships. It’s a fact that usually short-term and unpaid externships could provide various benefits to your career as an individual. Externships could help to kickstart the "experience" section of your resume. Moreover, it will also help you to grow as a professional. You can observe a real work environment. You will not have the pressure and won’t have to stress and produce a product like a project or paper. This will also allow you to work with a professional architect. You can also feel for the professional side to have a career in architecture. It will also help you to your level of comfort in a small or even large architectural firm.

Licensing Exams

In various countries across the world, architects are required to take and pass professional exams for architects. These professional exams could be very rigorous. Some students may even take extra coursework for preparing their work. You could study for and also take the exams after gaining relevant experience as a professional. However, simultaneously working as a professional and giving the professional exams could well be extremely stressful for you. This is because you are usually not paid very much. As a result, preparing and taking exams is stressful, and all this comes at a time when your personal life is also in transition. As a result, you should be very prudent before you take these exams.