Senin, 05 Maret 2012

Graduated as an Architect? What Comes Next


Today, architects are very well known for designing mind-blowing structures and making them look exactly as they want. However, some people don’t know that architects also have to look after the building’s functionality, safety and efficiency. These are aspects that can’t be wrong in a structure, even if the layout is perfect. This means that architects require two main kinds of skills. They need to be very creative but also analytic. In most of all countries, architects have to obtain a license to work after they have graduated. In order to obtain this license they need to prove that they count with these two skills. If an architect doesn’t have this license, it will be too hard to get a job.
Architects study a lot more than just design in college. The career consists of 5 years of study and that carries a wide variety of subjects inside. Subjects like: history, law, technology, management, IT and of course, design. This means that the student will gain numerical knowledge, as well as management and computer skills. This is the reason why a over a twenty percent of all architects are self employed. They have enough managing knowledge to carry on with their own business.
After being graduated you should know that most of all architecture jobs are directed to pure architecture projects. Not many architects are hired in government projects or residential firms anymore, and the rest are self-employed. Being self-employed seems to work very well for architects. However it takes a different initiative than being employed does.
There are many types of architecture careers. Licensed architects can opt to work in almost any project as they are the most required and hired. It is imperative to be licensed then. A very low percentage of all jobs accept unlicensed architects, and they are not very well paid. So it can be said that the first thing to do after graduating is obtaining a license and getting verified. Then you can start opting for several jobs that may include:
  • Discussion of budget: Having a project analyzed and taking care of its prices. This is the only way to calculate the final price for a project.
  • Pre-designing: some clients look for simple designs that they might use to gain an idea of what they want. For this they need an architect.
  • Final Designing: After a pre-design has been approved by a client, and all the ideas and objectives are clear in a project, it is time to create the final design. In the final design, the client and the architect reach an agreement about prices, styles, and time in which the structure will
  • Final Designing: After a pre-design has been approved by a client, and all the ideas and objectives are clear in a project, it is time to create the final design. In the final design, the client and the architect reach an agreement about prices, styles, and time in which the structure will be finished. If there is an agreement, the architect goes on and starts with the final design which is normally paid in advance.
  • These are the most common architectural jobs found today. However there are some unique cases in which an architect can find jobs for campus reconstruction, plan corrections, building inspectors, codes consultant, landscaping, graphic designing, etc.
The only reason why an architect can opt for so many jobs is because the career includes studies for all of them. Architecture has a very constant work flow. In most of all countries, an architect is considered a good designer, manager and structure maker.
So as a just graduated architect, you should not be worried about not finding a job. However, it is important to get a license and start completing jobs that will generate experience and fame. Some of the first jobs that you will be completing might not be the highest paying, but they are a great place to start as an architect.