i'm gonna major in architecture....do you think i will have a good career in the future, lets say hopefully i'll move to a nice town, will it lead me somewhere?..do you know anyone that's an Architect?.. do they like studying it?..do they like their job??
2006-07-17 05:34:27 · 8 answers · asked by sarasara806 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Other - Education
One of the first things I was taught in architecture school was that you don't become an architect to make money, you do it because you love it. If you want to make money in the building industry, go into construction management.
Sure there are some celebrity architects like Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind, but there are tons more architects who will never be known but do work just as if not better than the famous ones.
Secondly, do not listen to the answer above that says you must have a masters degree. That is completely false. If you go to a school that is accredited by the NAAB (National Architectural Accrediting Board) and study towards a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) degree, you will not need a masters degree to meet the requirements set forth by the state you plan on getting registered in. You will need a masters degree if your undergrad work is in something other than architecture or is a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. Depending on your undergrad background, a Master's degree can be earned in 12-24 months.
Getting registered is a long process that begins with school (at least 5 years), an "internship" (at least 3 years of careful documenting of your time), and then testing (9 different tests that look for specific knowledge) which the tester can take up to 5 years to get them all done.
And it does get expensive. Besides your average school tuition costs, there are the costs of lots of materials that you will end up buying for your studio projects. Out of school there is the cost of the Intern Development Program (IDP) which is run by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). The costs of each individual test. The cost of yearly (depending on the state) registration. The cost of liability insurance. And finally if you would like to have the fancy letters AIA after your name, you have to pay to be a member of the American Institute of Architects.
Finding work in a "nice town" will depend on what you think a nice town is. If your nice town in NYC or Boston or a similar city, there are tons of firms where you will be competing with tons of other architects. But at the same time, small towns with large vacation or weekender populations also tend to offer good experiences for interesting work and clients. Small firm vs big firm will depend your own personality. I have always preferred small firms because my involvement in much more hands on then it would be in a big firm. Small firms also tend to be more laid back.
Practicing architecture is difficult and has many long hours that often go unappreciated. But in the end, nothing can match the feeling of walking in to a building you designed and watched grow from pen and paper to real wood and steel. That feeling makes all the annoyances worthwhile, it is possibly the most ego fulfilling career.
2006-07-21 09:02:49 · answer #1 · answered by crispy critter 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
here's one thing to know about architecture... you can get your bachelor's degree and work for an architecture firm for small $$$.... but if you want to be a REAL architect and make good money you MUST get your master's degree, which is very expensive and time-consuming. plus the admissions process for the architecture master's programs is very difficult.... they don't accept the majority of people who apply!
i have two friends that studied architecture... one of them didn't have money for grad school, so she became a graphic designer with some of the skills she gained in architecture classes. the other friend works at an architecture firm for not-very-good pay because he is not a FULL architect - he didn't get his master's degree. he had great grades as an undergrad and has a lot of experience, but he did not get accepted into his local school's architecture master's program.
i say, if you REALLY want to be an architect and you're prepared for the years of schooling it will require, go for it!!! just have other skills to fall back on in case it doesn't work out :)
2006-07-17 05:42:49 · answer #2 · answered by Janci 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Best career advice in the World:
Take what you love to do, then find a job that fits it.
If there isn't one that fits, try to create one.
If you really love what you are doing, you will be a success.
If you focus primarily on jobs that pay regardless of whether or not you really like what you are doing, you can end up very miserable for 8-10 hours a day and just counting down time before the weekend.
Then before you know it, you're 33 and sitting on Yahoo Answers and wondering what the Hell happened to your life!
*smile*
2006-07-17 05:41:22 · answer #3 · answered by jkk109 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
that depends how good you will be when you finish taking it, coz if you are, it will be the company hiring you instead of you looking for one to work at. and also depends on the place you are going to work at and people to work with and company to stay in.
i have a friend who took it and yes, he was happy during his school days and still happy until now coz he really love his job.
good luck to you.
2006-07-17 05:46:41 · answer #4 · answered by shih 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes.
2006-07-17 05:39:49 · answer #5 · answered by Sunshine 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Excellent choice. Make yourself as valuable as you can.
2006-07-17 05:46:02 · answer #6 · answered by Irish 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yea it would be a great job. Good Luck!
2006-07-17 05:38:53 · answer #7 · answered by Jen S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it is
2006-07-20 07:41:26 · answer #8 · answered by Disney 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
audio-optometry
2016-03-16 01:02:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋