Great architecture has been likened to ''frozen music.'' Architects can be great artists, although most of the time when people hear or read the word ''artist,'' architecture jobs don't immediately come to mind. Nonetheless, architecture jobs are among the most mentally demanding and personally rewarding, for the architect has to be able to bridge the mental gap that normally exists between the construction engineer and the visual artist.
The Nature of an Architect Job
As with other great visual artists, including sculptors, painters, and illustrators, the architect must be inspired to tell a story, yet tell it without words so that others can put their own words to the story they see before them. Of course, architects are working in 3-D, and they have real-world issues of basic physics and chemistry to consider, too.
It is the job of an architect to blend art and science together in such a way as to create a healthy, safe, and inspirational environment for human beings. Thus, the architect is an extremely important and even heroic person, though architects do not usually receive all the praise they deserve.
Of course, it is only in the last 100 years or so that architects have been required to be licensed as professionals. Before that, the job of architect was seen as something almost sacred as its knowledge and skills were passed along through traditional means such as guild apprenticeship and from fathers to sons.
What Makes an Architect
If you want to be an architect, it's best if you have been keenly observant from a very young age. Notice how things go together, and notice also what shapes and combinations are the most pleasing to the eye. You should have an eye for detail, color, shapes, and forms. You will also need to have a very balanced brain, one that makes considerable use of both hemispheres. You will need to act as a master planner, inspired with a broad vision, and then go into the role of construction engineer, putting on your scientific analysis hat. In time, you will eventually become the artist who puts his personal touch on a building and conveys the inner story of his vision. As you develop, you will take on a more and more personalized style, and you will arrive at convictions about how buildings should look, feel, and fit in with their surroundings that will inform every building you design.
Your architectural education must begin with you. You'll want to read and look at the drawings and photographs in as many architecture books as you can get your hands on. Also, visit architects and see if they'll let you observe them in action. Visit the design studios in architectural schools and see if you can take summer courses. You'll also need to master good drawing skills while also being able to be very precise in measurement and scaling. A study of basic physics is important, too. You'll also want to be pretty good at mathematics; for instance, one of the most prevalent design tools used in building construction is the spiral, and you'll need to understand the math behind how spirals work.
Officially, you need to graduate with a master's degree from an accredited architectural school or program at the university or collegiate level. Next, you'll go to work as an established architect's apprentice. Finally, you will have to take the ARE (the Architect Registration Exam), which is made up of nine components. Once you have passed the ARE, you are a licensed professional architect and can go to work as a fully-fledged member of a firm or open your own business.
Architectural Jobs Outlook
The average annual compensation for a licensed architect in the United States is $89,000. There are also some architecture jobs where people are earning six figures annually. Landscape architects earn good money, but not as much as those who design buildings because landscape architecture jobs are not quite as technical. Landscape architects earn an average of $64,000 per year.
As civilization continues to expand and evolve, the architect will remain indispensable; thus, if you have the aptitude and get all the right training for doing architectural jobs, you can enjoy a very secure career.
