First of all, your personality needs to be assessed. Are you someone that would enjoy architectural jobs? Why do you think that you would? Do you enjoy drawing? Coming up with ideas? Do you like to take pictures of different structures and determine the way in which they were built? These are all signs of a good architect, but even if you do have the desire and the skill, there are many things that you will need to do first.
Are you strong in math? If you are then this is something that you have going for you. For instance you're going to need to take several math related classes before you can even think about architectural jobs. There will also be a number of science courses, and all of these are very important considering the type of work you will be doing. A background in physics could also do you some good in this field.
The education you will have to undergo is great, but nothing replaces experience. After you graduate or get your degree, you may want to work as an apprentice to an architect. There are many states that actually require this to take place, as many of them do not require the education that some others will. In this case, the state may require as many as ten years of practical experience before an individual will be able to sit for the exam.
The exam in question is the ARE or Architect Registration examination is the one where you would obtain your architect's license, and is one of the last steps on your way to starting your planners career. In this test you will find that there are six multiple choice areas. They are: Pre-Design, Lateral Forces, General Structures, Mechanical and Electrical Systems, Building Design, and Construction Documents. This is not an easy test, but it is a worthy adversary between you and your architectural jobs.
Though you might have passed the test, you won't land any decent architect jobs if you do not have a good resume. If you already had a resume, that's great because now you can add to it that you are a licensed architect! If you did not have a resume, then you have a bit of work ahead of you.
Make your resume interesting. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't make it professional, because a sense of professionalism lets the employer know that you are serious about this job! In addition to that, make sure that it is in a common font such as Times New Roman or even Arial to make it easy to read. Do not use any ridiculous colors, or any colors at all for that matter. Employers want to see a plain resume, and they want to be able to get through it as quickly as possible. So before you apply, check your resume!
