Have you, like many, been faced with the dilemma of choosing between studying architecture and another course at the university, or are you just considering architecture as one of the courses you are interested in? While to many, the thought of being called an architect can be endearing, for the most part, such people have no idea who architects are and only faintly know what they do. They also know little or nothing about architect education, their skill sets, how much they earn, how long they work per day, who they work for, the kinds of projects they take on, etc.
We will begin with definitions of who architects are and the nature of their work. Then proceed onward to discuss reasons why choosing architecture as a career should be considered.
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Table of Contents
Who Are Architects?
Architects design building projects, prepare building plans and schematics, recommend improvements to existing buildings and structures, and supervise the construction process. Architects are individuals who are adept at drawing and are professional structure builders. They use their talents to design practical and accessible buildings in the real world that are aesthetically appealing.
They create highly concise building plans and drawings by hand using special tools of their trade or computer software like AutoCAD, 3D Max, Revit, etc. After the design process is finished and it is time for project implementation, they work in tandem with other construction workers to oversee, ensure that the building plan is built later. During this process, they can adjust and readjust certain parameters, such as the budget or other financials, to match their client’s financial level.
Their duties include, but are not limited to, office work, visiting locations, writing plans, designing and supervising the development, advising, and handling their staff and customers’ portfolios. The discipline is architecture, whereas the person is the architect. Architects can work freelance or be employed by a company where they work for large construction companies and large industry organizations, as the case may be.
Why You Should Study Architecture
Let’s proceed onward to discuss reasons why choosing architecture as a career should be considered.
1. Discover what you are capable of.
Raw gold doesn’t shine beautifully unless it has been processed. There is a saying that gold is refined or purified through fire. On entering architecture school, your state can be likened to raw gold. You are full of latent potential, beautiful inside but not shining. The training architecture school offers one of the fires that can refine you and help you discover what you are capable of. The training is rigorous and thorough and has a lasting impact when taken seriously because the nature of the course is one that requires time and dedication. By being exposed to this system of training for prolonged periods, a lot of personal development will happen to you. You are very likely to discover yourself and, in the long run, build life-long values.
Usually, what happens is that, as freshmen, you are usually intimidated by the skills and work of your seniors, but when you’re given time, The equivalent of how long it took your seniors to get to that point, you would discover that you’re not doing as badly either but are on par with them or have even surpassed them skill-wise. In the end, you will have discovered yourself and are no longer intimidated.
2. To develop problem-solving skills
Architecture school will teach and honk your problem-solving skills, particularly your pragmatic approach. Problem-solving is part of daily life. Architects use their skills and knowledge of structures and symmetry to design buildings, construction, and engineering. An architect’s value is related to how they can crank up creative and imaginative solutions to our housing and real estate problems. Being an architect is fulfilling in the sense that, through your work of “art,” you can effect positive change in society.
Architecture will teach you to observe and fix issues, think, visualize, examine, rationalize, and behave appropriately in order to solve problems in your wake. In other words, by having you pass your training on to other facets of life to make the world a better place, you can keep getting better and better at solving problems and influencing society for the better.
3. Why You Should Study Architecture: Be Creative
Some know how to break things down, and others know how to create them. Architects fall into the second category. They fix and build stuff. During your studies in architecture school, you will be asked to make loads and loads of sketches and designs. These initiatives exercise the hand and promote imagination in the mind. If you belong to the group of those who want to create using a skill or profession and try their hands, then this might just be what you’re looking for. With architecture, you can design via stretch and computer-related or aided design. Your sketch pad and PC are your creative studio. Where you pour out old and new ideas and keep track of your progress as an architect in training, you can also create models, drawings, sketches, paintings, 3D drawings, renderings, etc. The list is endless. The bottom line is that architecture school will give you a focus and help you maximize your potential for creating new things or putting your imagination to work.
4. Desiring to be an architect
Some of us may not have a clue until our later years as to what we want to become in life. Others already know who they want to be from a very early age and have been dying to get to college so they can explore the course of their dreams somehow. If you’re one of those people and have had architecture on your mind for as long as you can remember because you love it and want to become one, you should go straight ahead and become the architect you want. When you advance in your studies at the university, you will find that those who have a natural feel for their course of study and see themselves practicing in the future are far more likely to be more successful at the course than those who are only studying for study’s sake. The inherent desire to be an architect that is inside you becomes your motivation to work more, take on more projects, and stay put for the seven years or so of your research.
So, if you’ve had it in mind that you want to be an architect, then become one. Time waits for no man, and you will most likely enjoy a pleasing outcome from your endeavor.
5. Having fun and seeing the world
Architects are likely to travel a lot, especially if they are very skilled. Traveling is fun and can be a refreshing experience. As architects travel and see new places, it gives them a perspective on life and various design methodologies. The perspective they gain by visiting renowned sites and places often later reflects in their models and new projects. If you want to see the world and incorporate elements from various schools of design into your creations, then architecture is the way to go.
6. Why You Should Study Architecture: It is A high-paying job
Despite the rigors of training and the duration of the study it takes to make one architect, the eventual pay they receive is well worth their hassle. Architects are the embodiment of the financial strategy “multiple streams of income,” especially as they can work with multiple firms at once and also freelance online on Upwork, Fiverr, etc.
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7. Why You Should Study Architecture: It Improves your Esteem
Again, another reason why you should study architecture is that architects are held in high esteem. People regard them and respect them a lot. People think so highly of them, and they get to meet very important people in society as they undertake projects.
8. Deepen your appreciation for life and other fields.
Life is about cultures and people. We’ve said architects are likely to travel a lot, meet new people, see new places, get paid well, etc. What we’ve not said is how immersed in different cultures and other fields they could get. When architects travel, meet new people, and see new cultures and buildings, they tend to have a deeper appreciation for life, other fields, and cultures and become more satisfied with themselves and the work they do. They can draw upon their experiences and come to see greater symmetry and meaning in everything.
9. You will be highly skilled.
These days, aside from making hand-drawn sketches for projects, the bulk of an architect’s work is designing with computer-aided design software packages like AutoCAD, Photoshop, Revit, 3D Max, Cinema 4D, etc. As part of your study, you’ll be trained to use these software packages to create designs for your clients. This will eventually leave you skilled at solving problems with these packages. Another thing is that if it takes 10,000 hours of practice to perfect a skill, by the time you’re done with your architecture understudies, you should be well on your way to many software mastery.
10. Working for as long as you like
We have already established that architects do freelance work and can work remotely for multiple firms. Another reason is that you can decide not to retire from work, which means that you could work for as long as you like even when you’re well past the retirement age. This will be true for you, especially if you’re very passionate about your vocation, have connections to continue working, and want to keep earning. It takes time, a great deal of effort, and research to become a full-fledged architect. It takes up to 7 years to complete a standard university education to qualify you as an architect (that is, both your BSc degree education and your MSc); nevertheless, every time spent is worth it. After that, you will be licensed as a practicing architect.
