Job Responsibilities
Supervise team of designers and junior architects in project
cycle from initial concept through design development, production
of working drawings and construction administration. Serve as
client liaison in discussing project needs, scheduling, and
budget. Oversee team assignments and productivity. Attend
project meetings and provide on-site technical support. Review
client billing, consultant contracts and project expenses.
Regarding time spent: 2 hours/day on project administration;
balance of day on production supervision; attend site meetings
once or more a week.
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Job Requirements
There is a four year degree for a B.A. in architecture, as well
as a 5 year professional degree. The program is very intense
with classes including trigonometry, physics, calculus, design,
history of architecture, materials and methods, and some optional
core classes (i.e. psychology, photography, writing, political
science, etc.) Most are 3 credits except for the design classes
which are usually 5 credits. The design classes are the most
time consuming and difficult, often requiring "charettes" which
are all nighters in order to complete final presentations (plans,
elevations, renderings, models). The professors are usually
involved in their own architectural practices, so they bring some
real life experience to the classroom. Projects are often real
sites which require field surveys and analysis. The architecture
program in general is very competitive; with few top grades (A's)
awarded.
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Uppers
The architecture field offers lots of future options: interior design, new
construction, property management. There are also various project types such as
residential, healthcare, banking, retail, etc. so there is much possibility to
learn and grow. There is opportunity for various personality types including
creative positions (i.e. designer), as well as technical (i.e. draftsperson) and
management (i.e. project manager).
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Downers
The worst parts of the job is the hours and pressure to produce.
The school "charettes" or all-nighter mentality is an accepted
part of this profession. In order to stay competitive,
principals often contract projects at rates too low to allow for
quality and profit. Also, there is not much security in the
field. More and more architecture firms hire on a contract basis
and use aggressive lay-off tactics to control their overhead.
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Lifestyle
This occupation has traditionally been difficult to weather
through economic trends. In the past 20 years there have been 2
or 3 major down cycles which affected the construction industry
directly (thus affecting architecture/design). In architecture
school, we were repeatedly told "only 10% of those who study
architecture ever make it in the field." I'm not sure about
those statistics today. However, if this is a passion, I would
definitely encourage job seekers to "go for it" in pursuing this
field. You only live once. But be smart about it, and be
prepared to go through cycles of employment highs and lows.
Maybe the best tip would be to have a second area of interest or
skill to fall back on during those difficult times.
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Compensation
The pay scale is decent with a mid-level architect earning an
average of $65,000/yr. depending on industry sector and
location. Large companies often offer modest-generous bonuses,
stock options and health insurance; while small companies only
sometimes offer bonuses (modest) and health insurance.
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Advice to Jobseekers
This occupation has traditionally been difficult to weather
through economic trends. In the past 20 years there have been 2
or 3 major down cycles which affected the construction industry
directly (thus affecting architecture/design). In architecture
school, we were repeatedly told "only 10% of those who study
architecture ever make it in the field." I'm not sure about
those statistics today. However, if this is a passion, I would
definitely encourage job seekers to "go for it" in pursuing this
field. You only live once. But be smart about it, and be
prepared to go through cycles of employment highs and lows.
Maybe the best tip would be to have a second area of interest or
skill to fall back on during those difficult times.
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