Career In Architecture

Careers in architecture offer young professionals a life of discovery, growth and personal development. An architectural education sets in motion a life-long learning process! Architecture is a career for people who love their work and a “job” is not their goal. This is so because as a follower in the studio young architects become leaders on site where drawings are transformed into reality and in society where they have a special lean on eternity.

Salaries start low and grow with age and experience. Unlike fast-track fields, which start with high salaries and then hit a long plateau, and finally the older guys are pushed aside making way for the next generation, architects just continue to grow and to increase their quality of life. After age fifty architects form the highest paid group of self-employed professionals, often claiming fees of a Crore Rupees and above for a single commission!

Adding a post-graduate degree to the five year Bachelor of Architecture Degree is not necessary, as this is a full fledged professional degree and one is well prepared to charge into their career. A graduate may choose a career diversion into urban planning and design, project management, interior design or landscape design, but by doing this they are leaving their core field of practice. Few return to the master craft!

The need of the day in India is infrastructure design and development. This task will dominate the coming century. Architects will be leaders in creating a new India! While all new software will eventually drift into oblivion, architects will leave behind the indelible footprints of their times.

Do not study architecture if your secret agenda is to migrate to developed world under the guise of “further studies!” Studies abroad are a mere form of escapism and extending one’s childhood. After studying abroad at an exorbitant cost, one must work several years to re-pay loans and working nine to five if one is lucky enough to get the job. You are likely to end up some paltry job and you will never return! The reality is; many of the architects from developed world are two trying to find jobs in developing world for survival. The action today lies in developing world rather than developed world. What is needed after graduation is few years of studio and site work, which will create the grounding needed to become an effective practitioner.

While other professionals are narrowing their scope and specializing, architects are continually broadening their horizons, working on a multitude of projects, with a plethora of clients and supporting consultants. This profession is the meeting ground of art, technology, history, economics, social action and performance based design! This is the profession where truth succeeds and falsehood withers in the winds!
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Exhibition Design

Exhibition Design is the process of developing an exhibit—from a concept through to a physical, three-dimensional exhibition. It is a continually evolving field, drawing on innovative, creative and practical solutions to the challenge of developing communicative environments that ‘tell a story’ in a three-dimensional space

What does an Exhibition designer do?

They use a wide range of technologies and techniques to develop experiences that will resonate with diverse audiences–enabling these targeted audiences to access the messages, stories and objects of an exhibit. There are many different types of exhibit, ranging from museum exhibitions, to retail and trades show spaces, to themed attractions, zoos and visitor centers. All types of exhibits aim to communicate a message through engaging their audiences in meaningful and compelling interactions.


Salary for an Exhibition Designer


2-5 Lakh per annum

Interior Design


Interior Design is the teaching of information needed to produce a desired room interior. Education in this field is offered in different parts of the world; however, the application requirements for acceptance vary among countries and schools. Interior design offers many alternatives for becoming certified. An interior design education will teach people how to draw, plan out a space, and the latest design software along with other important coursework that will prepare them for this field of work. This field offers multiple job opportunities such as owning a business and teaching along with chances of promotions within established firms. It is important to point out some schools will offer education in interior architecture and interior design, which are not the same fields of study but do overlap in some ways


Salary for an Interior Designer

2-7 Lakh Per Annum

Landscape Design

Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practiced by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice landscape design bridges between landscape architecture and garden design

Landscape design focuses on both the integrated master landscape planning of a property and the specific garden design of landscape elements and plants within it. The practical, aesthetic, horticultural, and environmental sustainability components merit Landscape design inclusion


Town Planning

Town Planning is a technical and political process concerned with the use of land, protection and use of the environment, public welfare, and the design of the urban environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks. Urban Planning is also referred to as urban and regional, regional, town, city, rural planning or some combination in various areas worldwide.

Where do they work?

 work with the cognate fields of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Public Administration to achieve strategic, policy and sustainability goals. Early urban planners were often members of the these cognate fields. Today urban planning is a separate, independent professional discipline. The discipline is the broader category that includes many different sub-fields such as land-use planning, zoning, environmental planning, transportation planning, and Parks and Recreation

Essential Information

Architectural designers are entry-level positions for aspiring architects who have received their Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch). This is often a paid internship for those who have yet to take the Architect Registration Exam which is required for all architects in the United States. Architectural designers perform many of the job duties of a drafter, working with CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) programs to make sure that building designs are feasible. Those hoping to enter the architectural field should be confident in their math and science abilities and should be comfortable working on a computer for many hours every day.

Required Education	Bachelor of Architecture
Other Requirements	Licensure not typically required, although it is necessary for advancement for professional architects
Projected Job Growth (2012-2022)	1% (for civil and architectural drafters)*
Average Salary (2013)	$51,250 (for civil and architectural drafters)*

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Education

The path to becoming an architectural designer starts with enrolling in a college program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board or another qualified organization, such as the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board. Some architectural design programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Majors include architecture, architectural engineering, landscape architecture and crossovers such as environmental design/architecture.

Typical Coursework

Coursework varies from one specialty to another, but in general, students take classes in architectural design and theory, building methods, construction technology, structural design, math, science and art. Computer-assisted drafting is an important component of most programs. Depending on the university attended and program completed, an architectural designer candidate may obtain a Bachelor of Architecture, which takes five years to complete. Four-year bachelor's degree programs are also available, but graduates need to complete further education to become a licensed architect. Other programs may lead to a Master of Architecture degree.

Licensing Requirements

Architectural designers typically do not need an architect's license. Since this is an entry-level position often held by new graduates of professional architecture programs, candidates may use the job to gain the work experience needed for eventual architect licensure. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, architects need a license to practice in all states. Specific prerequisites vary from one state to the next.

In most states, licensure involves first obtaining a degree in architecture or a closely related field and completing relevant training experience, such as working as a junior associate for a specified length of time. They must also earn a passing score on the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). Certain architectural design specialties require taking a related exam instead. For example, landscape architects must pass the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE). Since an architectural designer can specialize in one of several possibilities, it's important to complete the right program and take the right exam for the specialty of choice.

Professional Internship

The training portion of the licensing requirement involves completing a professional three-year internship. During this period, the architectural design candidate earns a salary while working in an architectural field under close supervision of a licensed or registered architect. In all, completing one's education, doing an internship and passing a professional exam is a process that will take 8-10 years to achieve.

Employment Outlook and Salary Information

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for architectural and civil drafters in 2013 was $51,250. Between 2012 and 2022, the BLS predicted that employment levels for the same position would only increase by 1%. This may be explained by the fact that many architectural designers go on to become architects. During the same period, employment for architects, except naval and landscape architects, is predicted to increase by 17%. In 2013, the BLS reported an annual average salary of $79,650 for architects, except naval and landscape.