Architect – Career Information – About.com Career Planning

Architects design buildings and other structures. In addition to considering the way these buildings and structures look, they also make sure they are functional, safe, economical and suit the needs of the people who use them.

Employment Facts:

There were approximately 113,700 architects employed in 2010, mostly in the architectural, engineering and related services industry. About a quarter were self employed. Most jobs were full-time positions, but if you're thinking 9 to 5, you're wrong. Many architects work over 50 hours a week and those hours include weekends and evenings. While they work in offices most of the time, they also have to visit construction sites to check up on the progress of the projects they have designed.

Educational Requirements:

To become an architect one must earn a professional degree in architecture after completing one of the following programs offered at many colleges and universities:

Generally, the professional degree in architecture must be from a school of architecture accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). A few states don't have this requirement.

Why Do You Need to Know About Educational Requirements?

Other Requirements:

In the United States those who want to provide architectural services must be licensed. To become a licensed architect one must earn a professional degree in architecture, complete a period of practical training or internship, and pass all divisions of the ARE (Architect Registration Examination). In most states, continuing education is required to maintain licensure. To find out what the requirements are in the state in which you want to work use the Licensed Occupations Tool from CareerOneStop

One needs certain qualities to succeed in this occupation. If you want to be an architect you should be creative and have good visualization skills. Not only do you need to be able to create designs for buildings and other structures, you need to be able to see, in your mind's eye, what they will look like once they are built. Since architects have to describe their ideas to other people including clients and colleagues, you must have strong communication skills. The ability to think critically will help you solve problems that inevitably arise during most projects.

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Architect - Career Information - About.com Career Planning