How Do I Choose the Best Architect Jobs?

Architecture is a prominent field rife with architecture career opportunities. This discipline attracts individuals interested in the structure and design of rooms, buildings, and even entire cities. Determining job preferences depends on several factors, including working style and pay rates. Individual interests are one of the chief guiding principles in choosing architecture jobs. If you crave creative and artistic outlets, for example, you may gravitate to design while others may seek out consulting or teaching architect jobs.

Partiality to the creative and hands-on aspects of architecture — as well as some degree of artistic talent — might make a career as a building and design architect your most rewarding career path. Individuals in these architect jobs are actively involved in nearly every step of a planned construction project. They create blueprints and building plans that provide construction personnel with a template for building and room structures. Further, the architect may work with construction supervisors to oversee the project and address any potential problems or corrections when actual construction begins.

You might also be drawn to specific characteristics of architect jobs. If you have an affinity for the outdoors and larger-scale projects, for example, you might consider a landscape architecture or industrial architecture job, as these professionals design the layouts for parks, transportation structures, and public works buildings. On the other hand, if interior decoration is your stronger suit, pursuing work in residential architecture could be rewarding. More technical-based work that focuses on issues like structural integrity, acoustics, and lighting can be found in architectural engineering positions. Like all architectural positions, these specialties might require varying degrees of formal education and certification.

If the study of architecture interests you, teaching might be an ideal pursuit. Teaching architecture does require certain skill sets, however. For one, you should be proficient in explaining concepts in easy-to-understand terms, and you should also ideally be comfortable interacting with and instructing a wide range of individuals. Most positions are available at larger higher education institutions. Certification in education is often a necessity for teaching positions.

Another variable you might want to consider when choosing architect jobs is your own working style. If you are a self-starter with a solid business sense and you prefer working independently, then you may best be suited as an independent freelance architect. Such individuals accept private jobs from clients, but assignments may consist of smaller projects such as office and home design projects. Leadership skills and a solid level of experience may further enable you to open up your own architecture firm, provided you have sound financial resources. An additional option for the expert might include work in architectural consulting, where you would offer practical advice on the design and feasibility of a structure.

Most architect jobs are available in specialty architecture firms. If you thrive in a team setting where you can share ideas and work with many colleagues, an architecture firm might be a good fit. Larger firms usually offer more projects and better pay, while smaller firms will often provide more creative freedom and a greater range of specific duties. Sizable cities are a more frequent location for big companies, with small towns usually hosting the smaller firms.

As mentioned above, the size of a business will often dictate pay. Ultimate salaries will depend on the organization’s ability to attract and maintain a steady stream of clients, however. A company’s reputation may be determined by diligent research and discussions with professionals in your network. In addition, some of the most financially opportunistic work rests in consultation.