If you have a degree in architecture, you will have a variety of highly desirable creative, visual, practical, and design-based skills to offer employers. Although the majority of architecture graduates will seek to become chartered architects in order to practise professionally, there are numerous other options for you to consider.
Continue reading to learn about various architecture careers and how to improve your employability in these positions.
Starting with the most obvious architecture career, a position as a fully qualified architect is likely to be challenging, fascinating, and inspiring, putting you at the forefront of new technology to improve people's lives while exercising your creativity.
As an architect, you'll collaborate closely with clients and users to create new buildings or complete extensions or alterations to existing ones that are safe, cost-effective, and functional.
Architecture careers are more diverse than you might think, with options such as:
Building architecture is the design of new buildings or the adaptation of existing ones.
Landscape architecture is the planning, design, and management of open spaces, both natural and urban.
Naval architecture is the design of ships and other marine vessels.
Architects' typical responsibilities include supervising the construction process, resolving any planning issues, managing project environmental impact, consulting with other design professionals, and adhering to financial budgets.
To become an architect, you must typically have a degree that has been accredited by a statutory body, such as the UK's Architects Registration Board (ARB). Prior experience in an architectural, design, or construction environment is very useful and desirable to employers, and you should try to stay current with architectural and design trends. You should also try to make contacts in the industry, which you can do through work experience, university departments, or by joining an architecture professional body.
In this architecture career, also known as architectural technicians, you will use your science and engineering skills and knowledge to create tough, resilient, and sustainable constructions and refurbishments. You will prepare and present design proposals and advise clients on technical matters using both computer-aided design (CAD) and traditional drawing techniques. Again, work experience is extremely valuable when applying for jobs in this field because it allows you to gain an understanding of how architecture projects are managed.
Interior and spatial designers create or renovate internal spaces, fixtures, and fittings by combining architectural, creative design, and project management skills to create spaces that are both appealing and functional (although some designers will focus exclusively on the appearance rather than the structure of interior spaces). You could work in a variety of commercial, domestic, or leisure settings, always understanding your client's needs while obtaining materials and products and staying within budget.
If you enjoy problem solving and have a keen interest in the design and construction of buildings, a career as a building surveyor may be for you. Building surveyors are frequently involved in preventive maintenance to keep buildings in good condition and to make them more sustainable. Again, pre-entry work experience is highly recommended because it will give you insight into how ideas are implemented in the real world and may even lead to paid jobs through the contacts you will make.
Graduates interested in development, regeneration, and sustainability may be interested in working as a town planner, managing and developing the countryside, towns, cities, and villages. Working on behalf of everyone in the area and alongside other professionals such as architects, you will strive to balance the competing needs of the local environment, population, and economy, as well as come up with innovative, sustainable development solutions. To become a town planner, you must have strong multitasking abilities, commercial awareness, attention to detail, and the ability to listen to and negotiate with a wide range of people.
