Architecture Research Project

When trying to find a career it is very important to know what you are like, and how

you work with others. For example, if you are very introverted, and shy, a job that has a lot

of public speaking is probably not for you. On the other hand, an extrovert might feel

trapped in a job where they don’t see that many people. My own top three personalities are

investigative, realistic, and artistic (based on a quiz from Naviance). Based on these

personality types, I was given three job clusters, my first being Architecture, and

Construction. Specifically, I will be focusing on the career of Architects (Except Landscape

and Naval). I think this career will suit me well because I’ve always been interested in

architecture, and the building of homes, and establishments.

As an Architect, I would work designing houses, office buildings, and factory

layouts. Average annual pay is around $78,470, which is much more than the $52,661 I was

expected to need in the Indiana Reality Check test. For a basic Architect, you would need a

Bachelor’s degree, and some experience, usually picked up during college, as a paid

internship. Finally, you would need to pass the Architect Registration Examination. This

career is growing at 4% which is slower than average, but there will still be a prevalent

amount of competition (specifically for internships) later when in college. Based on all this,
I can know how hard I will have to work, and for around how long, to get a good paying

Architecture job.

About what Architects do during their usual workday? It will always be different from

one to the next, and it even might be from day to day. It depends mostly about whom you

are working for, and what you are doing at a large firm, If you are on a design team, you

would mostly be using freehand sketches of buildings, mostly indoor work. On a production

team, you would be working directly with engineers, and blueprints, figuring out how the

building will fit together, and what materials are necessary. This could switch from indoor

blueprints sketching, to outdoor work at the site, with the clients, or construction

company. On the other hand, if you work for a mid-to-small size firm, you would probably

be involved in both aspects, which is what I am more drawn to.

My overall plan to become an Architect is to take design/engineering classes in high

school, specifically ones that help me draw and plan out blueprints. I probably won’t do an

internship in high school, but I might be able to job shadow my brother (who works as an

aerospace engineer). I would need to go to college, to get at least a bachelor's degree, but I

plan to also get my masters. In order to be able to go to a big engineering school such as

Purdue, I plan to get a bunch of different scholarships, by just applying to all the ones I can,

and I might work at a job that gives a scholarship (such as Chick-fil-A). As an Architect I
wouldn’t want to go to trade school, for I want a reliable degree from a good college, that

would be highly sought out when I am looking for internships/jobs.

After learning so much about Architects, and what they do, I still think that I will like

this career for me. I like everything Architects do and that they switch off from working with

other architects, and working with engineers and construction companies. I see Architects

as the builders of the future. They plan out our cities and create new homes. Architecture

is the basis of life as we know it. Before we had any type of technology, we had to make

shelter, and with all we’ve learned so far, we can only make them bigger, greater, and more

appealing. How a building is laid out is very important to how an establishment runs, or how

a family plays. I like the idea of being an Architect because I could help people create their

dream house. Inside and out.

 Works Cited

“2017 Median Pay.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,

20 Feb. 2019, www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/home.htm.

Berkman, Justin. “What Is a Trade School? How Can You Apply?” What Is a Trade

School? How Can You Apply? blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-trade-school.

Borson, Bob. “What Does an Architect Do?” Life of an Architect, 6 Apr. 2018,

www.lifeofanarchitect.com/what-does-an-architect-do/.

“Total Expenses.” Total Expenses: IN Reality,

www.hoosierdata.in.gov/inreality/realitycheck/TotalExpenses.aspx.