As we already mentioned, being an architect is a long-term career. This isn’t to say that after graduation you immediately get to design skyscrapers or spend your days painting roofs green!

Most people are under the impression that becoming an architect means attending school for three years and then boom, you’re done. Unfortunately, this can be false information.

It may sound crazy but not everyone who graduates with an architecture degree gets hired as an architect right away. In fact, most architects were never officially “architects” at all!

Many start off in related fields (e.g., interior designing) before switching over to architectural practice. Others choose to pursue another degree (such as business or engineering), making it seem likelier that they’ll one day become architects.

The truth is, there is no hard rule about how many additional degrees someone needs to be considered professional. It really depends on what kind of architect each employer wants to hire and what position they feel qualified to offer.

But overall, employers look more favorably on candidates with either an undergraduate degree in art, landscape architecture, or design, or those who have completed some form of postgraduate education such as fashion merchandising, interior decoration, or management.

These non-degree programs don’t qualify as academic courses but rather practical experiences which help equip you with the tools necessary to work as an architect.

Decide on a degree

As we mentioned before, just because you decide to go into architecture does not mean that you have to be an architect! Most major universities offer at least one degree in architectural design or building construction. Some even have more than one!

Most students are very passionate about designing buildings so this is definitely a career choice. If you want to keep your dreams of becoming an architect alive, you must consider what program is right for you.

The most important thing to know about educational programs in architecture is how long they take. Many people assume that attending school for architects is like going to Harvard where you can get your bachelor’s degree and then graduate with a masters. This isn’t always the case though!

Some schools may offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees but it could easily be years until you start working as an architect.

Apply to schools

The next step in architecture school is deciding which program to apply to. There are many different programs, each with their own level of certification and degree structure. You can check out our article here that lists some popular architectural style courses and links to each school’s website.

Most colleges offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Undergraduate students may be able to work while studying for your bachelor’s or master’s degree, but most architects already have at least one so they must look into obtaining their license before teaching anywhere!

Architectural design professionals typically earn around $60-$80 per hour depending on what area of practice they're in. Add in about $15-20k in student loans and you've got yourself a nice salary!

Be aware that employment opportunities will vary by season, election years (for politicians) and general economic conditions. A recession (like we had recently in 2008 and 2009) has affected how well paying jobs are these days.

Decide what location is best

Now that you have determined that you are interested in architecture, your next step will be to determine which school to attend or if it even makes sense to go into school immediately after high school. This article has discussed some of the different types of architectural programs, so you already have an idea of what kind of program you would like to pursue.

Most schools offer several routes beyond their Bachelor’s degree. Some may offer a Master’s degree, others may only offer professional certificates, while some may even offer both! All these additional degrees give you more opportunities than just being an architect.

Some people choose to remain in the field as architects with either a master’s or certificate, but they may also want to move onto teaching, design work, project management, etc. Having an architect’s license does not necessarily mean you are able to do every job in the fields, but it does give you the basics to get started.

Architecture is a very popular career choice, so there are many jobs available for those without a bachelor’s degree. Many companies prefer hiring someone with at least one year under his or her belt, however.

Pay attention to networking

After graduation, most architecture firms can’t really afford to just hire someone with no experience- that would be expensive! Almost every large firm has at least one architect in their staff who is already licensed, but many positions are vacant because they don’t have anyone willing or able to work under them.

So what happens if you’re not sure whether you want to go into practicing architecture? Or maybe you do, but you don’t feel like you fit into any particular field yet?

Architecture school isn’t very long (usually 2–3 years), so there’s still time to figure out what you want to do next. You could focus more broadly on “design” overall, or even use your degree to become an entrepreneur or run your own business – anything beyond actually working in an architectural office!

Networking is the key here. There are always people around you doing things, talking about things, getting involved in things. Find those patterns and how to add value to them, then stick with it.

That includes meeting other professionals — yes, even if you’re never going to work for the same company as them, you can still learn a lot from them.

It also means joining groups and participating actively. For example, if you’re interested in politics, join some political discussion forums and put your thoughts forward where possible.

Work hard

A lot of people start studying architecture after college, so it is very common to find students who are in their second or third year and still working full time. If you want to be an architect, you have to be willing to work long hours every day.

Architects spend most of their days in front of a computer doing research and drafting architectural designs, so being able to focus for longer periods than one might otherwise is essential to success.

Many schools offer part-time programs that can easily be completed within just two years, but this is only possible if you're willing to put in the same amount of effort as someone who is spending all night every night studying.

The nature of architects' jobs also requires them to keep up with new developments, so staying at least three months ahead of the field is necessary if you want to get good employment. This means investing in professional grade software such as Autodesk Architect which has lots of features.

Get a good job when you get in

A lot of people assume that going to school for architecture is just about learning how to design buildings, but it goes much deeper than that. Students are actually trained in many different fields related to architects, so being an architect has lots of opportunities after graduation.

Architects work with interior designers to create spaces such as rooms or entire homes, they work with engineers to come up with designs that fit their needs, and they work with contractors to build what they designed.

There are also some schools that instead of having students learn these things directly from each other, they teach students who’ll go onto do one of those things, making them more specialised.

All of this is part of what makes an architect, so even if you don’t plan to be doing any of these things yourself, it’s still important to know what they are because it shows how professional architects can integrate their field into others.

Get a good credit score

It is very important to have a steady source of income before being accepted into architecture school. Most schools require at least a bachelor’s degree, so you should make sure your finances are in order prior to starting!

Most students get “training” while working as an architect during college, but only part time. If you would like to pursue full-time employment after graduation, it is important to be prepared by having enough money saved up for when you can no longer work.

It is also important to maintain a good credit rating, as most employers look closely at this when giving you job offers. A poor credit rating may scare off potential employers that want to make certain everything about you is stable.

Lastly, research some cost saving tips to see how you can avoid spending too much money.

Consider scholarships

Along with tuition, there are many ways to reduce your educational expenses while in school. Scholarship and grant programs exist for almost every major field including architecture!

There are several organizations that offer scholarship money to students pursuing an education in architecture. These may come directly from the university you attend or be sponsored by another organization such as GSSA, NAA, or NAIA.

Some of these award programs even require you to apply online instead of being awarded at a conference or seminar. This is helpful since most applications ask for lots of information about yourself and the process can feel very time consuming.

Google “architecture scholarships” to find out what exists and get applying! Most have criteria such as a high grade point average or proof of financial need, but it never hurts to try.