Guide on how to jumpstart your career as an architect, Student tutor advice

Guide On How To Jumpstart Your Career As An Architect Advice

14 Feb 2022

A Complete Guide On How To Jumpstart Your Career As An Architect

Maybe you’ve recently graduated from school and are looking to find your career but finding yourself at a crossroads. Maybe you’re an architect who is struggling to make it in the field or even branch off into something else. Whatever the case, there’s no need to worry because this article will explain everything for you!

Take summer classes

If you’re still in school, take more summer classes. Many schools offer online and evening courses to make it easier to attend a summer school for architecture for busy adults like you! It’s easy to become immersed in your studies, but adding a summer course or finding assistance via Tutor Hunt gives you the opportunity to strengthen your resume. Even if you’re just taking one class, it can show that you’re eager to learn more about architecture and/or are willing to take on extra work during semesters.

Don’t stop at your bachelor’s degree

If you already have a four-year diploma, consider going back to school or obtaining an advanced degree. You can also take some graduate-level courses as an undergrad and apply them towards your higher degree. Get yourself certified and be open to the prospect of starting your architecture firm. Become a licensed architect after completing the requirements of the Intern Development Program (IDP) and passing all three sections of the Architect Registration Exam (ARE). Then, establish yourself with on-the-job experience and continue on the path to success.

Know what kind of architecture do you want to practice

Discuss with your family and friends what kind of architecture you would want to practice. From timeless classics, modern aesthetics, contemporary, and ultramodern designs, discuss all types of architectural styles that someone can go into. Do not limit yourself based on popular theory which states one should specialize themselves early on in order to be successful – choose whatever interests you. You’ll find out that the more you know about different niches, you’ll be able to make an informed decision on which niche better suits your interests.

Know what makes you a distinct architect

Examine yourself as a person first (if you don’t already know) and know yourself better before you head out into the big world of architecture. Do you like working by yourself or in a team? What kinds of people do you like spending time with? Is it through work or leisure activities that you get to know these types of people? These questions are important because architecture is not just about drawing up concepts and building aesthetically pleasing buildings – it’s also about working together with other humans to get things done!

Determine how you can use what you’re good at

You should now have an idea of what kind of architectural career vector you want to go into. Now it’s time to look at yourself and figure out what your strengths are as a person. Some people have good comprehension skills or spatial reasoning skills, others might have a keen eye for aesthetics, tell them about the different kinds of traits that one can possess – do not be humble about this because knowing oneself can help determine what direction they should push themselves towards. Why not use tutorhouse.co.uk for making your perfect creative portfolio?

Know what to do about your weaknesses

Now it’s time to look at yourself and figure out what your weaknesses are as a person. You don’t want these weaknesses to turn into detriments later on so you need to take measures now in order for them not to become bigger problems later on! This step is important because most people hate asking questions or asking for help.

Network with professionals in the field

Once you have finished an introspective examination of yourself, it’s time to look at the outside world and think of your career. One of the first steps to jumpstarting your career as an architect is by building up your connections with other professionals in the industry. You can do this by attending local industry events, joining professional networks, or even starting one yourself if there isn’t one already out there for you to join! It’s important that you develop relationships with others because it’ll eventually lead to opportunities (and let’s face it; who doesn’t like free work?)

Broaden your skillset

Another thing that experts believe is extremely important when trying to further one’s career as an architect is expanding their skillset. For example, learning new software programs might be useful even though you’re fresh out of architecture school – even if they seem tedious and boring at first – because it’ll make you more valuable inside of an office. And who knows, you might even end up finding that one program that sparks your interest in architecture even more than before!

When trying to jumpstart your career though, don’t just focus on adding new software to the list; consider starting a side project or two as well. Working on personal projects can not only help you find out what type of architecture attracts you; but also keep your skills sharp and allow you to network even further with professionals in the field. When using this guide for example: why not create a whimsical treehouse for children? Or perhaps a sleek modern home would be better?

Creating these projects could potentially lead to opportunities because we all know how we architects like to show off our work (just make sure you don’t fall into the trap of creating projects that are too ‘out there’ to be feasible.)

Develop a solid portfolio

This is one of the most important steps when trying to jumpstart your career as an architect. However, it’s also one of the most common mistakes that new architects make. They think that just because they graduated architecture school with high marks and have tons of ideas floating in their heads; this automatically entitles them to have an amazing-looking portfolio, right? Wrong! Here’s why:

When designing your portfolio, remember that it’ll probably be passed around several times for peer review – so always ensure that it is neat, clean, professional-looking, and easy to navigate. Of course, there’s no need to dumb things down and make it ‘sterile-looking’ because architects should be creative and innovative in their work; but it’s crucial to keep in mind that you’re not the only person who’ll ever look at your portfolio – so avoid using too many bright colors or weird fonts.

Remember: employers want potential employees with great portfolios because it literally sells them on hiring you for the job! Since this is such an important document when jumpstarting your career as an architect, remember to take your time when designing it.

There can be many things that prevent you from jumpstarting your career. The best thing you can do now is to take that step, decide what kind of architecture you want to practice, and then work towards that goal. With enough determination and passion, you will be on your way to a rewarding career. Just believe in yourself and that anything is possible!

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