Architecture jobs and careers
Architecture jobs are the positions where the discipline of architecture is practised, and they run in a fixed ladder of 5 steps from the entry role to the principal, the ladder every architecture firm and every public employer hires on. The entry point is the architecture degree and the portfolio, and the top of the ladder is the licence that lets the architect sign the drawings.
The roles the ladder runs on
The 5 steps of the ladder each carry a different part of the design. The drafter draws the drawings the designer sets, the plan and the elevation and the detail, and takes the entry role straight out of the degree. The designer moves up from the drafter after the years of drawing and sets the work the drafter then draws. The project architect leads the project from the concept to the construction document and answers for it to the client and the builder, the role that requires the licence in most jurisdictions and signs. Above that the design principal sets the standard the project architects work to, and the firm principal brings the client and carries the reputation, the one the firm is named for.
| Step | Role | Carries | Opens on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drafter | The drawings the designer sets: plan, elevation, detail | The architecture degree and the portfolio |
| 2 | Designer | The layout, the form, the detail | The years of drawing behind the entry role |
| 3 | Project architect | The design from concept to construction document | The licence and the signing in most jurisdictions |
| 4 | Design principal | The standard the project architects work to | The design of a complete project |
| 5 | Firm principal | The client and the reputation | The name the firm carries |
How to get hired at entry
To get hired for the entry architecture job, the candidate shows the 3 things the firm screens for. The degree is the first, the architecture degree the firm hires on, the bachelor or the master that the accreditation marks. The portfolio is the second, the set of the drawings and projects the candidate has made, the academic work and the internship work. The licence path is the third, the plan the candidate has for the registration, the experience and the examination the licence requires. The application is the resume and the portfolio and the cover letter, the 3 sent to the firm that is building.
| Screen | What it is | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The degree | The architecture degree, the bachelor or the master that the accreditation marks |
| 2 | The portfolio | The drawings and the projects, the academic work and the internship work |
| 3 | The licence path | The plan for the registration, the experience and the examination it requires |
What the entry role pays
The pay of the entry architecture job is the salary the first rung of the ladder carries, set by the market and the public budget the way the planning salary is set. In the United States the entry architect starts near 45,000 to 55,000 dollars a year, the figure the mid size market pays and the coastal metro pays above. In the United Kingdom the entry architect starts near 25,000 to 30,000 pounds, the London figure above the regional. The salary then rises at each rung, the designer above the drafter and the project architect above the designer, and the licence is the step that opens the signing role.
| Market | Entry range | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 45,000 to 55,000 dollars a year | The mid size market, with the coastal metro above |
| United Kingdom | 25,000 to 30,000 pounds | The London figure above the regional |
| The public employer | The civil service scale | The budget, the figure set by the budget |
Where to start
Pages on architecture careers, education and professional
PAGES ON ARCHITECTUREArchitecture degreeAn architecture degree is the formal education that qualifies a person to practise the discipline of architecture.PAGES ON ARCHITECTUREArchitecture portfolioAn architecture portfolio is the set of drawings and projects that an architect or a student sends to the firm to show the work.PAGES ON ARCHITECTUREArchitecture internshipsAn architecture internship is a 10 to 12 week paid or unpaid placement in an architecture firm where a student does the real work of the discipline.
PAGES ON ARCHITECTUREBest architecture schoolsThe best architecture schools are the programmes that the profession ranks for the quality of the studio and the placement of the graduates.ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERArchitecture salaryArchitecture salary is the pay the discipline of architecture earns, and it is set by the 3 forces that price the profession's work.ARCHITECTURE LICENSEArchitecture licensureArchitecture licensure is the registration that lets an architect sign the drawings of a building.PAGES ON ARCHITECTUREArchitecture competitionsArchitecture competitions are the open calls that a client makes to the profession to design a building.IS ARCHITECTURE A HARDIs architecture hardYes. Architecture is a hard major, and the direct answer to whether architecture is a hard major is yes.