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What steps do I need to take to become an architect?
I am in High School #architecture
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Josh’s Answer
Good question. My best advice to you is to start practicing while you are in high school. Here are three easy ways to start:
1. Get a sketchbook and a pen (not a pencil) and take it with you everywhere. Start by sketching anything and everything you see. You can pick buildings, people, landscape, cars. . . whatever. Just start drawing. While we mostly use software to do our modeling and drafting as professionals, you will always need to have the skill of drawing and drafting. Drawing takes time and patience so put down your phone (in fact put it away and turn it off so it's not distracting) and spend some time alone looking. Drawing is an exercise that helps you see things that other people may not notice. It's the foundation for the way we communicate.
2. Get a job in construction. I spent my summers between semesters pushing a broom and doing demo for a commercial contractor. Eventually I started sanding drywall for the painters, and by the end I was firing anchors into concrete floors, cutting metal studs, and driving a material lift. Too often architecture students come out of university with no understanding of how a building actually goes together. You will learn more about architecture by working for a contractor during your summers than you'll learn in two semesters of university. You'll also gain a healthy appreciation for what contractors do, and you'll start to think about your design work in a pragmatic way.
3. Read a lot and write a lot. Most of our work is concerned with communication between each other: plans examiners, contractors, and owners. If you can communicate effectively, you can do anything in this field. Architecture books are great but can be a bit boring to read as non-fiction. Read some great literature! My favorite authors: Dostoevsky, Orwell, Hemmingway, Rand (The Fountainhead is great fiction about an architect), C. McCarthy.
If you like science, art, drawing, writing, reading, and solving complex problems then you are headed in the right direction for architecture.
Good luck!
1. Get a sketchbook and a pen (not a pencil) and take it with you everywhere. Start by sketching anything and everything you see. You can pick buildings, people, landscape, cars. . . whatever. Just start drawing. While we mostly use software to do our modeling and drafting as professionals, you will always need to have the skill of drawing and drafting. Drawing takes time and patience so put down your phone (in fact put it away and turn it off so it's not distracting) and spend some time alone looking. Drawing is an exercise that helps you see things that other people may not notice. It's the foundation for the way we communicate.
2. Get a job in construction. I spent my summers between semesters pushing a broom and doing demo for a commercial contractor. Eventually I started sanding drywall for the painters, and by the end I was firing anchors into concrete floors, cutting metal studs, and driving a material lift. Too often architecture students come out of university with no understanding of how a building actually goes together. You will learn more about architecture by working for a contractor during your summers than you'll learn in two semesters of university. You'll also gain a healthy appreciation for what contractors do, and you'll start to think about your design work in a pragmatic way.
3. Read a lot and write a lot. Most of our work is concerned with communication between each other: plans examiners, contractors, and owners. If you can communicate effectively, you can do anything in this field. Architecture books are great but can be a bit boring to read as non-fiction. Read some great literature! My favorite authors: Dostoevsky, Orwell, Hemmingway, Rand (The Fountainhead is great fiction about an architect), C. McCarthy.
If you like science, art, drawing, writing, reading, and solving complex problems then you are headed in the right direction for architecture.
Good luck!
Updated
Aashish’s Answer
Take a look at this thread - https://www.careervillage.org/questions/413401/what-are-steps-that-i-can-take-in-high-school-to-prepare-myself-for-studying-architecture-in-college#answers
Updated
Ricardo’s Answer
Hi Emely,
1. My first is a bit obvious, but you will want to go to architecture school, find a job as an architect, take some test and become licensed.
2. Visit buildings and places that inspire you. Try to travel!
3. Learn to see and experience buildings both inside and outside, watch how people behave in a given place, learning photography or sketching are great tools to do this!
4.Read architecture books, they are great ways to learn more about buildings, how they are built, how they work and the ideas that go behind them. Most large bookstores have an architecture section, but if you are lucky you can find bookstores that specialize in architecture books.
5. Try visiting art museums, learning graphic design, learn other art forms from painting, to dance, sculpture, theater, film, read history, philosophy, psychology, you will find architecture can be quite broad!
1. My first is a bit obvious, but you will want to go to architecture school, find a job as an architect, take some test and become licensed.
2. Visit buildings and places that inspire you. Try to travel!
3. Learn to see and experience buildings both inside and outside, watch how people behave in a given place, learning photography or sketching are great tools to do this!
4.Read architecture books, they are great ways to learn more about buildings, how they are built, how they work and the ideas that go behind them. Most large bookstores have an architecture section, but if you are lucky you can find bookstores that specialize in architecture books.
5. Try visiting art museums, learning graphic design, learn other art forms from painting, to dance, sculpture, theater, film, read history, philosophy, psychology, you will find architecture can be quite broad!