Career as Architect

Pros

• Growth Opportunities

• International Exposure

• Not a mundane job

• Job Security

• Handsome pay after some years

Cons

• Low income initially

• Less of duty on the ground

• Longer working hours

• Constant upgradations and corrections in designs as per clients’ requirement

A typical day in the life of a professional architect is not at all easy and involves a good amount of brainstorming, but there is a little flexibility in their jobs.Their work involves responding to clients’ needs and coming out with innovative designs based on client’s requirements.

An architect is juggling between multiple projects at a time.Their work demands constant creativity on a daily basis while working on different projects and getting that done from on-paper design to actual architecture being built.Their work is both indoor and outdoor and thus is somewhat difficult in that sense as they are constantly in touch with stakeholders on ground and at the same time pitching their design and ideas to their managers and clients.

But, much of their work is inside their office premises where they do all the designing and consultation work. The work pressure is high in this profession if an architect has a decent number of projects on his plate, commensurately high are their bonuses and pay.Despite this intense pressure, the growth prospect of this profession in the country is very high.

Much of their work depends on the construction pace in a country and with India advancing at an unprecedented pace, this career option is here to stay. The good part is this job has equally good opportunities in the government space as in the private sector space, thus there are enough jobs. When it comes to compensation for an architect, the starting salary is not that humongous but after a couple of years and with experience the pay increases quickly.

The starting salary in India will be in the range of ?25,000-35,000 but after being promoted, the salary reaches ?80,000-90,000 in a few years. However, the pay also depends on the college from where you have done your B. Arch., your skills and experience. Also, doing M. Arch will increase your starting salary and future growth. By getting a B. Arch. Degree, one can go into several jobs like Architect Planner, Interior Designer, Landscape Architect, Surveyor, Construction Manager, Environment Architect, Project Architect etc.  There are many companies which go for campus hiring for entry-level jobs and lateral hiring through referrals and job portals for managerial roles. Some of the companies are CBRE, L&T, Hiranandani Group, Atkins, Hafeez Contractor, CCB, Kreative House, Sobha Group, DAAR, VConstructions to name a few. These companies hire architects in the project management and other such domains.The roles offered are quite diverse and predominantly in metro cities like Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Noida, Chandigarh, Trivandrum etc. The initial package hovers around 4-8 lakhs from a good architecture company, a design architect and urban planner get somewhere around 3-5 lakhs, a project architect and landscape architect get around 5-6 lakhs. An interior designer fresh out of college makes 4-5 lakhs with a decent company.  When it comes to specialisations, one can go towards constructions as a project architect, he also can choose to go towards interior designing, else one can opt for being a surveyor, environment and cities planning is another field which is picking pace these days. Graphic and community design are other budding fields which can be explored.

To earn a B.Arch. (Bachelors in Architecture) degree in India, you need to have at least 50% aggregate marks in Higher Secondary (Class XII) with three subjects namely mathematics, chemistry and physics. You can also apply for B.Arch. if you have a diploma in Civil Engineering after class X with equal to or greater than 50% aggregate marks. This is the academic requirement to take the first step in your architectural journey. 

Now you have two entry exams to secure a seat for B.Arch. program from a reputed institute. The first is through NATA (National Aptitude Test in Architecture) which is a national level entrance exam and the second is through JEE Mains-JEE Advance-AAT (Architecture Aptitude Test). NATA is a 200 marks paper with three sections Maths (40 marks), Aptitude (80 marks) and Drawing (80 marks). The second route through JEE exam is for admission to the IITs where admission is done based on JEE Advance rank and AAT is merely a qualifying exam conducted by IITs. You need to have a valid score which is above the cut-off to get admission in these colleges. You need to have scored 80 out of 200 marks in NATA which is the passing percentage, weightage of this 50% in admission. The other 50% weightage is given to your class XII percentage. There is a JEE Mains-1 as well for admission into NITs and some other institutes conduct their own entrance exam as well. 

B.Arch. is a five-year Undergraduate program after which you will become an architect. For that, you need to clear exams at the end of each year to get the degree. Now to apply for a license and become a professional architect, you need to register with CoA (Council of Architecture). You may undergo a qualifying exam before getting the official license to work as an architect. 

When it comes to pursuing bachelors and masters’ degrees to become an architect, there are several good institutes in the country. These institutes have long been in existence and offer superior facilities with experienced academics. The infrastructure and quality of experiential learning in these institutes are top notch and are thus favoured by myriad architect aspirants. Some of these premier institutes are listed below:

Some of the books that can enhance knowledge and give better insights about architecture are mentioned as follows:

1. Architecture: Form, Space and Order by Francis D.K. Ching

2. Architectural Drawing by David Dernie

3. GATE Architecture by Jinisha Jain

4. Sun, Wind and Light: Architectural Design Strategies by G.Z. Brown

5. Geometry of Design by Kimberly Elam

6. The Future of Architecture in 100 Buildings by Marc Kushner

Though this is the best career option for someone who is interested in designing an architectural wonder and here you are in the heart of things and your design is what will transform into an original building. However, if you don’t feel that this is not your thing, you can still join other professions after doing B. Arch or working as an architect for some years. These alternate professions are surveyor, estates manager, conservation officer, urban or rural planner, drafter etc. are some of the options.

Content on this page is by Career Expert Mrs. Kum Kum Tandon MA (Psychology), M.Ed, Diploma in Educational Psychology, Vocational Guidance & Counseling (NCERT, Delhi) | View Complete Profile