Architecture Colleges Have A Lot To Offer
Architecture colleges are required to become an architect in today’s world. You need to get formal training!
In the past, you could work under an architect for about eight years. He could sign you off to be able to have the credentials to take the licensing exam. This is if you develop and the architect committed to training you. The profession has become so demanding today. Today, there is so much to learn that the profession is requiring a degree from an accredited school. So that is very important in choosing a school to get training as an architect.
The Best Architecture Colleges
There are so many schools that provide different types of exposure to the profession. Also, they have made it a lot of fun. These are creative spaces that enhance the development of a future architect. There are so many great architecture colleges in the United States and around the world. We are in California and, of course, there are some great schools in the state of California.
I went to the University of Washington and I have my Bachelor’s and my Master’s degree in architecture. A Master’s degree is the degree required to be able to take the next step to become an architect. That was a tremendous experience. The University of Washington is in an urban setting in the city of Seattle. There you have design challenges in the city that you study in the architecture college. So, it was a tremendous exposure for me to be able to experience that.
Of course, it’s a long career and it’s a long degree, so you have to make sure that you pick the best school for you. The University of Washington was the perfect school for me, I loved it. I was sad actually when it was all over. But to this day I’m still in touch with the University of Washington. Being in the state of California, I need to name some schools here in California. Cal-Berkeley is getting some very high ratings. This is because the quality of education architects are getting there.
My personal favorite is Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. It’s a very good school. Cal Poly-Pomona is another great school. I understand that UCLA has a good program that is being touted as putting out good graduates. It’s so important to be able to develop as an architect and have a very well-rounded education.
Real-Life Experience Is Key
When you go to an architecture college that is one school, but you also need to be able to have the school in the real world. The University of Cincinnati is a school that combines academics with professional experiences. So, they place their students in offices as interns throughout their education. One term is in school, the next term is in an office, the next term is at school, the next term is an office. Thus, by the time they graduated, they had a very well-rounded education.
It’s important to go to a school where the environment is complementary to education. To be in an urban setting is the most ideal place to be. This way you can take the ideas that you are learning at school and start implementing them. Also, you are able to get examples of what is right and what is wrong in the design environment. That is one piece of advice.
Create Opportunities For Yourself
The second piece of advice that I would give is to look for opportunities outside of the classroom. There are so many examples because architects today need to be leaders. You are being required to have exposure in business and getting along with people. It is so important. You cannot get around the profession with only being a designer. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. But, if you’re going to school all these years, you want to be a well-rounded architect. You want to be able to have that exposure outside of the classroom.
The way I did it is by getting involved in leadership opportunities. For example, through the American Institute of Architects. I was an officer with our student chapter. I had the opportunity to see what real architects were doing through the institute. Every school has a student chapter of the American Institute of Architects. So, I recommend that every student gets involved with them and take advantage of what they have to offer. Take it a step further by becoming an officer of your local chapter. So that you can experience those leadership skills and develop them.
Get Involved In Leadership
Of course, there are other ways to be able to expose yourself to leadership skills. I’m sure your campus has fraternities and sororities. You learn a lot from those experiences as well. There are pluses and minuses and people have their own opinions. Exposing yourself and making mistakes in college is important. So you don’t make them in the real world once you graduate. Those are the things that I would recommend.
Passion is the Key
Now, the third thing is to be passionate about architecture. It’s like any other thing. If you aren’t passionate about the profession you should not follow through on it. The passion is what’s going to ride you all the way through. It’s what’s going to get you through. It is a long profession in that it takes a lot of preparation and requires your commitment to be able to get through it. If you don’t have that commitment and you don’t have that passion, well then we have a problem. So make sure you have those feelings in place so that you will be able to succeed in this awesome profession.
