Things one should remember before pursuing Architect?

Architecture (B.Arch and M.Arch.) is a very creative field where pre-planned strategies don’t work, and instant creativity brings the most favourable outcomes.

In a country like India, being an Architect, you will have many advantages to enter any field you want, for instance, designing landscapes and many other fields. The road to architecture is rocky that gets smoother sometimes and rougher the other times. Therefore, an Architecture career in India comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Hundreds of thoughts come into mind as to why choose architecture as a profession and are worth it, but there are certain points that a person should remember before pursuing architecture as a career:

• REAL HARD WORK – Architects need to put in long hours every day to prepare one work model. It is a comprehensive discipline that keeps you going in this profession. An architect needs many multiple skills in demand in society and is aware of the needs that society might throw at you. There will be many sleepless nights, lost weekends, dissatisfaction, and cancelled vacation plans in your journey to becoming an architect, but all these sacrifices are worth it once you achieve the goal.
• BE READY TO TAKE CRITICISM – Your work doesn’t get appreciation every time because the design is one such field where nothing is known as perfect work. There is always room for correction and improvement. The work which took long and tiring hours of the day might get rejected, and you will need to start from scratch. The five years of the course will teach you to accept criticism and accept it constructively.
• JOBS ARE TEDIOUS AND DETAIL-ORIENTED – There is a misconception among people regarding an architect’s job that it is fun and enjoyable. It certainly is, but those are the side effects of the hard and long hours that the person outs. Many people imagine that this field requires creativity and designs, but this misconception breaks into pieces when the reality is struck. In reality, the jobs that are assigned to them are very tedious and detail-oriented. The clients need the drawings, precise lines, and intricate details to be present in their project work which is not very fun.
• MONEY ON STATIONERY SUPPLIES – The Architecture students have immense love for the unique stationery items. When you spend years visiting the stationery shop, you will develop a curiosity to find new items and look for unique stationery supplies. Whereas even if you do not carry so much love for the stationery supplies, you will end up spending all your cash on it because stationery is one such requirement in the Architecture profession that you cannot avoid.
• HEALTH MIGHT DEGRADE – Architecture demands long and tedious work hours by the individuals who end up choosing this profession. You also might have a hard time maintaining the body’s correct posture because of sitting for long hours at one go. Long hours of starring on-screen doesn’t allow your eyes to relax even for a bit. You will have to be very cautious about your health as your mental health might take a step back.
• NO FINANCIAL REWARD AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS – It is wrong to assume that the students who move out after five years will be getting heavy paychecks from their work for doodling on the computer screen because architecture is a creative and tedious profession. Architecture is such a profession where the paychecks are not well most of the time, but few cases are where the paycheck is perfect. The architecture will pay you nicely only after years and years of experience and struggle to establish your brand in the market.
• WRITE – Architecture does need a lot of writing, and it is one of the obligatory processes in the profession. You will need to keep a notebook all the time in your hand. You might have thought that you will get rid of writing when you start your career in a profession that needs creativity. Still, you will have to enter into a reality check because you will not be only sitting in front of your computer 24/7, but you will also have to have writing as a compulsory function to perform in this profession.
• DOCUMENTATION – The photographs are a must, and you must carry your designs carefully because they are everything for an Architect. You will also need to be good at documentation because documentation is a hectic process in which you will need to keep a back-up of everything you create and have.
• A CREATIVE MINDSET IS A MUST – Architecture is an ult of combination between science and art that creates the requirement for creativity. The requirement of creativity does not mean hand skills for crafting with a creative mindset. Still, it is the creative level of Designing, problem-solving, and dealing with very complicated cases. In these five years, you will develop a lot as a creative person and problem-solving skills.

Also, Read | Why to Choose Architecture as a Profession and Career in India?

Therefore, choosing an Architecture career in India will have many ups and downs. Still, it definitely is worth its sacrifices because of the results an individual gets after years of struggle. You can ask yourself why you choose architecture as your profession. All these struggles in the span of five years will disturb your peace of mind, or you will not be able to do it or not, but if you are determined to take architecture as your career, you will experience the best five years of your life while pursuing this career.