Design and responsible for the project management of various architectural projects including; office, retail, restaurant, tenant improvement and senior living.  I work with clients who request to build new projects or come up with a design solution for a renovation of an existing building.  My day consists of phone calls with clients and local city officials, working with team members to create construction documents, reviewing local building codes and analyzing problems that could arise, and following through with construction administration on projects that are currently being built from the set of documents I help create.

A 4 year Bachelors degree or technical school as well.  Most people in this industry start out with an internship and “learn the ropes” for a few years.  Project Managers in this field usually have 4-8 years of experience before managing projects or team members.

Entry level positions: 30,000-40,000 Salary, Project Manager: 70,000-100,000 Salary

The architectural field has been very competitive right now trying to find top talent.  Most firms want individuals with great work ethic and have a general grasp at all project related aspects.  With Covid-19, a lot of construction related jobs have been hit somewhat hard with the pausing and delay of finishing/starting projects.  A lot of firms have various work in multiple disciplines that helps them with not skipping a beat during this time.  Some firms are hiring, as others are being furloughed until normalcy has returned.

I enjoy that every day is different.  There’s always a design solution or detail to iron out.  Working in a collaborative setting is also a perk as I appreciate seeing a project completed by a successful team.  Interacting with clients and understanding their needs is something I value and enjoy as well.

With having everyday being different, comes the challenge of managing multiple projects and team members during a certain time period.  Being able to multitask efficiently helps keep the challenges and stress to a minimum.

I would suggest starting to learn or understand what work ethic means.  You can teach the basics and fundamentals of most jobs to individuals but I’ve seen countless times where that’s not the same for someone’s drive or work ethic.  Being open minded and able to adapt to constructive criticism goes a long way as well.  If you are interested in getting into the Architectural field, there are many summer camps and fairs before going to college that can help further understand this career.  See if your high school has any technical courses you can take.  One could try to job shadow a few times to see what it looks like to be in an architectural office.