A career in architecture can be extremely rewarding. Combining creativity and mathematics, architecture can be difficult to master, but the rewards of studying architecture far outweigh the costs. To find success as an architect, you will need to familiarize yourself with a wide range of skills, and you’ll need to take difficult exams to demonstrate your knowledge.
Landing your dream architecture job may be overwhelming with the amount of information you’ll be required to know. Fortunately, there are so many resources that you can use to help you study and prepare for your future career in architecture. Whether you look to the internet or find an internship, you will have so many opportunities to help build your career. Keep on reading to learn 6 tips to land your dream architecture job!
Earn a high score on your FE exam
Any prospective architect needs to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam to continue their education into graduate school. The FE exam tests students on a wide range of complicated subjects over 110 questions. The subjects range from economics to chemistry, so it can be tough to study effectively on your own.
Since the FE exam covers so many different subjects, students often take advantage of prep classes to help improve their scores. FE prep courses can help structure your studies and offer study materials that can prepare you for the kinds of questions you’ll see on the exam. Many prep courses offer sample exam questions or even complete practice exams so you’ll know exactly what you need to study to earn a high score on the FE exam.
Earning a high score on the FE exam is extremely important in improving your chances of landing your dream architecture job. If you earn a high score, you can potentially earn scholarships to help cover the costs of graduate school. A high score will also help you when applying for top-level graduate schools
Find an internship
A good way to boost your chances of landing your dream architecture job after you graduate is by finding an internship. Internships can help prepare you for the work you’ll be doing as an architect and will give you real-world experience that will be beneficial when applying to your dream job!
Internships can be found anywhere, but your school is a good place to look for opportunities in architecture. If you’re lucky you can even find a paid internship that can help you cover the costs of applying to and attending graduate school.
Don’t forget to build a network
An important part of landing your dream job in any field is networking. With the internet, there are so many different social media sites that you can use to help build an appealing portfolio and connect with other people in your field. Knowing the right people can help you find so many exciting opportunities in the future and can make the difference in landing a job that you’ve applied for.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses
Before you make a resumé to use when applying to jobs, you need to identify your strengths and weaknesses so you know how to sell yourself to an employer. For example, if you know you are a strong communicator and team-player, emphasize those skills throughout your resumé.
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is also important to provide an accurate resumé. If you tell an employer that you have a skill that you really might not have, you could end up getting overwhelmed with tasks outside of your skillset. Be honest when listing your skills to help make sure that you’re the right fit for a job!
Prepare for your interviews
Your interviews with potential employers are the most important part of landing your dream architecture job. If you do well in your interview, you can make a strong first impression and make you a much more appealing candidate to fill the position.
A good way to prepare for your interview is by building a good portfolio that showcases the best of your architectural work. Your portfolio should look professional while including as much high-quality work as possible. A strong portfolio is the best way to sell yourself to a potential employer, so you should include as many images as you can to show off your skills!
Also, remember to follow up with the employer after your interview. If you contact them a week or two after your interview, employers will notice that you are dedicated to your career and will likely be a good addition to their team!
Don’t get discouraged!
Landing your dream architecture job probably won’t be easy. You’ll likely need to apply to many different jobs and go on several interviews before you find a company that is the right fit for you. Even though this might be frustrating, try to remember that it takes time to build a career — you can’t build and decide on your whole future in a day!
To keep from getting discouraged, you should always try to work on your architectural skills and knowledge. Besides building up a portfolio, it will be fun and satisfying to continue to develop your skills even if you might not be using them in your career yet.
Conclusion
The process of landing your dream job can be long and difficult. Take advantage of any resources you have to maximize your chances of finding the job of your dreams. Remember to use the internet and any resources offered by your school — the people at your school are there to help, so don’t be afraid to reach out for guidance!
Once you land your dream architecture job, all of the hard work that went into the job search will have been worth it. Architecture can be rewarding because it allows you to combine science and math with art — not to mention, the paycheck will be nice, too! Work hard and be persistent, and you’ll find your dream job in no time!