You have gotten your formal education in Architecture because you want to become an architect in the future. You want to apply in Architecture firms in Malaysia or in your country, but you just do not know how exactly it is done and the things that employers need from their new employees.
In this article, I will go over some important things that aspiring architects must know to help them land a job in the industry.
Gain Some Valuable Experience
Before you can get hired as a bonafide architect, you obviously have to gain a license first. After that, you will need to gain more experience. Fortunately, that can easily be done since most architecture schools will already provide you with an avenue to gain some experience.
Of course, there are still other, more established firms that will require you to render X number of hours of work. If you need to gain more experience because you want to work in this particular company, then I encourage you to enroll in the Internship Development Program or IDP.
Start Somewhere
Now, given that you are still not qualified to be hired in one of the more prestigious architecture firms out there, you need to work in a much smaller firm to gain some experience.
I suggest that you start working in public sector firms since they will definitely give you some infrastructure projects, albeit not that high-paying. Still, you will gain some valuable insight and a run-through on the entire experience of becoming an architect.
Learn Valuable Skills
When you apply in an architecture company, they will surely ask for some skills that the nature of the job requires. Some of these skills are:
- Use of computer-aided design or CAD software
- Technical and Creating Drawing
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Project management skills
- Good Decision-making ability
- Able to adapt to complex situations; flexible
- Have good communication skills
- Is able to reflect and improve upon their services.
Get a Master’s Degree
If you really want to increase your chances of working in a prestigious architecture firm like Gensler, for example, then you can get a postgraduate degree like a master’s degree or something.
Furthering your studies would signal to your future employers that you are really honing in on your craft and you are improving your skillset as time progresses.
Focus on Specific Work
Now, an architect, by their job description, encompasses a lot of things, including creating the building’s design, oversight when the construction of the building commences, able to create new designs based on unforeseen circumstances, and many more.
It is important that you are flexible since there might be some things that you have not accounted for before the project began.
Also, you need to have the patience and determination to push through since there will be times where you will be required to render additional hours of work just to complete the project’s blueprint, among other things.
