Being an interior designer can be more than what you think it entails. In fact, an interior designer is actually one part artist and one part a business person and manager. It is not purely dedicated on designing but on managing an entire project as well. Besides the overall design, you may have to contact vendors and handle billings. You also have to make records of all the expenses.

And of course, you should be great at customer service as well as you would be the one facing the clients too. It’s not about just sketching and designing or arranging furniture and fixtures. It also includes shopping furniture and accessories too. But the exciting part of this is you virtually get a free hand at how you will make the room look great and match the expectations of the client.

What Do Interior Designers Specifically Do?

Interior designers are contracted to transform and enhance the aesthetics and function of interiors. They mainly focus on how color, lighting, finish, texture, art, furniture, windows, and space work with each other so they can produce what the people living or using the structure needs and desires.

Among the structures that interior designers handle are offices, hospitals, shopping centers, airports, restaurants, schools, hotels, theaters and private homes. But instead of implementing only their ideas, interior designers work and coordinate with clients to determine their needs and expectations. The objectives, the budget and the time frame are also discussed.

In doing their work, interior designers mostly use computer-aided design also known as CAD technology to design sketches and to do estimate costs. While they don’t do all the work alone, the interior designers oversee the implementation of the design elements. And they closely collaborate with the client to ensure objectives and expectations are met in the end.

And so the work of interior designers virtually entails numerous tasks from decorating to architectural detailing. In other words, not only do they choose the style, color, and furniture, they also select crown molding and provide renovation ideas. It is also possible for interior designers to specialize in certain areas. For instance, one could specialize on commercial or residential spaces. Some even specialize on kitchen and bath, closet or lighting.

Where to Start Towards a Career in Interior Design

To be able to enter an entry level interior designer job, a bachelor degree in interior design would be sufficient. For assistant positions, a two- and three-year certificate or associate degree is recommended. But after that they are required to undergo apprenticeship programs before they can take a licensing exam in order to gain experience.
With a bachelor or associate degree or a certificate, ample experience and a license in hand, you can now be ready to gain membership with the professional association. This will, in turn, help you get ahead and advance in your career as an interior designer.

The salary range for architects may vary widely based on experience, skills and duties performed. Architectural interns can expect to make an average of $62,000 per year. An entry-level architect at a public firm with less than one year of experience can expect to earn an average of $42,330 per year. With one to two years of experience and the ability to prepare estimates and building plans, an architect may make an average of $46,167 annually.

An architect with a bachelor’s degree and four years of experience can typically produce more complete projects that display creativity and familiarity with various procedures and concepts. These architects earn an average of $60,000 per year. Finally, an architect with five years of experience and the ability to complete complex projects with little supervision will make an average of $73,586 per year. In private firms, architects can earn as much as $300,000 per year and receive bonuses of up to $400,000 per year.

Landscape architects must have an eye for design that uses plants, trees, soil, walkways, fountains, outdoor sculptures and sunlight patterns in creative ways. A landscape architect with five years of experience can expect to make an average of $53,100 per year. With eight years of experience, the average salary rises to $62,000. After ten years, the average salary of a landscape architect is $77,000 annually.

Interior architects combine the principles of industrial and interior design to create useful and creative interior spaces. While the average income in this field may vary due to location, experience, benefits and company, the average salary for interior architects is $65,000 per year. Entry-level professionals earn an average of $41,000 per year but those with considerable experience may earn as much as $119,000 per year.

Beautifully designed landscapes are everywhere. If you wish to design landscapes for a living, you actually can. But it would take more than interest but talent and education to be a good landscape architect too.

Love, Interest and Talent on Horticulture

Your love for horticulture might not make you a great landscape architect right away. But it’s a great start. Your interest in nature would allow you to appreciate the environment more. With a flair in designing you would really have a great potential in landscape architecture.

But then again, landscape architecture is an application of both science and art. It is not limited to garden design only. It also involves site planning, environmental restoration, park and recreation planning, town and urban planning, regional planning, and even historic preservation. That is why you need to proper education too.

Proper Education and Experience

If you are still in high school you should consult your guidance office to get a list of schools that offer a landscape architecture program. Programs may vary from school to school though. While others last for 4 years only, some schools have a 5-year program.

Nevertheless, it is important that you gain strong researching and writing skills while in school too. Of course, the meat of the program is geared on allowing your gain an affinity for engineering and environmental sciences. Surely these skills would help you master the art of analysis, planning, design, management, rehabilitation and preservation of the landscape and the environment.

Of course, pure school work would not make you good at landscape architecture. You should also get some experience. You should take jobs with landscapes contractors so you can begin your actual lessons by experience. Getting a job with the office of the landscape architect is also a great experience. Aside from getting your hands dirty on actual sites, even an office post would give you useful experience as this would give you an idea on how landscapes architect works at the office.

To even add some more education and even enhance your resume, you can take a master’s degree as well. If you have an accredited degree, this is just a year or two of additional schooling anyway. For non-degree holder it may take around 3 to 4 years.

The good news is most schools offer placement assistance too. So you may get offered with a job right after graduation. With your experience though you may have a few choices as to where you want to work.

Registration Tests

You can only call yourself officially a landscape architect if you pass the state exams. This is where your work experience would come in handy since application for the exam requires recommendations from registered landscape architects. Then you’d have to undergo an interview before you can take the actual exam. So you have to be really well-prepared for the exam. But all of the effort would be worth it when you become a landscape architect yourself.

Unlike the common notion about architects, being an architect does not only mean doing building designs. There are many facets to being an architect and there are certainly many positions you can hold as a licensed architect.

You can become an architectural journalist, architectural historian, corporate architect, drafts person, building researcher, carpenter, cartographer, architectural engineer, building inspector, building contractor or civil engineer among others. You can also become a technical illustrator, urban planner, art director or industrial designer. However, you need to acquire ample education and skills first before you can become an architect.

Get Proper Architecture Education and Internship

You need a degree in architecture to become an architect. However, if you are really serious about pursuing this career you can start preparing for it right at high school. For one, you need a solid foundation in geometry, trigonometry, algebra, pre-calculus and physics. A good knowledge on humanities and English would also be important. Taking drawing, painting and photography subjects would also be helpful.

Of course, you need to graduate high school in order to be admitted to an architecture program as required by the National Architecture Accrediting Board. Without prior training, you’d have to attend a 5-year architecture program. The next step would be a master’s degree which virtually takes from 1 to 5 years since people with other bachelor’s degree can take it. Again, this could depend on the amount of professional experience one has.

After getting a degree one is required 5,600 hours or a minimum of 3 years of training with a licensed architect before being qualified to become a professional architect.

Registration Exam and Licensure

The first step then to becoming a registered licensed architect is to take the Architecture Registration Examination. In a nine-section exam, prospective architects are tested as to whether they have enough knowledge and experience needed to practice architecture independently. To be sure that one is qualified to take the exam he can verify his status with the architectural registration board.

Once you pass the exam, you can now register with your local architectural registration board. And once registered, you can now provide architectural services professionally. Many states require architects to take continuing education courses to maintain their licenses though.

And to easily get registered and to be able to practice in other states, you should get a NCARB certification. Before you can get it, though, your educational transcripts, professional references and employment record would be reviewed first. But once you get certified, it would be easier to even be able to practice in other countries too.

There is no easy way to become a qualified architect. Since the responsibilities of the profession include human safety, functional execution and aesthetic vision, all architects that make it to the spot must have all the necessary qualifications. This fact is true in the U.S. and also in all countries all over the globe.

Depending on the country or state you are in, you will be faced with different standards when it comes to qualifying to become an architect. No matter how strict these standards are, it is essential that one passes all of them before he can legally practice the profession.

Education: The Initial Requirement

It is an important path for every person who wants to become an architect to enroll in an accredited architecture program. The National Architectural Accrediting Board has named a total of 117 schools all over the U.S. that have accredited programs.

In most states, the minimum educational requirement to become an architect is Bachelor of Architecture of Bachelor of Science in a related field. Graduates of a bachelor program have the option to enroll in Master of Architecture or Doctor of Architecture to broaden architecture knowledge and to increase career opportunities.

Internship: The Second Requirement

The last requirement to qualify as an architect is licensure. However, one needs to complete an internship program first before being qualified to take the licensure examination. Here, a student must be in an internship that is supervised by a licensed architect. The Intern Development Program (IDP) requires an intern to complete 5,600 hours of training in different categories including site analysis, contract negotiation, programming, project management and zoning requirements.

Licensure: The Final Requirement

At this stage, a student is one step closer to becoming a qualified architect. With the go signal from the IDP for the completion of the internship, a student will be eligible to take the examination, which is called the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). This must be taken by the student in his state of residence. The examination includes seven different types that cover all categories of architecture. A satisfactory rating in the examination is one important requirement in getting a license.

Other requirements for licensure include a detailed application, proof of education, and completion of the IDP. For renewal of license, some states may require a continuing requirement for education.

Every architect of today has undergone this long path of becoming a qualified professional in the field. Students aspiring to be one of them must be guided properly so that it will not be long enough that they will be welcomed in the profession. All in all, there are three steps to becoming an architect. They are getting an education, completing an internship program and getting a license.

How Long Does It Take To Become An Architect?

Becoming an architect is a very long process. The amount of time it takes depends on the school where you study, but it can take anywhere from five to up to eighteen years.

How To Become A Landscape Architect

The first thing to do is find a university that offers accredited programs in landscape architecture. This field requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree for starting your career. It is also necessary to complete a summer internship with an architectural landscape firm during your educational study years. You will also need to find out if your state requires landscape architects to acquire a license after graduation. If so, you will need to take the Landscape Architect Registration Examination.

What Are The Requirements To Be An Architect

In addition to education, internship, the final exam and licensing, a prospective architect must meet certain criteria in order to succeed in this field. If you have design talent, engineering skills, a good degree of social awareness, an ability for business, and an aptitude for analytical thinking, you will do well.

How Much Does It Cost To Become An Architect

This will vary from school to school, but expect a good education in architecture to be an average of $6,000 a semester. The total cost for a two-year program could be anywhere from $25,000 to $72,000; a three-year program could be $40,000 to $108,000; and four years could total $55,000 to $145,000. Then there are additional costs like health insurance, living expenses, and books and supplies.

Before you can be an architect, there are two important requirements you must meet first. One is related to education and the other is license. Read on and find out your path into becoming a professional to form part in planning and designing worldly structures.
Educational Requirements

It takes five years to get a degree in Architecture. Since the field of architecture is so vast, there are a lot of areas that must be learned to prepare someone to become a professional. To get the title, a program that is approved by the NAAB or the National Architectural Accrediting Board must be taken. Programs include Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree and Doctorate degree.

• Bachelor of Architecture. This program introduces important architectural knowledge to students such as history, theory, structure design, construction systems, architectural documentation and the like. The whole program can include classroom and studio work plus instructions in using computer software and manual drafting tools. This degree can be completed in a span of five years.

• Mater of Architecture. A bachelor’s degree in Architecture is often the prerequisite for this program. However, some master’s program accepts students that hold a different bachelor’s degree. The program introduces several aspects of architecture such as building, design, engineering, construction and management. The program can be completed in a span of one to five years depending on the background education of the students in architecture knowledge.

• Doctor of Architecture. This program opens way to positions in teaching and research. The program encourages students to do advanced study in terms of architectural theory. A research project or dissertation is the most common requirement to complete this program.

Upon completion of the educational requirement, you must undergo an approved internship program. This is to help architects to cope with the transition of student life to professional life. As an intern, you need to document the whole working experience and maintain reports.

Licensing Requirement

To qualify to take the licensure examination, you must have finished the educational requirements first and also the internship program. The Architect Registration Examination is goaled to test your knowledge in various architectural components such as planning, structure and good building practices. Take note that depending on the state you are in, the licensing requirements may vary.

Being a qualified and licensed architect can be a long journey. A lot of your effort and time may be required. However, the prestige of the title and the help you can lend the community are enough to make the long journey a very worthy one.