Building Success

As a child I would always want to work with my father, he was a carpenter and a very good one at that. He passed away when I was nine years old. Ever since then I can remember wanting to be just like him. I never really pictured myself going to college even though my mother encouraged me to. Throughout high school I worked a few odd construction jobs, and knew I would go directly into the workforce. I have always been very creative and artistic. I used to draw Disney characters off of the video cases when I was little. As I got older I started making my own Halloween costumes. The more elaborate ones were an Optimus Prime costume from the cartoon version of Transformers, and an Ironman costume from the movies. After graduation I got a job at a modular homes factory that was located in my town. I worked there for three years until the company went out of business. I then found work running a crew that installed windows, doors and insulation. It was at that job that I realized I did not want to be the one doing the building but the one who designs the building. I know that with my artistic ability, creativity, and knowledge of construction I can make a very good career as an architect. There are a couple of different ways to go about obtaining a license in architecture. One way is to earn a degree from one of the 123 schools which have been accredited by the National
Architectural Accrediting Board. However there are a few states which graduation from a non- accredited program may meet their educational requirement for state licensing (U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, how to become one par1). Some states such as New York do not require you to have any formal schooling to become licensed. As long as you have 12 years of experience working under a licensed architect and a high school diploma you can take the NY state licensing exams. A 5-year bachelor degree program in architecture is intended for students with no previous training in architecture. A standard architecture program consists of courses in architectural history and theory, building design, computer aided design drafting or (CADD), structures, technology, professional practice, math, physical sciences, and liberal arts. Most architecture programs focus around the design studio. This is where they get to practice what they have learned in the classroom to create three dimension models and drawings (U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, how to become one par3). After obtaining a bachelor’s degree I may also further my education in architecture by pursuing a master’s degree. A master’s degree can take as little as one year or as long as five years depending on previous architectural training (Duncan par5). It is not essential to have a master’s to become licensed; however it can earn me more money annually. I have decided to attend Dutchess for two years. I then want to transfer to New York Institute of Technology for the remaining three years. New York Institute of Technology accepts all transfer credits from Dutchess, and if I get accepted with a grade point average of 3.4 or higher they will wave half of the tuition cost. After I graduate in 2017 I will face the daunting task of finding a job. Due to the recent recession the job market has suffered across the board, and architecture is no exception. William
Hanley (Par 1) discusses the results of a survey conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction of
1,007 U.S. designers. Hanley states that “U.S. firms expect a shortage of qualified designers to meet their workloads by 2014” (par1). This shortage is due to designers leaving the profession, a lack of skilled architects in search of work, and less talented individuals entering the field due to poor job prospects. Nearly twenty-five percent of the respondents anticipated a shortage of architects due to lack of skills in those seeking work,