Two new resource guides have been made available to help students and educators explore careers in architecture. “Your Guide to a Career in Architecture” is designed for high school students interested in joining the architectural community, while “Your Guide to Helping Students Consider a Career in Architecture” is intended for school counselors and educators to advise students through the process.
The guidelines are the result of a collaboration between the AIA, the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). As well as providing additional information for K-12 students already interested in an architectural career, the reports strive to broaden the base of students who may not have considered a pathway in architecture, but whose imagination would be captured by more information on the subject.
The reports, designed to be digestible and accessible for a non-architectural audience, can be viewed as a “blueprint” for the early years of an architectural career. In addition to providing basic definitions of architecture and the role of architects, the reports list some helpful characteristics for navigating a path through the profession, such as problem-solving, adaptability, and creativity. The reports also offer an overview of the procedure for entering architecture schools, qualifying, and licensing in the United States, as well as tips on how students in elementary, middle, and high school can begin taking their first steps in the field.
The final sections of the report, destined to be the most debated and scrutinized, offer estimated costs and salaries associated with architectural training and practice. You can help us provide a more accurate view by answering our anonymous Architect’s Salary Poll.
These latest resources add to the growing toolkits available for practitioners, academics, counselors, and parents, aimed at bringing new, young voices into the architectural profession. In addition to the latest reports, institutions and practitioners are also taking individual action to reach out to the next generation of designers – such as Washington University’s Alberti Program that we previously reported on. Such initiatives take on particular importance in the context of increasing diversity through architecture schools, as well as equipping young minds with the skills needed to navigate looming issues for the built environment, be they pandemics, global warming, or the co-existence of physical and virtual space.
4 Comments
Seems weird to attribute the publishing of this to just the AIA when it's clearly a collaborative effort and the documents you're linking to are published on NCARB's website. Editorial choices, amiright?
How are these guides being advertised or distributed to the intended audiences? Are these organizations working on reaching out to school districts, or the other ASCA? Are there ways that members of these organizations can help?
The article has been updated to reflect the collaborative effort from the organizations to produce and release these resources.
Realized I was transposing the 'S' and 'C' in my head between ACSA, and ASCA. The "other" above doesn't make as much sense anymore.
Thanks for updating. Looks like a line in the last paragraph was missed during the update, "In addition to the AIA’s efforts ..."
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