The Times they are a changin ----

Every second day I get to see some post by young budding architects showing their dissatisfaction towards the industry. Most of them are complaining about the poor compensation they are being offered and poor work conditions in which they work. It saddens me to see how Architects are unable to break the jinx and are bogged down by the job profile they have in their minds. In my opinion the institutes are the culprit. An institute should make the entire horizon available to the student of Architecture. Unfortunately the teaching staff is poorly equipped to help the students in this matter. This would require to bring on board professionals who managed to break free from the conventional roles of being studio architect to become Managers and decision makers in corporates.

In order to get good money its imperative for the students to understand the business and the opportunities available in the market. The student should realise that there is a far bigger market than the Design Studios, which can not only reward them with better compensation and work environment but also give them an opportunity to explore different facet of the business and for that one needs to understand the market expectations. Very few can make carrier as designers rest just become part of the drawing and presentation making team and make very slow progress. During my 30 years in the industry I realised that Architects first need to inculcate the basic skills to work in any office and not only design studio. Architect should posses good communication skills, organizational skills and should be sensitive to commercial side of the project which may be in the form of direct or indirect cost. Architects are supposed to be Solution providers and are better equipped to become good managers. Like any other professional architects need to regularly up their skills by learning newer specialisations which can help them get better Job. But the selection has to be careful. Specialisation like masters in Urban planning and Urban design may get you a job where projects remain in reports and are never executed. So try looking at specialisations which are more generic in nature and are forever in demand, like Project Management, Facade architecture, Facility management which are common to all the projects. . One can do short term courses on pavement design, finishes, scaffolding systems and even Supply chain management. I encourage all to even try M.B.A and break free from the limitations posed by the profession of Architecture. So youngster change your thought process, reinvent yourself and offer the industry a better professional.