8 Challenges You will Face as Young Architect

You’ve just graduated from College and have freshly stepped into the Architecture industry. You do know the profession theoretically but stepping into the field can be rather challenging and extremely tough on you. It could range from adjusting to the office environment, team challenges, and communicating with people, to figuring out what interests you in the process.

In the five years of Architecture Education, there is less practical knowledge but more theoretical information which may be difficult to retain since it has no real-life application. Young Architects after passing from college have a dilemma of being design perfectionists. In academic life, one has been taught to be a director of any project. In real life, the voice is often under influence of different stakeholders.

However, this creative endeavor of Architecture will be truly fulfilling and you can do a lot with your skills. Challenges are completely normal but don’t forget, smooth seas don’t make skillful sailors.

Before you move ahead, we suggest you to read How To Kickstart Your Architecture Profession?

The Challenges and difficulties are real and can be overwhelming. Let's have a look at what the complexities might look like:

1. Finding a Decent Job and Living on a Low Salary – Making the Right Choices

While there are promising huge firms in the industry, more often, smaller firms intend to hire fresher Architects. Securing a job could be an intimidating task for architects since a lot of time every firm has its own set of requirements. The job hours could be more, the workload could be huge and that too with a very low salary.

This is an eminent struggle that all architects go through in their life. However, to learn skills you need to understand that this is the golden time you get in terms of acquiring skills.

Read How Important is your First Architecture Job to discover how to prepare yourself for the profession.

2. Roles & Responsibilities – Multitasking your Way Through Duties

Certain importance is given in Architecture college to Design from start to end. However, as young architects working in a firm, your role may be limited. And it may not even be close to design. Some of the roles could be working on details, working drawings, 3d visualization, estimation calculations, vendor negotiations, meetings and site checkups etc. All of these are important aspects of a project and join together to create a project. Remember that by facing these challenges, you become stronger, wiser and more compassionate!

3. Changing Technologies and Evolving Software – Satisfying Industry Demands

With the revolution of BIM ( Building Information Modelling ), many software like Revit, Rhino, and Grasshopper. Etc. are going to be very much in demand in the future. However, the education system does not lay focus on the fact that many times, firms require a certain set of software skills. Just learning advanced software can land you a better job and a better pay scale. So young architects, it’s time you get learning! Working on skills consistently is the ultimate road to gaining experiences and staying relevant.

Choosing the right architectural software is essential if you want to succeed as an architect. Get started by learning 6 Software and Their Benefits Every Architect Should Know

4. Expectation vs Reality – Trust the Process

In College, you are mostly the director of your design and have full control over how the design evolves but that does not happen at all in reality if you’re a fresher in the office. College teaches you to make all the decisions for your design and be more creative. However, in the industry, you will be working under senior architects and might just be involved in smaller roles and duties.

As a young architect, Keep in mind that working under senior architects and learning these little details would make you a better architect. Have faith and trust the process. Challenges are what make life interesting and more importantly, make way for growth.

5. Teachers' Crits vs. Client's Requirements – Changes According to Expectations

The evolution and changes in design are based on what professors in college suggested. It is up to you to make those changes and often it is beneficial for you. The crits are more explorative, and for the improvement and validation of your design. However, in an office setup, what the client wants is very important. The intent of design mostly is to have the accountability of the client and to satisfy them and pertain to their functionality and uses.
Providing value to your customer’s expectations is important in any setup. Make the customer the hero of your story!

6. Understanding the Construction Industry – Be Ready for Transitions

A variety of materials and the hardware industry keeps updating itself with new technologies and equipment. This aspect is usually not touched upon in college. However, networking with vendors, choosing material pallets, and understanding construction technology will enhance your contribution to the projects and also improve the overall quality of design. So it’s always better to keep an eye on the materiality. It is very important to have great materials to justify the design.
Enjoying this process is one way to ease out the struggles. You will be extremely satisfied by the end of the day!

Get familiar with these innovative building materials so you can suggest the best one for your next project

• 12 Modern Building Materials Every Architect Must Know
• 7 Materials That Look The Best On The Facade

7. Keeping Up with Personal Life – Make Time for Things you Love

This industry of achieving perfection amidst the competition can be extremely challenging and may leave you exhausted by the end of the day. Making time for rest and relaxation can be quite a task and can lead to burnout.

As a young architect, Just remember that amidst all this, taking care of yourself is extremely important. You can always indulge in meditative practices and take timeouts to gather energy and get back stronger. Actively taking time out to do things you love like painting, photography, dance, etc. can be a good recharge for you and has proven to increase your productivity.

8. Time Management – The Most Important Skill!

The building process is very indulging and collaborative with many stakeholders involved in the entire process. A lot of time could be spent with engineers, meetings, and contractors and many times, certain last-minute changes could come up that call for overtime. As a young architect, you need to understand that good things take time. It is crucial to be prepared for sudden changes and manage your time well to avoid any stress.

Use these Tips & Tricks–Effective Time Management Skills for an Architecture Student to improve your time management skills so you can achieve more in less time!

There are multiple simultaneous challenges that young architects face and it only becomes complex ahead. Embracing the difficulties and trusting the process will help ease the experience.

The most important thing is to be determined with a positive attitude and keep working hard. The grind will give you great creative satisfaction and the challenges will only make you stronger! Your attitude towards challenges, difficulties, and adversities is the most important factor in overcoming them.

Create forms based on a fusion of architectural expression and knowledge of the technological principles of modern construction techniques. With the passing of time and experience start recognizing what projects or roles you enjoy. You could make an entire career based on those specializations. And at last, believe in yourself. The Architecture profession will require thick skin, strong willpower and a positive attitude. You got this!

Let us know in the comments below what are your thoughts about the struggles of Young architects, or share the challenges you faced!

Lastly, take a read How to Prepare for an Architecture Job Interview

and, How to Deal with an Interview at an Architect's Office