What's the point in becoming an architect?

Becoming an architect in the UK?

• i want to go to university and study architecture, whats needed to go to uni? (what A level subjects?) what grade?, where do you go after uni, straight into a career? where can you work, office or from home? How much can you earn? any answers would be greatly appreciated, thank you !

• Answer:

  You need to look at prospectuses for Shcools of Architecture. Most are not too fussy about subjects - a mix of science and arts is good if you do this - art is useful but not essential. Most will want good grades - but mine only required 2 'E''s out of 4 subjects (Eng Lit, Physics, Maths and Gen Studies) If I was doing it again I would do Art (or History of art and Architecture) and not Physics. An awful lot of store is set by the school or tutors report - a practical approach to problem solving as well as anaesthetic sensibility is the kind of thing they are after. Being able to draw (sketch) is good but most drawings are done by computer. You do a 3 yr degree - then work for a year in an architects office, then two more years at colege, another year in an office at which point you sit the professional exam and hopefully qualify. It is a long training - Doctors can be killing their customers long before architects get the chance. You earn more if you own your business - but many people prefer to work in a practice where you can do the bit you enjoy doing - and let someone else run the business. You generally opt for running jobs on site - or doing the designs (which is the more interesting). How much you earn varies so much that it is difficult to advise - you can earn more doing other things, but these may not interest you. You can work from home but you still need things like professional indemnity insurance to vcover the value of the work you undertake. If you want to specialise in something like historic buildings you can do post grad certificates - and enfd up with more letters after your name than you can shake a stick at.