Architecture As A University Course And Career Choice: Make Designs And Blueprints For A Living.

Deciding on University courses? Ophir Architecture wants to let you in on why architecture might be for you.

“Beauty perishes in life, but is immortal in art.” – Leonardo Da Vinci. 

You may be at a point in your life where you’re doing some serious deliberation on what your future is going to look like, browsing through University courses, seeking apprenticeships and nothing is quite capturing your interest like you thought it would. Well we have something for you. Architecture may seem a little daunting, after all, it is a huge field of study and has many intricacies. However, it is an exciting and rewarding career that can offer a level of satisfaction other careers simply cannot. There’s no better feeling than starting a blueprint from scratch and then seeing the finished products months or years later in front of your very eyes, and you can experience that feeling. Let’s delve into some reasons why you should consider architecture as a career path and start building towards your future. Who knows, one day you may be working for us here at Ophir Architecture.

See the world 

Architects have the luxury of being able to travel around the globe to take part in projects or even manage them. There aren’t many professions in which with one project you will be in  Paris and the next in Dubai. Travelling the world as an architect is also part of your studying process, students have to see other parts of the world to understand how different countries and continents structure their cities, it’s only then that one can understand the different cultures and patterns in the world of architecture.

Because it’s how you’re wired

Some people from an early age just love to build things, they love to experiment with Lego,  or just items around the house. Sometimes a child will be building a castle out of a set of expensive wine glasses until their parents come running in to save them a few hundred pounds of damage once it inevitably gets knocked over. Does this sound like something you did as a child? If so, you may have noticed behaviours throughout your life in which you are just fascinated with how things are made and how pieces go together. You may have the predisposition to be great at something like architecture and it very may well come naturally to you. This is the satisfaction we mentioned at the top, if you’re wired like this, there simply is no better career path.

You’re an artiste 

This point echoes the last, if your brain is wired in a certain way, architecture rewards it. If you have found yourself being very creative with a pencil throughout your school life and even maybe started to pursue a career in art, architecture is a way to carry that dream forward whilst making it a more attainable reality. You don’t necessarily need A-levels in the subject of Art to be able to study architecture at University, a portfolio of work can be more than enough. So grab all those masterpieces and show them off and it could be the start of the rest of your life. 

Money, money, money

Let’s be real, every thought of a potential career comes with the next thought of “But does it pay well?” With architecture, this is a question in which the answer is most definitely, yes. According to Indeed, the average salary for an architect is £43,144 per annum in the United Kingdom. However, like some of the buildings some of the best architects have made, the sky really is the limit, with some of the world’s best having a net worth of over $100 million. 

Work remotely, work for yourself 

Architecture is one of the rare professions in which you can work from virtually anywhere. Not only that, but you don’t necessarily need to work under anyone as an architect. Once you are qualified and confident, you can go off and do your own thing, explore the world, let different cities and cultures inspire your ideas and your hand. If the idea of having no boss, no team, just you, the world and your ideas sounds like the dream, architecture has a place for you. Of course, this doesn’t have to be the case, the profession also allows for amazing team bonding and an opportunity to meet amazing people, potentially developing friendships for life. It’s all down to you, and that’s the beauty of it. 

Make a difference 

Architecture changes lives. It’s as simple as that. Maybe not in a direct way, but indirectly, architects make changes to lives that even they don’t realise all the time. Think of your best memories and where they took place, think of the buildings you made friends in and the relationships you have kindled in them; think of all the churches, mosques, temples in which religious groups go to worship. All of this would not be possible without the mind and hand of an architect and then you will realise how much of a difference this career path can make. 

You leave a legacy

As an architect, your work could potentially last for hundreds of years. The Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, the Taj Mahal, these landmarks have been around for centuries, some of them long after their creators have passed away. Of course, not every architect can make a monument like the list above, but even more regular buildings leave a legacy and will last for a lot longer than one can ever realise. An architect will always leave something behind and no one can ever erase that; architecture is one of the only careers that you can say this about, so if you want your work to last, to mean something and be bigger than yourself, architecture is the one for you.

“As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.” – Norman Foster

There are many more reasons why architecture is such a great career to pursue, from the fact that architecture courses are simply great fun, to the fact that it is a career that has no age limit. If you can draw, and your brain is wired correctly, you can start an architecture course no matter what stage you are at in life. Head over to UCAS to check out some more information on architecture courses and what University would be ideal for you. Ophir Architecture wishes you the absolute best of luck in your career and maybe we will hear from you at some point in the future!

Ophir Architecture was formed in 2018 by owner/director Mark Bridge and the company sets out to deliver astounding architecture and dream-like designs.