Becoming a senior architect requires education, planning, and working your way up from lower-level positions. Pursuing a master’s degree in architecture is crucial, and choosing your first job with your long-term career in mind is important. Promotion requirements vary, but seeking leadership opportunities can make you a more competitive candidate. Circumstances may limit senior positions, so changing companies may be necessary.
Becoming a senior architect is often a matter of education and knowledge, and is most easily achieved with significant planning. It’s not usually possible to step into the field directly at a senior level, which means you’ll need to be prepared to put a lot of time and effort into working your way up. Most senior architects spent many years at junior levels before rising to the upper echelons. Charting your course earlier usually doesn’t save time, but it can make the journey to becoming a senior architect more predictable and, in turn, easier to envision and achieve.
Pursuing formal education is often the first step you need to take in becoming a senior architect. You must complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree. The field you study at the undergraduate level is usually not crucial to career success, although math, engineering, and civic planning programs are often the most helpful. Most critical education comes at the master’s level. With very few exceptions, you must have a master’s degree in architecture or architectural science before being considered a senior architect.
Most master’s graduates start their careers in lower-level positions. The vast majority of senior architect training actually happens at the junior level, as architectural associates hone and refine the skills needed to one day be leaders in the field. Young architects often need to advance based on the merit and success of multiple projects.
It’s generally a good idea to choose your first job with your long-term career in mind. Changing tracks mid-career is almost always possible, but the most competitive candidates for senior roles often have extensive portfolios in different areas. For example, if you want to become a senior architect in charge of corporate buildings and downtown renovations, it’s wise to look for jobs with urban companies. This company may not be the best place for someone hoping to get into landscaping or neighborhood home planning.
Once you are established with a company, do some research on the qualifications and credentials needed to be considered for promotion. Most of the time, promotion isn’t something that even becomes a possibility for at least a few years, but knowing the senior architect’s requirements can help you plan. A certain number of on-site hours may be required, for example, or you may be expected to take on certain leadership positions in project planning. Even if it’s not necessary, looking for leadership opportunities can help you showcase your skills, which in turn can make you a more competitive candidate to become a senor architect when positions open up.
Much of the architecture contracting game is circumstantial. There are usually only a limited number of senior positions in any given company. Sometimes jobs are created at the top when business is exceptionally good or when large projects require it, but this is uncommon. As such, it may not be possible for you to become a senior architect at a time when your skills warrant promotion. Some architects will seek to change companies at this time, often entering jobs with more prestigious or more differentiated areas.
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