Also called: Project Architect, Registered Architect
Designs buildings, from houses to airports, balancing beauty, safety, budget, and code.
You start by sketching floor plans with a client who wants a new library. Then you build a 3D model in Revit and meet with structural and mechanical engineers to make sure everything fits. Later in the week you visit the site to answer the contractor's questions.
BLS May 2024 median $96,690.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 8 years after high school. 5-year B.Arch or a bachelor's plus M.Arch, about 3 years of paid internship (AXP), and the 6-part ARE exam to get licensed.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Architecture, Architectural Studies, Environmental Design.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). BLS 2024-34.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI drafts options, renders and code checks fast, so firms need fewer junior hours; design judgment, clients and the license stay human.
Classes: AP Calculus, Physics, Studio art or drawing, Architectural drafting CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-1011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.