Becoming an Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design

by Lee Waldrep

What do architects do?

What are the educational requirements for architects?

What does an architectural internship involve?

How does one become a licensed architect?

What is the future of the architectural profession?

Get the answers to these key questions in Becoming an Architect . This completely up-to-date guide to today's careers in architecture provides a clear and concise survey of the field and offers advice for navigating a successful career. Filled with interviews and insights from leading architects, the book covers everything from educational requirements and design specialties to registration requirements and the many directions in which a career in architecture can go.

Genres: Architecture

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2006

About the author

With over 20 years of experience in higher education with an emphasis in academic affairs and career development for architecture students, Waldrep serves both as the administrator of the Undergraduate Student Services office and as the IDP (Intern Development Program) Educator Coordinator. A frequent lecturer on the topic of careers in architecture, he is the author of Becoming an Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design, 3rd Edition (2014) and the original author of ARCHCareers.org, a website dedicated to assisting individuals learn about the process of becoming an architect. Previously, he was associate executive director of the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), associate dean at the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at the University of Maryland and assistant dean at the College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology.

Reviews

[Arpa Begian]

Very Useful book for who wants to be an architect. Every single step explained well. It is very good resource.

[Byader Elseamat]

Great Book for Every Aspiring Architect. After reading the book you will be impressed with the fact that a career in architecture is a never-ending learning experience.This book is for any age group from high school to college. If you are in high school now or have just started college, and you desire to pursue any field in architecture but you just don't know what YOU want to do, this is definitely the book for you!

[Christina Correa]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[Bernie4444]

Designed for a classroom but is worth reading independently.

This book, Becoming an Architect, is designed for a classroom but is worth reading independently. You learn terms and concepts of the industry so you can converse with architects and will not have to keep looking up words while watching architectural films.

You will want to obtain each edition for your library as each edition may add and/or delete the information you may find relevant.

[Ariana]

Interesting read but a little outdated. I learned some!

[Sydney]

Somewhat out of date in 2026 but diff provided direction and resources!

[Ariana]

Interesting read but a little outdated. I learned some!

[Robyn]

This book is a bit tedious and boring, especially since the interviewees each answer the same questions. Reading the answer to the same question over and over again gets to be really annoying. It's as if the author just transcribed answers to a questionnaire instead of analyze the answers and edit the book to be more informational. There is a lot of good information buried in this book, so I would recommending reading it to anyone who wants to study architecture.

[Nadia]

It was a great book, really helped me understand the steps and skills needed to become an architect. The career profiles helped me understand where you can work, go to school but at times they were to long, and got a little boring. Other then that, great, helpful book!

[Ben]

Should be titled "Other things you can do when you don't get a job as an Architect"