Do Architect Work Online
Architecture requires years of training and experience, plus passing an arduous licensing test. For those who can make it through this process, there is a fast-growing market for people willing to draft architectural plans from home. Qualified architects can earn good wages as independent contractors to construction firms, government agencies and architecture offices. To get started in this field, you need to get licensed, get the necessary equipment and get a list of clients to start working with.
Instructions
Get Licensed
1. Complete your education. Obtaining an architecture degree takes four to five years. In many schools, these are highly competitive programs that require full-time attendance.
2. Complete work experience requirements. In many states, work experience under a licensed architect is a requirement for licensure. Check with your state board for the specifics for your area, then find somebody to help you meet them. This may require you to work for several months for very little, or even as an unpaid intern.
3. Prepare for your state licensing. These exams are multi-part and notoriously difficult. It will help to buy some exam prep guides and go through them in detail.
4. Schedule and take your exam. As exams are expensive, it's a good idea to make sure you do everything you can to support performing well. Get good rest the night before. Eat a good breakfast. Use standardized testing strategies.
Get the Necessary Equipment
5. Buy a fast computer. It doesn't have to be absolutely top of the line, but computer drafting is an extremely resource-intensive program. Mediocre computers make this a frustrating process. Slow and old computers make this impossible.
6. Get high-speed Internet. Because drafting files are so large, slower Internet connections will make communication with your clients time-consuming and frustrating.
7. Buy and install at least one Computer Assisted Drafting (CAD) program. If you're not sure which one to use, call several local architecture firms and find out what they're using. You may even want to install several different versions so you can always work with the same program as your clients.
Get Clients
8. Get in touch with local contractors. Contractors often need an architect-drawn or architect-approved blueprints to get city approval for their work. Very few contractors have an operation large enough to have an in-house architect, so they're usually on the lookout for somebody interested in piecework.
9. Contact local architecture firms and ask if they're interested in somebody to do their overflow work. Architecture is a "feast and famine" business, and firms frequently get overwhelmed with business. Since they don't want to hire another employee they'll have to carry during the next slow period, they often hire contractors to pick up the slack.
10. Check with local government agencies responsible for public housing and civil engineering. Although full-time employees are the tradition, recent budget crises have forced many agencies to seek independent contractors for their more highly qualified (and thus expensive) work.
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