People are impressed when you tell them you are an architect. Why shouldn’t they, after all? You share the same title as Frank Lloyd Wright, and that other Frank who builds all those crazy looking buildings. As most of us know from experience, our lives are not that dissimilar from most people living in relative anonymity. How did the architects’ reputation become so acclaimed, yet, so far from what most of us experience?
We haven’t been in an era of architect being a top three (or even top five) career choice in a very long time. You don’t have to take our word for it. Most architects probably wouldn’t have been surprised that even five years ago, Careercast.com listed Architect at #108 on the Top 200 Careers List. This year, it sits at #141--representing a fall of 33 places, and still below such professions as Sewage Plant Operator (#124), Maid (#131), and Janitor (#107). And yes, just like 5 years ago, Architectural Drafter is ranked higher at #74 (a drop from five years ago by only 13).
Can a career in architecture ever be a “top job?” There is some hope, after all, "architect" is also consistently ranked high in the list of ‘most overrated jobs’ by Forbes and Careercast.
