Why become an architect?
There are a lot of people who would love to become an architect. Many people dream about a career in the field. At the same time there are also a lot of people who never consider it as an option even though it may be a good career choice. At the very least you should understand what is involved in a career as an architect so that you can make a good decision on whether or not it is a good option for you.
The reason that most architects choose the career is that it gives them a chance to express themselves artistically in a job where they can actually earn a decent living. A lot of people like the idea of having a job where they can show off their artistic side but the reality is that there are not a lot of them out there. Certainly architects have to work within some pretty strict parameters but there is also a wide scope for showing off your individual flair.
Being an architect can also give you a wider range of career options. There are architects that specialize in all different types of buildings and in different aspects of their designs. The result is that you can find yourself working in a wide variety of settings. In addition you can work for a wide variety of companies. There are large corporations that you can work for or you can choose to work for yourself. There are not a lot of career fields that give you as much flexibility when it comes to where you work as architecture.
Another reason that people like the idea of a career in architecture is that it is a highly respected profession. Watch television for any length of time and you will notice that a surprising number of characters are architects, the same is true with movies. This is largely because it is widely thought of as a career field in which people are well educated and earn a good living but at the same time are not greedy or obsessed with money. Admittedly a lot of this is based on the general public's misunderstanding of just what architects do but it does not change the fact that architects are highly respected professionals.
One last reason that you would want to be an architect is that it can be very rewarding financially. The average architect receives a fairly good salary and there is room to greatly increase your earnings if you are really good at the job and go into business yourself. The top architects earn millions of dollars, not that you should expect to earn that much if you choose the career. Architecture also offers a bright future as there will always be need for buildings and somebody to design them. The result is that there will always be a large demand for architects.