This article will cover the requirements to land a job as an Architectural Designer. While Architectural Designer skills and tools will vary between different jobs, this will cover hard requirements across industries. Before pursuing a career as an Architectural Designer, you’ll want to learn about the required education, experience, and skills. You can also expect to need a polished portfolio, resume, LinkedIn profile, and list of references. 

What is an Architectural Designer?

Architectural Designers transform design concepts into reality. When studying architectural design, students learn how to create functional, sustainable, responsive, and aesthetically pleasing structures. This role requires one to develop technical design skills and soft skills. Architectural Designers must also keep up with industry trends. In recent years, sustainable design has become more popular among home and business owners. Many clients expect new builds to incorporate sustainable designs and energy-efficient systems. An Architectural Designer looking forward knows how to keep up with these trends and advancements in architecture and construction. 

Architectural Designers often work with other professionals involved in architecture and construction. Architects usually lead an architectural design team. They plan and oversee the construction process while also managing contracts. Architectural Designers may also work alongside Interior Designers, who make indoor spaces functional, and BIM Specialists. This role may also require collaborating with engineers, contractors, and clients. The level of teamwork associated with Architectural Designer roles means that individuals working in this field need excellent communication skills. 

Education

When pursuing a career as an Architectural Designer, you can opt to follow a degree or non-degree path. Some Architectural Designers elect to earn a bachelor’s degree in architecture or engineering. Most architectural degree programs take five years to complete, although some schools recommend completing the degree in six years. The curriculum is quite heavy, with students learning the basics in the first one to three years and more advanced knowledge in the fourth and fifth years. Architectural Designers do not typically pursue a master’s degree, but if you plan to eventually become a licensed architect, you should consider how a master’s degree fits into your future plans. When thinking about committing to a degree program, make sure to research the cost of a degree and what financial aid is available to you. 

You can learn the skills needed to become an Architectural Designer without earning a degree. Schools and training centers, like Noble Desktop, offer non-degree training in architectural design. These courses will teach you about how to use industry-standard software, like AutoCAD and Revit, as well as how to read blueprints. Non-degree programs offer a quick and cost-effective way to learn architectural design, with programs and bootcamps usually running for several months. The field of architectural design is very math-heavy, so you should consider whether you have enough prerequisite knowledge before enrolling in a non-degree program. 

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Experience

Most Architectural Designer jobs require you to have experience working in the field. You can apply for internships to gain the experience needed to work as an Architectural Designer. During an internship, you’ll gain hands-on experience and have the chance to apply what you learned in school or a training program. Learning in the field is essential to understanding how architectural projects run. In the field, you can witness various professionals working on a project collaborate and get an idea of how a construction site runs. Once you have enough practical experience on top of the knowledge you’ve learned in your classes, you’ll qualify for an Architectural Designer job. 

Gaining experience before applying for a job is also a great way to make connections. When you intern for an architectural firm, you’ll meet professionals in the industry who can offer you tips and serve as a reference. There’s also a chance that you’ll end up interning at a firm that you want to work for in the future. Conversely, interning is also a great way to see whether or not you would like to continue pursuing a career as an Architectural Designer. If you don’t enjoy the work you do while an intern, you may change your mind about pursuing an architectural design career or you will have at least figured out what type of firm you would prefer not to work at. 

Skills

Architectural Designers need a broad range of skills. They rely on technical skills along with soft skills and creativity to work on projects. In terms of technical skills, an Architectural Designer should know how to use CAD software, like AutoCAD. Professionals use AutoCAD to create 2D and 3D drawings of floor plans. The software speeds up the drawing process because users can find pre-built objects, like walls, within the program. Another type of software Architectural Designers should learn is Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM software, such as Revit, helps users generate and manage digital representations of buildings and their characteristics. 

In addition, Architectural Designers need to understand design principles. Aspiring Architectural Designers should enroll in a design-focused class to learn about spatial awareness in design so that they can understand how people will interact with the space in their projects. They will also learn about conceptual design, or how to develop concepts based on a project’s requirements related to spatial layout and materials. Attending a design class will help Architectural Designers develop the creativity needed to work on a range of projects. 

Architectural Designers need project management and communication skills to properly lead design teams and ensure that a project will meet the client’s needs. Project management skills will help an Architectural Designer organize a project and ensure that team members stay on task. A project management program will teach them how to keep track of timelines and budgets while also resolving any conflict that arises between team members. Excellent communication skills will aid in the project management process and ensure a smooth relationship with the client.

Portfolio

Architectural Designers need portfolios to showcase their work to potential employers and clients. A good portfolio will showcase your technical skills and creativity. The portfolio is used to market yourself and keep track of your projects. Degree and non-degree programs may have you start creating a portfolio and include projects that you work on while training within the portfolio. Some schools will provide you with recommendations for what to include in your portfolio and may even provide you with a portfolio review as part of their career services. Take advantage of these services whenever you can; having an expert in the field review your portfolio will ensure that your portfolio is purposeful and includes work that best characterizes you as an Architectural Designer. 

You can create a digital or physical portfolio and should organize your work chronologically. When choosing what to include in your portfolio, consider the message you want to convey to employers and clients. Include projects similar to what the employer or client is asking for that also help visualize the story you want to tell with your portfolio. You want to include eye-catching and visually-pleasing renderings within the portfolio too. 

Resume & LinkedIn Profile

Your resume should highlight the skills you have, like proficiency with AutoCAD and Revit, and your experience that is relevant to the job you’re applying to. Keep your resume to two pages at most with your experience showcased in chronological order from latest to oldest. You can also include certifications on your resume. 

LinkedIn is a social media website and job board. Your LinkedIn profile should help you market yourself as an Architectural Designer by showing off your skills and experiences as well as your industry connections. You can account for your projects on your LinkedIn profile and have connections endorse your skills. Make sure that your LinkedIn and resume aren’t exact copies of one another. Potential employers should be able to learn about different aspects of your professional life from the two sources. 

References

Most job applications require you to include a list of references. You must always ask someone for their permission before using them as a reference. Select people who can speak positively of your work ethic and can attest that you have the skills you say you do. The best reference is a colleague or supervisor who has a first-hand account of how you conduct yourself at work. Teachers or professors may also serve as references, but never list friends or family members. Job applications typically ask for the names, titles, and contact information (phone number and email address) of your references, so make sure to find that information out ahead of time. 

Learn the Skills to Become an Architectural Designer at Noble Desktop

Interested in developing the skills needed to become an Architectural Designer? Check out these live online classes available to enroll in today. 

Noble Desktop’s AutoCAD Bootcamp will teach you the fundamentals of technical drawing. The 30-hour live online bootcamp covers the creation of 2D drawings using AutoCAD. Lessons range from beginner to intermediate-level skills. You can expect to learn basic drawing and modifying techniques for drafting and technical drawing in the bootcamp’s beginner-level lessons. As part of the bootcamp, you’ll receive access to a 1-on-1 training session with an expert who will answer questions you have about challenging course concepts and provide assistance with your project. After completing the course, you have one year to take advantage of a free retake. Before enrolling in this bootcamp, please be aware that Noble designed the course for PC users. Noble hosts in-person PC-only versions of the bootcamp, but Mac users may attend the live online bootcamp. If using a Mac, be aware that the Mac AutoCAD graphic interface is different from the PC version that the instructor will use.

For a more intensive AutoCAD training experience, enroll in Noble Desktop’s AutoCAD Certification Program. This live online program will prepare you to become an Autodesk Certified Professional. An expert instructor will guide you and your classmates through beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level AutoCAD. In addition to 48 hours of hands-on lessons, you’ll have access to six hours of private tutoring. During your tutoring sessions, you can ask questions about topics of interest and challenging course content. The program fee includes the cost of the certification exam and a retake. If you want to enroll in the program but don’t want to take the exam, let Noble Desktop know and they will instead provide you with an extra hour of tutoring. 

Sign up for Noble’s AutoCAD Masterclass to learn the foundations of AutoCAD along with advanced-level skills. You’ll learn through hands-on lessons that cover the basics of AutoCAD, like opening and creating drawings, exploring the interface, and using fundamental drawing and editing commands. Later lessons covered in the course teach effective working methods and accurate positioning. The course intends to help students gain real-world experience through project-based lessons where you’ll learn to use productivity tools commonly utilized by Architectural Designers. Along with 48 hours of training, Noble includes one 1-on-1 training session where you can ask an expert about challenging course topics. 

VDCI offers accredited classes to help you develop the skills needed to work as an Architectural Designer. In their Introduction to Revit course, you’ll learn about foundational Revit concepts and how they relate to BIM. This hands-on class will help you gain real-world experience as you work on a class project that includes floors, walls, ceilings, stairs, curtain walls, and roof design.

VDCI’s Revit Architecture Professional Program will introduce you to beginner and intermediate-level Revit. During these lessons, you’ll design 3D building models and learn how to explore BIM project management techniques. Three courses within the program cover construction documents. In BIM Construction I, II, and III, you’ll learn how to produce renderings for presentation and documentation. Lessons also cover building topography for projects and cataloging building information using schedules. 

Enroll in VDCI’s BIM Certificate Program to learn how to use Revit to create 3D models of commercial building projects. The 100% live online class includes 290 clock hours of comprehensive lessons covering Revit, construction documents, and BIM detailing. You will also have your choice of 60-80 clock hours of electives that will count toward completing your certificate program training, and you will gain relevant work experience while working on a capstone project.