{"id":19403,"date":"2017-02-24T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T07:29:48","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T11:29:48","slug":"i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/","title":{"rendered":"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bob Borson is creator of the famous Life of an Architect<\/a> blog, a Texas-based architect at Malone Maxwell Borson Architects<\/a> and an indispensable guide to professional practice.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be an architect, where do I start?\u201d \u2014 most asked question on Life of an Architect<\/h3>\n

I have answered this question at least a hundred times over the last six years, and I have distilled the answer down to what I think is the very first step. Granted, most of the people asking this question are fairly young \u2014 probably high school and early college level \u2014 but the answer is still the same.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Should I focus on math?<\/h2>\n

Most people think being an architect has something to do with math. It doesn\u2019t. In fact, I tell people that their lack of math skills should not be the thing that keeps them from pursuing their dreams of becoming an architect. If you are that person, read Architecture and Math<\/a> and let me know if you still think math is going to be the thing that stops you from becoming an architect. Math is a necessary component to being an architect, but the hardest math I do on a daily basis is stuff I learned in grade school. Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division \u2026 That\u2019s about it. I could get creative and work some geometry and algebra into the mix, but I can generally avoid it if I want.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

What about sketching?<\/h2>\n

Can\u2019t draw? I\u2019m not sure that it\u2019s that big a deal nowadays \u2014 and it would seem that most graduating architecture students don\u2019t really know how to sketch based on the portfolios I\u2019ve seen. I\u2019ve written a bunch of articles on why I think sketching is important. The articles that seem to garner the most interest are: Architectural Sketching (5 Tips and Techniques that should improve your architectural sketches)<\/a> \u2014 which is pretty much just what it sounds like \u2026 ; the 5 things I learned years ago that actually helped me when I started sketching; and Architectural Sketching<\/a>, an article dedicated to different styles of sketching and the possible roles that each style plays in the design process.<\/p>\n

Sketching is really important, and it\u2019s definitely something you should be working on \u2014 but it isn\u2019t the most important.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

It must be presentation skills \u2026 right?<\/h2>\n

Presentation skills are far more important than anybody in school actually realizes. Had I realized just how import presentation skills were, I would have supplemented my college curriculum with some classes on the subject. Luckily for me, this happens to be an area where I naturally do OK. When it comes to standing up in front of a room of strangers, I get as nervous as the next person; I just don\u2019t seem to let it get in the way.<\/p>\n

It also doesn\u2019t hurt that over the past few years, I have given dozens upon dozens of presentations to people all around the country and I have become considerably more immune to the challenges of standing in front of a bunch of people and presenting. There are some simple things someone can do to put themselves in a position to give a great presentation. I\u2019ve covered them in an article titled Presentation Skills: Tips and Techniques<\/a>, and with just a few little adjustments, most people can become more than competent when presenting.<\/p>\n

So, presentation skills are incredibly important \u2026 but no, that isn\u2019t it either.<\/p>\n

\n

So if it isn\u2019t math or sketching, and it isn\u2019t presentation skills, what could it possibly be? Exactly where should enthusiastic wannabe architects begin?<\/p>\n

The answer is shockingly simple and straightforward: The most important skill that someone who is interested in becoming an architect should develop is seeing the world around them and then being able to articulate why<\/i> they like the things they like. This sounds pretty easy but is actually one of the hardest things a young designer can figure out \u2026 and it won\u2019t improve without time and effort, so why not get started on it now?<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

The difference between someone doing well and someone doing great as an architect is not their design skills<\/i>, it\u2019s their ability to make a personal connection with the people who hire them (clients) and work through problems by extrapolating similar conditions, codifying that process and then understanding why some solutions work and others don\u2019t<\/i>. This last one is frequently overlooked by younger designers, maybe not out of negligence, but due to their experience level. Being able to understand why you did something allows you to duplicate your successes without having to replicate your solutions.<\/p>\n

It never dawned on me \u2014 certainly not while I was in high school or college \u2014 that I should be thinking about my ability to understand why I do or don\u2019t like something. I can remember with exacting clarity the times when I was in architecture school when I thought I should do this or that in a design \u201cjust<\/em>because it looked awesome<\/em>.\u201d While it might have actually been awesome, that\u2019s subjective to the person doing the evaluating. It\u2019s pretty easy to understand that just because I like something, it doesn\u2019t mean that everybody will; that requires knowledge and understanding.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t articulate why something is better, maybe you should try and figure out why it\u2019s in your project. I was pretty sure that I have spoken about this very topic before, so I went and searched through my site. It took a while, but I found it \u2026 It was the third article I ever wrote, published January 16, 2010 (771 articles ago; I\u2019m kind of surprised I remember it<\/em>). It\u2019s titled My Opinion Might be Better Than Yours<\/a>, and I\u2019ll leave you with the best line from that post:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy opinion might be better than yours. It\u2019s true, and I can tell you why. That\u2019s why it\u2019s better: because I can tell you why.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

At least I\u2019m consistent. Have a great week!<\/p>\n

Bob<\/i><\/p>\n

This post first appeared on <\/i>Life of an Architect<\/i><\/a>; all images via Life of an Architect<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizer<\/a>\u00a0and sign up for our\u00a0inspirational newsletters<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bob Borson has answered this question at least a hundred times over the last six years and has distilled the answer down to what he believes is the very first step.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"architizer_featured_type":"projects","architizer_featured_image":"1952820","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,2],"tags":[31],"architizer_project":[],"architizer_brand":[],"architizer_firm":[],"architizer_product":[],"class_list":["post-19403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-details","category-practice","tag-opinion"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nI Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start? - Architizer Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start? - Architizer Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bob Borson has answered this question at least a hundred times over the last six years and has distilled the answer down to what he believes is the very first step.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Architizer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-02-24T14:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-05-31T11:29:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bob Borson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Architizer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Architizer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bob Borson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bob Borson\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6a3bedf88f6a65e086c6b01e232a5161\"},\"headline\":\"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start?\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-02-24T14:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-31T11:29:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/\"},\"wordCount\":1052,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Opinion\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Details\",\"Practice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/\",\"name\":\"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start? - Architizer Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-02-24T14:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-05-31T11:29:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Journal\",\"description\":\"Inspiration and Tools for Architects\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Architizer\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/favicon.df2618023937.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/favicon.df2618023937.png\",\"width\":36,\"height\":36,\"caption\":\"Architizer\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Architizer\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Architizer\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/architizer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/architizer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/architizer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/Architizer\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6a3bedf88f6a65e086c6b01e232a5161\",\"name\":\"Bob Borson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6c36b395d2ad63fc48d91a087e4c1c8956f310ea0fd1f48c602308a9564ecd7b?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.architizer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Flogo-600x600-1.jpg&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6c36b395d2ad63fc48d91a087e4c1c8956f310ea0fd1f48c602308a9564ecd7b?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.architizer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Flogo-600x600-1.jpg&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Bob Borson\"},\"description\":\"Bob Borson is creator of the famous Life of an Architect blog, a Texas-based architect at Malone Maxwell Borson Architects and an indispensable guide to professional practice.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/author\/bob-borson\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start? - Architizer Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start? - Architizer Journal","og_description":"Bob Borson has answered this question at least a hundred times over the last six years and has distilled the answer down to what he believes is the very first step.","og_url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/","og_site_name":"Journal","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Architizer\/","article_published_time":"2017-02-24T14:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-05-31T11:29:48+00:00","author":"Bob Borson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Architizer","twitter_site":"@Architizer","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bob Borson","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/"},"author":{"name":"Bob Borson","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6a3bedf88f6a65e086c6b01e232a5161"},"headline":"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start?","datePublished":"2017-02-24T14:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-31T11:29:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/"},"wordCount":1052,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Opinion"],"articleSection":["Details","Practice"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/","url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/","name":"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start? - Architizer Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-02-24T14:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-31T11:29:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/practice\/details\/i-want-to-be-an-architect-where-do-i-start\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"I Want to Be an Architect. Where Do I Start?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/","name":"Journal","description":"Inspiration and Tools for Architects","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Architizer","url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/favicon.df2618023937.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.architizer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/favicon.df2618023937.png","width":36,"height":36,"caption":"Architizer"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Architizer\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Architizer","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/architizer\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/architizer\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/architizer\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/Architizer"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6a3bedf88f6a65e086c6b01e232a5161","name":"Bob Borson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6c36b395d2ad63fc48d91a087e4c1c8956f310ea0fd1f48c602308a9564ecd7b?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.architizer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Flogo-600x600-1.jpg&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6c36b395d2ad63fc48d91a087e4c1c8956f310ea0fd1f48c602308a9564ecd7b?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.architizer.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Flogo-600x600-1.jpg&r=g","caption":"Bob Borson"},"description":"Bob Borson is creator of the famous Life of an Architect blog, a Texas-based architect at Malone Maxwell Borson Architects and an indispensable guide to professional practice.","url":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/author\/bob-borson\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19403\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19403"},{"taxonomy":"architizer_project","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/architizer_project?post=19403"},{"taxonomy":"architizer_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/architizer_brand?post=19403"},{"taxonomy":"architizer_firm","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/architizer_firm?post=19403"},{"taxonomy":"architizer_product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/architizer_product?post=19403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}