Home Business Ideas
Become an Architect
Architects
have been around for as long
as man has been stacking
stones to make buildings.
The word architect comes
from the Greek word
Arkhitekton. Arkhi means
chief and Tekton means
builder, so the name
literally translates to
Chief Builder. One of the
most well known architects
in the world was Imhotep,
who was responsible for the
step pyramids in Giza.
The Concept
It is the job of the
architect to design
buildings so that they are
as efficient and as safe as
they can be. The architect
is required to know all of
the building codes in
whatever local area that
they operate so that they
can design the proper
requirements into the
buildings they design. Many
architects design custom
homes, while still others
design commercial locations
or government buildings.
Architects have at least a
Bachelor's level degree,
some have a Master's degree
in architecture. There will
also be local licensing
requirements based on local
areas, and continuing
education as building codes
are updated.
Startup Costs
The cost to become an
architect will vary based on
a number of factors. You
will need a college
education and license. The
cost will vary based on
geographical area. You will
need basic business supplies
like a computer, fax, phone,
printer and so on. You will
also need to have an AutoCAD
program and a plotter to
print out the blue prints
that you create with it. You
will need to make sure that
your computer is capable of
running AutoCAD as it is a
very large program. It may
be helpful to have a second
computer for just that
application. You'll also
need modeling supplies if
you plan to do that. While
it is optional, it is very
helpful to clients to be
able to see a 3D miniature
version of their structure.
You should have a private
area of your home, such as
an office where children and
pets aren't, and have your
children with a sitter if
they are small so as not to
give an unprofessional
impression.
How to Market It
Many of the freelance
sites such as elance.com,
getafreelancer.com, guru.com
and others do have job
listings for architects. You
will be required to bid on
the projects and at first it
might be hard to get someone
to take the chance on you.
But eventually your
persistence will pay off and
the good thing about these
sites is that for each job
you do the client leaves you
feedback, so getting the
next job will be easier. It
is helpful to keep a list of
your clients and there
contact information to use
as references. You can also
direct potential clients to
these sites for references
as well.
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