Architects, Except Landscape and Naval

What the job really is

Plan and design structures, such as private residences, office buildings, theaters, factories, and other structural property.

At a glance

• Sector: Architecture & Engineering
• O*NET-SOC code: 17-1011
• O*NET job zone: 5 — extensive preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Develop final construction plans that include aesthetic representations of the structure or details for its construction.
• Prepare scale drawings or architectural designs, using computer-aided design or other tools.
• Prepare information regarding design, structure specifications, materials, color, equipment, estimated costs, or construction time.
• Consult with clients to determine functional or spatial requirements of structures.
• Meet with clients to review or discuss architectural drawings.
• Monitor the work of specialists, such as electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, interior designers, or sound specialists to ensure optimal form or function of designs or final structures.
• Integrate engineering elements into unified architectural designs.
• Plan layouts of structural architectural projects.
• Conduct periodic on-site observations of construction work to monitor compliance with plans.
• Prepare contract documents for building contractors.
• Plan or design structures such as residences, office buildings, theatres, factories, or other structural properties in accordance with environmental, safety, or other regulations.
• Direct activities of technicians engaged in preparing drawings or specification documents.

Tools and technology

Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2, Amazon Redshift, Amazon Web Services AWS software, Apache Cassandra, Apache Hadoop, Apache Hive, Apache Maven

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Landscape Architects
• Construction Managers
• Interior Designers
• Civil Engineers
• Construction and Building Inspectors
• Architectural and Engineering Managers
• Industrial Engineers
• Commercial and Industrial Designers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 5 (extensive preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Architects, Except Landscape and Naval — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.