Architecture has more options at masters level

Among the newly formed seven wonders of the world in 2007, and Great Pyramid of Giza joining as honorary eighth, seven of them barring Machu Picchu were architectural marvels. You take any top ten must-see in any part of the world, the majority is related to architecture. The buildings characterise towns, cities and even villages. “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us”, said Winston Churchill. The architects are visionaries. The characters that dominate the mind of architects are beauty, functionality and safety. 

Hence, architecture could well be a crème de la crème of careers one could think of. It would be a right route to intern in a reputed firm and then continue with Masters. On-the-job training is always valuable. But Master is compulsory to have a high-profile job prospect. In the domain of details, nothing can be achieved with an undergraduate degree. It is at post-graduation that you get into specifics like Urban Design, Housing, Sustainable Technology, etc., and it helps to broaden your expertise. It is also a minimum requirement if you wish to teach in colleges and universities. There is a multitude of options at Masters’ level within the three major kinds of Building, Landscape and Naval Architects. Some of them are Integrated Architecture, Environment 

Design, Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, Interior Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning. The Central Government has announced the creation of around a hundred smart cities and the work is on. Smart are the ones who have already thought of master’s degree in Engineering Smart Cities. As for the scope, be it in Chennai or elsewhere in India, the construction industry has had its boom and moving to saturation. But architecture is not about construction alone. We still have small towns and villages to reach out all over India. 

Cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru offer a higher salary, but that is paralleled with cost of living. Government organisations offer numerous jobs. Joining private firms and MNCs are enticing but they expect you to deliver directly. The ambitious architects dream to be independent and create monumental designs on their own. If only you decide to dream big, get yourself registered with the Council of Architecture. 

Norman Foster, the mastermind behind some of the world’s most iconic buildings said that he would “welcome an opportunity to address the mass housing issues of slums” but feels that it is “policy which has so far failed.” If you have it in you, you could be one of those to provide a radical alternative. The principles of sustainable future lie in the hands of sustainable designs.