Career
Architects, except landscape and naval
Design buildings, from first sketch to finished structure.
$99,280
Median pay
+4.3%
Job growth, 2025–35
6,900
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Prepare scale drawings or architectural designs, using computer-aided design or other tools.
- Plan or design structures such as residences, office buildings, theatres, factories, or other structural properties in accordance with environmental, safety, or other regulations.
- Meet with clients to review or discuss architectural drawings.
- Prepare contract documents for building contractors.
- Develop final construction plans that include aesthetic representations of the structure or details for its construction.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Prepare scale drawings or architectural designs, using computer-aided design or other tools.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Operations Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $99,280 a year and 6,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- ArchitectureCIP 04.0201
- Architectural DesignCIP 04.0202
- Environmental Design/ArchitectureCIP 04.0401
- Architectural History and Criticism, GeneralCIP 04.0801
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Landscape Architects$79,870 · +4.4%
- Construction Managers$114,990 · +9.1%
- Interior Designers$67,190 · +2.7%
- Civil Engineers$100,840 · +6.4%
- Construction and Building Inspectors$74,690 · +0.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.