An architect is the person who designs the overall look of a building. They must make sure that the buildings they designed are functional and safe to the people who use them. They are involved in all the steps that are needed to construct the building. From the beginning discussion with the client to the completion of the building the architect is there to make sure there are no defects .

An architect may be sued over if his design caused something to malfunction in the building or what surrounds the building.
The architect has to meet a deadline or he may face the consequences of getting sued for delays. They also have to face clients who want to create a building in ways that are not necessarily possible.

To become an architect you must complete three steps.
1. Completing a professional degree in architecture
2. Earning experience through an internship
3. Attaining licensure by passing the
Architect Registration Exam
Architects must have a professional degree in architecture that they must acquire from on of the many schools of architecture. Their degree must be accredited by the
National Architectural Accrediting
Board also know as NAAB.

The earnings an architect depend on how experienced the architect is. If they are just starting out then they can expect to make less than 35,000 a year. The architects who have been working as an architect for several years can make up to 91,000 a year. By the end of a year a highly experience architect can make up to over 100,000.

The job outlook for architects is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations.
Employment of architects are expected to increase by
16% between 2008 and 2018. As the population in the
United States grow so does the desired for new homes to be built. This creates new job opportunities for architects due to the need for not only new homes but also schools, healthcare facilities, and retirement communities for the elderly. When the economy is not doing well then the architect is one of the first jobs to go. This is due to that people don’t want to construct new building when the economy is in crisis.

For the most part of their day architects spend time in an office where they design buildings. Usually architects may draw the building but recently most architects have been using computer programs to help them design the building to scale. An architect will usually work 50 hours a week or more depending on if there’s a deadline to meet.

To see how its liked to be an architect I interviewed Chris Jenkings who is a local architect over the phone.
Questions:
What are your obligations in a typical day?
-Do small projects on the computer, see the construction sites, and meet with clients.
What percentage of time do you work with others and what percentage alone?
-Around 90% of the time is spent alone and 10% with others.
In What ways does your job offer variety?
-Every building that needs to be built are different from each other so there is quite a bit of variety
What were the most helpful courses that you took in high school?
-Art, Algebra, Geometry, and History
What are the best and worst things about this occupation?
-The worst thing is when a client won’t agree with your decisions and the best thing is when you get to see the building you design for the first time because there's a sense of accomplishment.

• Hersey, G.L. The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago, Illinois. Michal
Ross, 2003
• Jenkins, Chris. Kill Devil Hills, NC. 2003. Interview
• Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. Architects, Except
Landscape and Naval. Washington, DC December 17, 2009. On
Web
• “Rem Koolhass/OMA’s proposed (and controversial) San Francisco
Prada Store is no more. (Buzz). (Brief Article).” Architecture 90.12
(2001): 20. Student Edition . Web. 9 Sept. 2010.
• "Rafael Vinoly and officials at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center for Fine
Arts, a music complex designed by the architect and completed in
2001, have reached an out-of-court settlement after the arts organization sued the architect last November, citing delays and
'defective design work' that pushed the project $23 million over budget. Brief article)." Architecture 95.4 (2006): 21. Student Edition.
Web. 9 Sept. 2010.