Design a great career with passion, patience, planning

NAGPUR: A rapidly developing country like India needs sustainable infrastructure. This makes

architecture

one of the most sought-after careers today.


The five-year degree course can be pursued after appearing for JEE mains and NATA entrance examination, inclusive of compulsory drawing test. As opposed to general perception, great drawing and sketching skills do not guarantee success as an architect, but an analytical mind with good imagination does.

The five-year course and one year compulsory internship equip students with technicalities, but passion and patience go a long way to set foot in the industry.

“Architecture is a highly creative course that requires vivid imagination. Having said that, it also a very practical field that demands new creation every day, so time management is a must. Sky is the limit for students who are passionate, keen observers and possess reasoning abilities,” says Sheeba Valsson, principal of Shri Datta Meghe College of Architecture.

Architecture leads to lucrative job prospects including landscape, interior, product, urban and set designing to name a few. Students can also explore architectural journalism and criticism — a gold mine for those possessing flair for writing.

“Mainstream architecture journals and magazines require services of professionals. So, writing about buildings and architecture while pursuing academics can give a head start to career. Later on, one can take up specialization that further enhances skills,” says Priya Choudhary, publication cell in-charge at Smt Manoramabai Mundle College of Architecture.

All professionals vouch that architects can earn handsomely but only after considerable toil. One of the leading architects of city, Virendra Khare warns against the idea of pursuing architecture just for filling one’s pockets. “The fast food generation today wants quick money, but architecture is a field of patience and immense hard work,” he says.

For Habeeb Khan, architecture is a mix of art, creativity and science. He believes the field makes a person versatile through its extensive course, “which is absolutely essential today since we carry the responsibility of shaping a society”. “Nagpur is a rapidly growing city and, undoubtedly, the opportunities are abundant, but metro cities have more exposure which is necessary for your growth,” he says.