Career in architecture course

Introduction:
"First Impression is the last impression" is the world wide famous saying. This is true people first attract to anybody from its appearence only the physical appearence of any building, office ,complexes etc plays a major role in growth of economy. The industry responsible for this is the construction industry, which has increased to a great extent. Now not only people run to fulfill their basic needs of food, clothes and shelter but emphasis is also now given on comfort, luxury and style. All this has led to creation of avenues for those interested in making a career in this sector. In the last few decades our economy has witnessed hectic and massive construction activities, new structures have been raised, townships have evolved, evident of growth in the sector. This sector is not recent career .Indian architecture is famous from the time of rulers. Biggest and the good example of architecture are taj mahal, qutub minar , mysore palace, dilwara temple etc

Nature of work:
The construction task involves both the designer and constructors. Any construction needs number of people, technical and non-technical, expert in their field including architects, contractors, surveyors, engineers, designers along with bricklayers, masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers etc. Architecture, in particular is the study which deals with planning and designing of building and structures. Architects with the help of their creativity and ideas bring out gold from the stone. They create magnificiantly beautiful buildings which leave a powerful imprint on human mankind.
Today, architecture has taken a totally different shape. Architects work is not only to provide a building but also have to care about its functional utility, safety and economy ,quality, enviornmental friendly constructions. Architects designs a variety of structures including houses, apartments and colonies, offices and industrial complexes, hospitals, hotels, airport terminals, stadia, shopping and commercial complexes, schools etc. Its not only that architect have to design only new buildings but also the renovation and alteration which involves quite more mind and creativity.
Clients approach architects with some idea of what they want. The architect then begins his job with outlining and making some plans with details of sizes, specification and estimates of the cost of the structure. Demand for interior designers is continuously increasing in every field not only limited to hotels only. corporate offices and hotels alone. One can see it coming into houses in a big way. Architects even indulge in interior designing; an upcoming field which involves scientific and artistic skills. Interior designers require abstract reasoning and three dimensional space perception to translate ideas into realities. Understanding client's need is at the very core of the profession.

Educational qualification:
Anybody who has studied Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry (PCM) at the 10+2 level can apply for admission to study architecture course at the graduate level in colleges offering the course. B.Arch is a 5 year course and most schools and colleges select students through a written test. Further on completion of the graduate course, if interested, one can study architecture at the post graduate course which varies from 18 months to 2 years.

Professional Courses:
Entrance test for B.Arch Courses - The Council of Architecture conducts an aptitude test on an All India basis for admission to colleges of Architecture. Engineering colleges select students on the basis of the result to the appropriate engineering courses. Some other renowned institutes carry their own selection tests to identify suitable candidates while some give weightage to class 12 marks and entrance examinations to select students.
National Aptitude Test in Architecture is conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Architecture (NIASA), an Academic Unit of the Council of Architecture (CoA). The CoA is the final authority in India as far as regulating education and architectural profession is concerned. Candidates, who are not admitted on the basis of valid NATA marks, will not be considered for registration as an Architect.

Colleges, Institutions and Universities:
Some of the Colleges/Institutions/Universities offering Graduate/Post-Graduate courses in Architecture are mentioned below.
School of Planning & Architecture, 4, Block-B, IP Estate, New Delhi 110002
Punjab University, Chandigarh College of Architecture, Chandigarh 160012.
Lucknow University, Govt. College of Architecture, Tagore Road, Lucknow 226002.
School of Architecture CEPT, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009.
Goa University, College of Architecture, Campal Panaji, Goa - 1.
Indian Education Society's College of Architecture, 791, Bandra Reclamation, Bandra (W), Mumbai 400050.
University of Mumbai, Sir J J College of Architecture, 78/3, Dr. D.N. Road, Mumbai 400001.
Pune University, Marathwada Mitra Mandal College of Architecture, 302, A, Deccan Gymkhana, Pune 411004. Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, School of Planning & Architecture, Mahavir Marg, Hyderabad 500028.
Kerala University, College of Engineering, Thiruvananthpuram 695016.
Anna University, School of Architecture & Planning, Sardar Patel Rd., Chennai 600025.
IPS Academy, School of Architecture, Rajendra Nagar, Indore 452012.
Bengal Engineering College, PO Botanic Garden, Howrah, West Bengal.
Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Sushant lok, District Gurgaon, Haryana.
Vastu Kala Academy, School of Architecture & Interior Designing, 9/1, Institutional Area, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067.

Career Prospects:
As the people start thinking a lot on the physical appearence so they invest a lot on construction which leads a golden career in this sector. The demand of good architect has reached to 10.000 every year which is expected to rise further and the training facilities available are still short. All these factors contribute in making this field a very competitive one with healthy career prospects. Employment opportunities for architects are available in government as well as private sectors. Some of the government organizations include Public Works Department, the Archaeological Department, Ministry of Defence , Departments of Railways, Post and Telegraphs, Public Sector Undertakings, National Building Organization, Town and Country Planning Organization, National Institute of Urban Affairs, Housing and Urban Development Corporation, National Building Construction Corporation Ltd., City Development Authorities etc. Besides these organizations, various other institutes and agencies like State Departments, Housing Boards, Local Bodies responsible for construction works also recruit architects.

SOME USEFUL WEBSITES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_India