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How to Earn More as an Architect in 2024? {Active & Passive Incomes}

Saumya Verma

6 min read

January 30, 2023

blog

Table of Contents

In this article, we will explore how architects can earn more as well as some passive sources of income for architects.

Low Salary of Architects

Two people sitting on a stack of money

One of the main pain points for architects is how low their starting salaries are. Let us explore some reasons why architects are not getting paid as much as they deserve:
  • Architecture Schools teach students a theoretical and idealistic attitude towards the profession. There exists a huge gap between what is taught in Architecture Schools and what actually transpires in the industry. Due to this, firms are forced to upskill young architectural graduates and meanwhile are left with no option but to pay these graduates low salaries as they are not qualified enough.
  • The Architecture Profession is one of the least digitised professions after agriculture, according to the McKinsey Report, 2020. Due to this, the construction industry is losing out on 1.6 trillion dollars every year!

How to Earn More as an Architect?

A CAD drawing and a helmet

There are various ways in which architects can earn more. Listed below are some of them:

Active Sources of Income for Architects

Upskilling

An illustration depicting people climbing up stairs

There is a major divide  between the tech-first skills the AEC industry demands right now and what students are taught in these architectural schools. The latter are still stuck in outdated methods and techniques - and that is why upskilling and building futuristic skills are so important right now!

Upskilling is the practice of continuous learning and skill development. It helps you by making sure you are consistently on track with the changing demands of the industry. It makes you job-ready, but more importantly, keeps you poised for the challenges ahead.

One of the best ways you can begin upskilling is by enrolling in online certification courses like BIM Professional Course or the Master Computational Design Course for Real World Application that teach online skills and get acquainted with technologies which are going to soar in the future.

Upskilling  is a sure-shot way of keeping abreast with industry trends and aligning one’s career with the technologically-savvy trends which are going to dominate the architectural landscape.

 

Building a Specialisation

An Architect working on a 3D model

Building a Specialisation in a niche is extremely valuable in the field of architecture. Not only do you get to take home a high paycheck, but you can also avoid monotony by working on a wide variety of projects. It is now a well-known fact that specialists earn more than generalists.

Want to build a specialisation in the field of Computational Design? Check out Onistox’s Master Computational Design Course for Real World Application.

-- Masters 
A master's degree is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

--Online Courses 
Online courses are recently gaining a lot of popularity and are ideal to build your specialisation. These include online cohort-based courses in which a group of learners move through a course, or a series of courses, together as a team.

Also check out: Masters Vs Cohort-Based Learning: Which is Better for Architects and Engineers?

Move to a Better City / Better Job Opportunity

Some cities and countries have better job prospects than others. You want to be aware of these numbers before you decide the perfect job opportunity for you.

Passive Sources of Income for Architects 

An Architect sitting on a chair as money pours on his lap

A passive income is income that is acquired automatically with minimal labour to earn or maintain. It is the income that is generated in the background on autopilot. It is often combined with another source of income, such as a part -time job. It should be noted that building a passive income stream is not easy, requiring significant up-front effort, dedication, and passion.

There are various proven ways Architects can earn a passive Income. Let us explore some of them:

E-Books

E-book against a book in a student’s hand

One of the ways architects can earn a passive income is by writing an EBook. Architects can write an Ebook on any theoretical topic that they have mastered and sell it online. Every Architect has an expertise and there are various learners online waiting for the knowledge to be shared.

That’s not all! The things you learn from writing your EBook, promoting it online, selling it, and pricing it can later be applied to other products or domains as well.

Advertising and Online Commissions

Nowadays, architects can build content online for free and get paid via links, banners, commissions, and ads. Specialist Architects can write blogs about the topics they specialise in and get money that is generated from ads.

These platforms include YouTube, Podcasts, Online Blogs, etc. Great content means more visitors - which in turn means more money!

Online Courses

Nowadays, architects can sell all the knowledge they have access to. If you have extensive knowledge in a niche area, why not educate others and sell your knowledge online.

There are various platforms online such as “Udemy”, “Lyna” and “Novatr” which makes it easy for industry experts to start selling their courses online and earn some extra income as a side hustle.

So that’s it! If you want to learn Computational Design or BIM, to help specialise in a niche area and earn more as an architect, join us to Master Computational Design for real-world application or BIM Professional Course. Master this complex methodology with live lectures, recorded sessions and finally, practise all you have learnt with the final capstone project.

Want to learn more about BIM and computational design? Head to our Resources for more insightful reads.

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