BEYOND DESIGN: What Aspiring Architects Should Know About Building a Meaningful Career
When most people think about architecture, they imagine designing through sketches, renderings, and models. While designing is certainly part of the profession, it is one piece of a much larger, more dynamic puzzle.
If you are an aspiring architect, one of the most important things to understand early is this: architecture is as much about people, communication, and leadership as it is about design.
I was advised early on about this idea in college internships, but honestly I did not fully grasp what that meant until five years into the profession. I was curious about construction as my first job out of college so that I could learn the construction process and how buildings are built. I later completed a master in real estate development thinking I was mastering the finances of buildings.
2023 DBIA Federal Symposium, Opening Keynote Panel
In full reflection, now I am seeing that the path I was following was preparing me for a career that sits at the intersection of design, business, and human experience.
Today, working as a design manager with a national design-build company on large, complex projects, I spend less time drawing and more time aligning teams. I translate and organize ideas between architects, engineers, contractors, and clients. I help navigate simultaneous competing priorities: budget, schedule, performance, and vision. Each project, each moment, each person, can have an impact on elevating how we do practice, and why we practice.
2025 AIAS Grassroots Project Tour of NIH SRLM project in Bethesda, MD with AIAS leaders across the country
The shift from the label of “designer” to “integrator” is something many young architects do not see coming. And it is something talked about more often, and I am seeing the shift in conversations in my role at AIA Strategic Council At-Large Representative ‘24-‘26.
Here are some lessons, the secrets to navigating and elevating a career:
Lesson 1: Your ability to communicate will set you apart
Technical skills get your foot in the door, but communication is what advances your career. Can you explain a thought clearly, concisely with few influential words? Can you actively listen to a client, partner, or team member’s needs beyond what they say explicitly? Can you bring people together when there’s conflict? These are the skills that make you invaluable.
Lesson 2: The profession is evolving so be open to non-linear paths
Architecture today extends far beyond traditional practice; in my opinion, this increases the value of the architect. You might find yourself in design-build, real estate development, business development, marketing or research areas like neuroarchitecture (understanding how the built environment impacts the human mind and body). The best advice I live by for myself and share with others: stay curious. The most exciting, impactful careers are rarely straight line trajectories.
Lesson 3: Learn how buildings actually get built
The reality — construction is still not a technologically advanced industry. At the end of the day, buildings are still built by people: every brick, every tile, every light. Understanding how construction works beyond the drawings is a superpower. The more you know about materials, sequencing, and field conditions, the more effective you’ll be not just as a designer, but as a leader of teams and a leader of innovation. It also builds credibility with contractors and project teams.
2023 ACE Mentorship Program of America DC Chapter Scholarship Breakfast – high school extern receiving a scholarship
Lesson 4: Protect your energy and define your version of success
Architecture and construction can be demanding. Long hours, high expectations, and a culture that often equates grit and “paying your dues” with success. A meaningful, sustainable career isn’t built on burnout. It’s built on alignment – mental, physical, and creativity. Give yourself permission to define what success is to you on your own terms. Explore multiple sides of the profession to find where you fit in.
Lesson 5: Never lose sight of the human impact
At the end of the day, architecture is about people. The spaces we create shape how people feel, learn, heal, work, and connect. Whether you’re designing a hospital, an airport, or a home, your work has a direct impact on the human experience and wellbeing for life. This responsibility is what makes this profession so powerful.
So overall…
Yes, learn design, never stop being a steward of the arts. Master your tools. Pass your exams and get licensed. But please don’t stop there.
Become someone who masters the communication arts of connecting ideas, people, and purpose.
That is what builds not just great projects but a meaningful career in architecture and long lasting change.
Laura Wake-Ramos, AIA, NCARB, DBIA, Design Manager, Hensel Phelps
Laura graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Architecture and BA Communications; Later, she graduated from Georgetown University with a Master of Professional Studies — Real Estate Development; she also attended the AIAChristopher Kelley Leadership Development Program.