According to the reality, we often opt for the same professions, which had been adopted by our fathers. We try to adopt such career which are in demands and offers opportunities in term of job prospectus. We try to focus on the influential fields, which our friends have studied or opt so far, and this lead towards the growth of narrow thinking, misleading and misguidance. Doctor, Chartered Accountant, Computer Engineer, Business Man etc are no doubt reputable careers in the past decades, but the growth and demand of new dimensional career are far more superior, ethical and are claimed worldwide for providing better opportunities in the future decades. Have we ever looked towards the multidimensional career field like liberal art in the modern era, which will be more demandable at future?

Liberal art means open mind, freethinking, creativity etc. Teaching, Law, Art, Music, Photography, Architecture, Drama, Social Work, Philosophy, Media Studies, sociology and many more are the part of liberal art. First world countries are focusing on Liberal art from many decades but in our country, people opt the same trendy careers, even though they know that the growth of old careers has been reduced in size.

We have never focused to preserve our history, culture and to show our creativity, by opting Liberal Art subjects in our graduation and master level of studies, because in the past decades, Degree in Arts, no doubt was the horrible option for both man and woman of Pakistan in the past, because of narrow thinking and lack of opportunities; but now the new generation must look up for this new innovative and liberal field of art.

Liberal Art has 360 dimensional way to go on to seek unlimited career opportunities in the future ahead.

In this article, I would like to focus on one of the Liberal Art field, that is Architecture. Its truly said, Architecture is grounded in science but its heart is in the arts

Because their designs should be responsive to social, cultural and environmental issues, utilizing the rich potential of science and technology to achieve quality in the design of spaces, forms and detail.

Architecture is known as The professional creative problem solver in this Modern Era. You will learn how to work with others to imagine and to design buildings, from smallest to highest; youll solve problems, make drawings, build models, and fine-tune it in your degree level of studies.

An architect could learn to design, construct, draft project, research and site planning too.

If you like to Build models; Draw plans of your building ideas; Research and write papers; learn Mathematic; learn about preserving and restoring old buildings; Study architectural styles and history; Think about how buildings affect individuals and society then you would have a bright future in this field of Creativity.

If you are absolutely captivated by buildings; If you do enjoy being creative; if you can handle (handle learn from) public criticism; if you are self-motivated and well organized; If you like to meet up new challenges, then you must consider a degree in Architecture.

The following skills and knowledge is required to be come a successful Architect

He/She must have strong Physics and Math background.

He/She must be a good designer.

He/She must be creative.

He/She should have Analytical and Problem solving skills.

He/She should have aesthetic sensibility and a demanding imagination.

He/She must be sharp observer of the public requirements of buildings and of the designed environment as a whole.

He/She must have knowledge of the properties and uses of materials, manufacturing processes, building structure, and the sequence of building operations.

He/She must possess leadership skills.

He/She must like to work in a team.

He/She must have a clear vision.

He/She must appreciate critical opinions.

He/She must possess communication and presentation skills.

He/She must be confident.

Qualification Requirement :

The ideal candidates in architecture must have 12th standard level especially (Pre-Engineering), or A levels with the following subjects: English: Essential to communicate ideas and thought processes with clarity.

MATHEMATICS: Essential requirement as mathematical techniques may be required to manage complex statistical data.

PHYSICS: Essential as it enables a clearer understanding of the physical environment, within which architect designs.

COMPUTER STUDIES: Its good if he/she has computer studies as an optional subject or basic computers training. Youll get to spend the majority of your study time doing practical activities in the design-studio, such as drawing, model making and computer assisted design(CAD).

DURATION It takes around 6 to 7 years of intensive training to complete your under and postgraduate degree in architecture in most of the institutions of Pakistan and worldwide.

5 years Bachelors degree.

1 year Masters

1-2 years PhD

Uet (Lahore) and international universities also offers 3 years Diploma in Architecture.

From where can I pursue my degree?

There are 5 institutes, which are registered with PCTATP (Pakistan council of Architects and Town Planners)

1. Karachi University.

2. Indus Valley School of Arts.

3. Dawood Engineering College Karachi.

4. National College of Arts, Lahore.

5. University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore.

In the same manner, you can search for any international institutions, if you are living in other country than Pakistan.

What is the job prospect?

You can become Architectural Engineer, City, Community, and Regional Planner, Industrial Designer, Landscape Architecture, Studio Artist, Building maker, Interior Designer and many more. You could find employment within a private architecture practice, in the public sector, in project management, interior design, within a construction company etc. Hope that you all have gained some thing from this education article.

Acknowledgement:

Thanks to my student Salman Noorallah to type my hand written article on computer.

For more in formation or for futher queries, please email me at: munirmoosa@yahoo.com