As if architects weren't already suffering enough, along comes U.S. News & World Report to kick an industry when it's down. In the magazine's recently published Best Careers 2009 package, architect is listed as one of 13 overrated careers, joining such other unworthy vocations as attorney, physician, police officer, and teacher. It's the second year in a row the job has appeared on the list, which takes into account job outlook, satisfaction, difficulty of training, prestige, and pay.
Although the analysis is brief but fair?economic realities are assuredly not good, and "a major cause of low job satisfaction is that many architects don't get to design buildings but rather must produce detail drawings of ... other people's designs," U.S. News says?the magazine falters by offering "interior designer" as an alternative career and placing it midway between architect and interior decorator, as if all three were stopping points on some kind of design continuum instead of distinct disciplines.
On the other hand, it's apparently a good time to be in other construction-related lines of work: engineer, landscape architect, and urban regional planner make the 2009 list of best careers, and U.S. News names green collar specialist and solar installer "ahead-of-the-curve careers." Find out more at usnews.com/bestcareers.
