Dedication
I would like to dedicate this project to my mom, my dad, and my sister. My parents support me, and my little sister pushes me forward with the crazy stuff she does.

Why I Chose This Topic
There is one reason I decided to take this opportunity to study all about architecture. I chose architecture because I thought it would be interesting.

Research Summary
Architects are trained civilians paid to design and help build structures.  They specialize in designing anything that is tall enough for you to look at the inside of. They can usually create almost anything you can think of, from churches to hospitals.

Monthly Salary
Most architects make an average of $46,690-$79,230 a year. Architects are still being paid back for the four years of college they had to pay for years before, so I guess it’s fair. The minimum  schooling  requirements for an architect is a Bachelors Degree (4 years of college) Since 25% of architects are self-employed and find their own projects, earnings depend on the demands of work in that location. It also depends on how hard the architect work and how hard they look for clients.
               
Needed Abilities
Architects need to have quite a few personal qualities. They need to be extraordinary artists to draw what the project will look like after the alterations. They also need to have a good imagination to be able to envision what to draw. After I interviewed Mr. Irons  I drove past the place that he had drawn and I thought about how good he had drawn it, and it AMAZED me! 
                                   

 Where They Work/Schedule
Most of an architects’ time is taken up in offices consulting with clients, developing reports and drawings, and working with other architects and engineers. Although a majority of architects work approximately 40 hrs a week, they often have to work nights and weekends to meet deadlines.

Tools Used/Materials Needed
Most architects need a pencil, a pen, a box of colored pencils or crayons, and a BIG sheet of paper. They always need a hard surface, and a place to sit on, preferably a desk with a chair in an office.

Related Jobs
The closest related job is of a builder. The architect designs the house, but the builder just, well, builds it. So, really, if you think about it, there’s only one difference between the two.
 Did you know that an architect is pretty much a PERFECT artist, just drawing (and designing) buildings only instead of drawing whatever they want as a professional artist would.

I interviewed Mr. Scott Irons. He is a Yakima architect who helps with home-design, but he’s a great artist, and people have him draw what the product will look like after the transformation, kind of like a town makeover. He taught me that architects need to understand art, or they aren’t going to be very successful job-wise. Mr. Irons showed me a plan they were about to work on for Yakima Ave, where they were going to re-do the sidewalk. He said that taking an art class at a young age helped to teach him that architecture was what he really wanted as a career.

 
Bibliography

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Architects.  May 4, 2006

Irons, Scott. Personal interview. August 28, 2005

U.S. Department of labor Statisics “Architects, Except Navel and Landscape” <http://www.bls.gov/oco/print/ocos038.htm> January 17, 2006

Corbishley, Mike. The World of Architectural Wonders New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1996. Pp. 44-46.

Jessop, Joanne. The X-ray Picture Book of Big Buildings of the Modern World. New York: Franklin Watts,1994 Pp.  46-48

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