The job profile of the military architect is to remain with the army, be deployed overseas if required, and support the military in various contingency operations. The military architect has to support the military team within the country and overseas in the time of any crisis. This kind of work needs a lot of responsibilities and the person may have to travel to the Gulf region, Iraq or to any other foreign place in times of emergency operations and carry out his duties in accordance with the instructions of the government and the military authority.
The responsibilities of a military architect include:
- Taking care of project development right from the time of the inception of a military project till it is completed and ensuring that the authorities are satisfied by it
- Actively participating in the project and ensuring that all the ideas and plans are working smoothly and according to plan
- Taking assistance from other professionals to get better ideas in designing
- Studying and presenting proposals to the authorities
- Showing the military personnel the practical viewpoint of the project
- Preparing tenders and presentations so that the authorities can understand the theme behind the project
- Checking out whether the work of all the contractors is in coordination. If not then bringing them in perfect coordination to ensure that nothing goes wrong during the project development stage and that the work is completed on time as per the given deadlines.
- Quickly solving problems that might arise at the project development stage
- Checking for defects in the project
- Ensuring that the project is completed within the allotted financial limits
For a person to be successful as an architect, he must possess the following skills:
- Good oral and written communication skills are a must
- They should have excellent logical and analytical ability to solve all problems that can arise at the time of project development
- They must be ready to work hard and should be comfortable with traveling
- They should be ready to adjust themselves to the environment in which they need to work
- They must be capable of quickly solving the problems that may arise on the construction sites
- They should have good mechanical drawing skills so that they can explain their concepts using pictorial representation properly
- They must be aware of all the legal restrictions and carry out work completely following all the rules and regulations as prescribed by the law
- They must have good managing skill so that they can coordinate the activities of all the departments that are involved in the project
- Good business knowledge is also a must
- They must be self-motivated and eager to learn new things
The growth of military architects depends on their experience, skills, talent and willingness to join the military. Along with the increase in experience as a military architect a person can be promoted to the posts of an assistant head, a project manager or even head of any particular project which is to be handled overseas or within the country. The architects can also opt to work on project basis. Architects have good career growth even in government organizations. Based on their work they can even be hired by the government to work on projects like urban design, conservation and a greenhouse or eco-building. This is a very wide field and has good career prospects all around. Only things required are talent and eagerness to work hard.
Average annual salary of military architects is around $60,000-$75,000 which is a good pay package. It can vary depending on your talent, skills, experience and educational qualifications.
Being a military architect and serving the armed forces is an excellent and exciting career option. The job is highly challenging and needs specialized qualification. However, it is also very rewarding in terms of remuneration, career growth and the high amount of prestige that is attached to such a job. If you are talented, industrious and determined to excel in a challenge-filled environment, go for it!