Expert: John Henry Architect - 9/4/2008

Question
QUESTION: I've had a great passion for designing houses since I was a little girl. I took 2 years of drafting in high school but my plans for going to college were put on the back-burner due to an unexpected pregnancy my senior year. However, now that I'm a little more stable I've decided that I want to pursue a career in architecture. I'm not really sure where to start. I prefer online courses due to my job & family lifestyle, but finding the right school is confusing! From my understanding an architect does all of the designing where as a draftsmen only does portions (correct me if I'm wrong please). I want to do it all! So my question is this: Is architecture what I'm looking for or drafting? & 2.} Do you know of any good accredited online schools for architecture?  Thanks for your time!!

ANSWER: The architect is best trained theoretically but many draftspersons have a better understanding how a building is actually detailed if that is their focus and day to day job experience.  An architect has a complete university level background that covers every aspect of the field, yet this is so much to absorb and understand after the schooling is over.
You might take some online courses but classroom experience is important.  I do not know which accredited universities offer course work through the internet.  
Since you have two years of drafting the question is: do you want to be an architect or try to get a job now in the field?  Normally the schooling is 5 years for a Bachelor degree.  Then two years of internship, then passing a licensing exam.  
If you have a real yen for this and can self motivate then I would start reading as much as possible starting with the historical perspective and then moving on to current technical trends.  For the former a good large public library would be perfect.  Find the trade magazines to see what is being built now and how.  Sketch and create buildings on your own.  Take photos of older and new buildings, noting their details and how they are put together.  Keep a portfolio.
The right school is not quite as important as your efforts to educated yourself and make yourself valuable.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Mr. Henry thank you so much for responding. The information was very helpful. To answer your question, no I'm not looking to get a job in the field. I don't feel that I'm quite ready just yet. However, I do have another question. I'd like to stick with residential & not commercial, I'd also like to create my own designs, I'm talking like starting with a blank sheet of paper & finishing with a full blown house. Now, is that more of architecture or drafting?

Answer
Architecture has more than a utilitarian purpose.
Vitruvius is considered the first theoretician for architecture.  He wrote in a treatise dedicated to one of Rome's Caesar's:
"Architecture consists of three things: commodity, firmness, and delight."
By this he meant a building should be planned well for its functions, should be built well to withstand gravity and weathering, and should have aesthetic qualities.
I believe that these three qualifiers are true today.  If you look at these as the legs of a tripod you can understand that many buildings have only one or two of the underpinings for 'architecture'.
Just because you can design a house, a fire station, an office building, or a warehouse, does not necessarily mean that it is 'architecture'.  It can be if it fulfills the three qualifiers.
Designing a building simply for utilitarian purposes is more like engineering.
Residential design is a very gratifying endeavor as it puts you in touch with the end user, is quick to design and build, and offers feedback right away.  You can judge your product immediately and know what to do next time.
Many licensed and unlicensed designers can fall into the grind and just crank out product.  
Drafting is taking someone else's concept and executing it on paper or CAD.  Architects can manage firms with many draftspersons as long as they direct the design.  Sketching comes before drafting and has to do with organizing space in two and three dimensions.