Money is a major theme of this book.



Money plays a tiny role in Architecture School and plays a giant role in the real world of Architecture. With the lack of proper business training, many architects struggle to run financially successful businesses. The failure of firm owners to run profitable businesses trickles down to the emerging professionals in the form of sub-standard pay.

I think that a $42,000 salary for an intern architect with a Master’s Degree is unacceptable. Overall, architects have the ability to earn a healthy income but the starting pay for entry level interns just sucks!

In this chapter, I share how you can predict your earning potential as an architect and I share five tips for increasing your income.

How much money will you make as an Architect?

Well it depends. Your compensation depends on three key factors:

Your Location Your Position Your Firm's Revenue



I will use the 2015 AIA Compensation Survey Salary Calculator to illustrate the following 3 points. I like this tool because it provides a good overview of what you can expect to earn.

1. Location

In general, compensation rates will be consistent with the cost of living. The best example would be urban areas, which tend to have higher costs of living but will also provide for greater job opportunities and a larger income potential.

The AIA Salary Calculator shows that Project Managers in the Pacific Region (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) average $83,500 in their base pay whereas Project Managers in the East North Central Region (IL, IN, MI, WI) average $78,300.

2. Position or Skill Level

As could be expected, the greater the job experience, the greater the income. The AIA calculator lists 18 different job positions ranging from Intern 1 at the bottom to CEO/President at the top.

Intern 1 shows a base salary of $41,500 and CEO a base salary of $133,600. Not exactly a fair comparison!

Since this book is aimed for emerging professionals, lets do a projection of your income for the first 10 years: