Architecture's Afterlife

Book excerpt: Almost 40% of architecture graduates choose not to practise as architects. Instead, by ‘leaving’ their chosen profession, this surprisingly large but vastly overlooked cohort are making significant contributions to a wide range of other sectors, from politics to videogame design, demonstrating that architectural training can be a pathway to roles, and even leadership opportunities, across a variety of other professions. Architecture’s Afterlife is the first book to examine the sectors into which these graduates migrate, and to identify the transferable skills that are learned, but not always taught, in their degree programmes, and that prove most useful in their new careers. The book – a result of a three-year pan-European study funded by Erasmus+ – provides a roadmap for increasing graduate employment, addressing skills shortages across all sectors and adapting curricula to changing professional landscapes. It is therefore essential reading for all those responsible for curriculum design and delivery in architecture and other disciplines, including deans, professors, postgraduate researchers and policy makers, as well as students and professionals seeking to expand their career prospects.