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Understanding how to provide an excellent service is one thing, but the good architect also understands how to get paid for the work he does. This is a vital skill for all architects at any stage in their working life. This is done by managing the relationship with your clients very carefully such that you enjoy working together but at the same time you command sufficient respect that they will pay you on time. If you fail to do this, you will not get paid.

As students we are taught the pure craft of architecture but this skill set can only be useful to society once it is adapted into a marketable entity that people understand but more importantly 'want'. We spend too much time learning what is important to us and very little learning what is important to the rest of society.

The argument against preparing architects for the open market is that trends vary with the passage of time, and that the 'high art' of architecture holds great promise for the world. Of course it does, but to ignore the outside world entirely during the training of architects is an act of deluded self-importance. We operate in an industry that has a responsibility to society as a whole. Connecting the high art of architecture with a commitment to serving society is the challenge faced by every generation of architects.

We are taught that good design is what clients want, but what architecture school does not prepare us for is the plethora of other constraints that can be placed on a project. The 'Time, Cost, Quality' matrix is only discussed towards the end of an architect's training. This is wrong.

Due process, legislation and ethics are at the core of the advice we offer. Construction is full of risk and sometimes clients will push the extents of these to their limit. In these situations it is the architect's responsibility to be a voice of reason. This voice can be unwelcome and appear obstructive to an ambitious client, but we must place ourselves there nonetheless. This can stretch relationships between architect and client, It is our duty to advise clients of all foreseeable risks associated with a course of action.

Many believe that architects have lost their influence over the building process. If we were trained in cost estimation, negotiation and project administration, we would produce better professionals that are able to assert themselves in the wider industry. This can only serve to benefit architecture, and those who use it (everyone).