I am about to graduate from my bachelor of architecture program in spring and am thinking about leaving the country due to my dissatisfaction with the United States. I don't have too much work experience...a competition, two internships; one at a small firm in NYC and the other at another small firm under the senior partner at Steven Holl Architects. My resume is pretty average, although one of the projects was published by Wall Street Journal. Portfolio, above average, displaying nice renderings, drawings and a bit of technical CD type stuff.
At this point, I do not particularly care to become licensed and jump through institutional hoops for another 5 years. After speaking to a few successful "architects" who never went through the exams, it doesn't seem like a big deal to become certified.
Does anybody have advice on which countries/cities outside of the USA would be best for a candidate like me? I have been thinking about the prospects of Switzerland or Norway. Somewhere affordable with a big design culture and not as stressful as NYC. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you.
Unless you have a personal link to a practice in those firms or find a international exchange, the best chance of living and working in any foreign country is to do a 1 year degree there with the intention to build you networks accordingly. Similar immigration and visa laws exist all over and you need to know the language to get work visas -
Personally, think your limiting yourself in not becoming licensed in some country. You would find the west coast of the US is like being on another planet.
I think that as a fresh grad, it would be a great idea for you to practice in a foreign country for the experience, especially if you have the opportunity. However, if you plan on staying in said country for an extended period of time, you should check to see whether you can get a license.
I will tell you, speaking as someone who is currently working in a foreign country, that the industry is pretty much the same around the world. Perhaps the quality of design might be better or worse, but overall you'll have to deal w/ the same long hours drawing CD's, managing clients, and other tedious stuff you did in the US. you'll pretty much have to do this whether you are licensed or not, so why not get something out of it?
You should first think about the type of work you want to do and research firms who meet that criteria. The location wont really matter if you hate your job.
TED and citizen4nr make good points I agree with. However, if you are looking for a way out of the country and to get work, you should know about BUNAC ( http://www.bunac.org/usa ). This gives you a work permit for either the Ireland, Australia or New Zealand if you have just been a full time student. It's not that easy as an American to get overseas, and this is a good route if you can make it work. Good luck!
Countries for Starting Work Outside of the USA
Hello all,
I am about to graduate from my bachelor of architecture program in spring and am thinking about leaving the country due to my dissatisfaction with the United States. I don't have too much work experience...a competition, two internships; one at a small firm in NYC and the other at another small firm under the senior partner at Steven Holl Architects. My resume is pretty average, although one of the projects was published by Wall Street Journal. Portfolio, above average, displaying nice renderings, drawings and a bit of technical CD type stuff.
At this point, I do not particularly care to become licensed and jump through institutional hoops for another 5 years. After speaking to a few successful "architects" who never went through the exams, it doesn't seem like a big deal to become certified.
Does anybody have advice on which countries/cities outside of the USA would be best for a candidate like me? I have been thinking about the prospects of Switzerland or Norway. Somewhere affordable with a big design culture and not as stressful as NYC. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you.
Unless you have a personal link to a practice in those firms or find a international exchange, the best chance of living and working in any foreign country is to do a 1 year degree there with the intention to build you networks accordingly. Similar immigration and visa laws exist all over and you need to know the language to get work visas -
Personally, think your limiting yourself in not becoming licensed in some country. You would find the west coast of the US is like being on another planet.
I think that as a fresh grad, it would be a great idea for you to practice in a foreign country for the experience, especially if you have the opportunity. However, if you plan on staying in said country for an extended period of time, you should check to see whether you can get a license.
I will tell you, speaking as someone who is currently working in a foreign country, that the industry is pretty much the same around the world. Perhaps the quality of design might be better or worse, but overall you'll have to deal w/ the same long hours drawing CD's, managing clients, and other tedious stuff you did in the US. you'll pretty much have to do this whether you are licensed or not, so why not get something out of it?
You should first think about the type of work you want to do and research firms who meet that criteria. The location wont really matter if you hate your job.
TED and citizen4nr make good points I agree with. However, if you are looking for a way out of the country and to get work, you should know about BUNAC ( http://www.bunac.org/usa ). This gives you a work permit for either the Ireland, Australia or New Zealand if you have just been a full time student. It's not that easy as an American to get overseas, and this is a good route if you can make it work. Good luck!
Switzerland and Norway... affordable?
hahahahahaha!
Go for it, but save a shitload of money first...
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