I find myself in the unique position of likely becoming licensed in two separate countries in the near future (next 18 months or so).
Im quite happy about the prospect of this. It seems like a great credential to have that can set me apart in the future and will stay with me for the course of my career. I will hopefully have attained it very early in my career (~30 years old).
That being said, I'm curious if there are any unforeseen consequences of this that would not be obvious to me at the moment? If anyone out there is/has been in a similar position, what did you like/dislike about it, what was unexpected (both good and bad), did it help with career advancement, any other advice for the process ?
Certainly maintaining a license in more than one jurisdiction will add spice to the old CV but is not that valuable to an employer unless they need representation in both hose countries and you’re hired in a senior role where you can actually use that license.
Jul 18, 19 5:26 pm ·
·
archiwutm8
I believe bench is licensed in the UK and I'm assuming it's going to be another European country or the states.
Jul 19, 19 6:27 am ·
·
Bench
NS is correct, US/CA. I did work in uk for a few years but ARB would not recognize the credentials so no license ever materialized there unfortunately.
as for holding more than one license, I’ve only casually looked at expanding mine to include QC... and I could not see the justification of twice the annual fees just for the CV sparkle.
Our office is currently looking at Alberta and USA licenses but I only think ALB will become a reality. I’m not sure why tho for the moment. We’re more likely to do AOR joint venture than hold licenses.
luckily my office covers any fees for maintaining / obtaining licenses, so there is no financial downside. I believe CE credits also count towards both. So let’s assume the actual maintainence of both will not be an issue (or at most a slight inconvenience of keeping tabs on double the paperwork).
NS - you’re approaching a partnership role soon (?); given an applicant coming with both local licensing and broader licensing, could you see advantageous compensation for the individual even if they are not stamping at the time ? (Ie, it provides an opening to a new market, even if that credential isn’t being completely used at the time ). My firm is a large multi-national as well, which presents its own opportunities with respect to the licensing...
Jul 19, 19 2:39 pm ·
·
Non Sequitur
It's advantageous if that license can generate projects in new regions or if the office is already spread out, but that would need to be in a large firm. A US license won't do much in my area tho... not enough large offices unlike you want to get into a giant A&E's government project office. (I recommend you do not do that).
Note that, at least in Canada, having a license and "stamping drawings" are 2 separate things. Stamping requires that your license be linked to the office's certificate of practice and you will most certainly not be given that privilege as a new hire. I do not know if this is a thing in the USA tho... so YMMV.
As for me, yes, I am in the process of negotiations for associate with the goal to move into ownership. It's a long process. Will know more come the fall.
edited for format because Archinect reply options suck shewathy balls.
Licensing in Multiple Countries
I find myself in the unique position of likely becoming licensed in two separate countries in the near future (next 18 months or so).
Im quite happy about the prospect of this. It seems like a great credential to have that can set me apart in the future and will stay with me for the course of my career. I will hopefully have attained it very early in my career (~30 years old).
That being said, I'm curious if there are any unforeseen consequences of this that would not be obvious to me at the moment? If anyone out there is/has been in a similar position, what did you like/dislike about it, what was unexpected (both good and bad), did it help with career advancement, any other advice for the process ?
Bench, assuming it’s USA and Canada?
Certainly maintaining a license in more than one jurisdiction will add spice to the old CV but is not that valuable to an employer unless they need representation in both hose countries and you’re hired in a senior role where you can actually use that license.
I believe bench is licensed in the UK and I'm assuming it's going to be another European country or the states.
NS is correct, US/CA. I did work in uk for a few years but ARB would not recognize the credentials so no license ever materialized there unfortunately.
as for holding more than one license, I’ve only casually looked at expanding mine to include QC... and I could not see the justification of twice the annual fees just for the CV sparkle.
Our office is currently looking at Alberta and USA licenses but I only think ALB will become a reality. I’m not sure why tho for the moment. We’re more likely to do AOR joint venture than hold licenses.
depending on the countries, keeping up with continuing education in 2 separate systems could be a hassle.
luckily my office covers any fees for maintaining / obtaining licenses, so there is no financial downside. I believe CE credits also count towards both. So let’s assume the actual maintainence of both will not be an issue (or at most a slight inconvenience of keeping tabs on double the paperwork).
NS - you’re approaching a partnership role soon (?); given an applicant coming with both local licensing and broader licensing, could you see advantageous compensation for the individual even if they are not stamping at the time ? (Ie, it provides an opening to a new market, even if that credential isn’t being completely used at the time ). My firm is a large multi-national as well, which presents its own opportunities with respect to the licensing...
It's advantageous if that license can generate projects in new regions or if the office is already spread out, but that would need to be in a large firm. A US license won't do much in my area tho... not enough large offices unlike you want to get into a giant A&E's government project office. (I recommend you do not do that).
Note that, at least in Canada, having a license and "stamping drawings" are 2 separate things. Stamping requires that your license be linked to the office's certificate of practice and you will most certainly not be given that privilege as a new hire. I do not know if this is a thing in the USA tho... so YMMV.
As for me, yes, I am in the process of negotiations for associate with the goal to move into ownership. It's a long process. Will know more come the fall.
edited for format because Archinect reply options suck shewathy balls.
Why don't you become really good at practicing in 1 country, rather than being a mediocre practitioner in multiple?
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.