I graduated college in the United States in 2003. Because I had to return to my home country to do mandatory military service, I was only able to start looking for a job this year (2006).
As such, I wasn't able to do my OPT... However, having fulfilled all my national obligations for the military, I have now returned to the United States (Seattle) to look for a job.
So far, I have not been successful at all in gettig any interviews, largely because they are not hiring people who require a working visa. I've so far gone through about 10 firms... and it's pretty frustrating to have a good portfolio, but not get an interviews because the firms are not willing to help me with the visa.
I'd informed them that I was willing to pay the $1000 visa fee, but the firms replied that they there other costs on their end, and they cannot justify the amount of money and time spent in helping me with the application...
What I like to know is, is it generally so difficult for a non-US citizen to get a job in the US? How many international people are hired at your office that didn't go through OPT?
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I may apply for a job in the United States?
It can be very difficult for smaller firms to hire non-citizens because of the prevailing wage rules. The way things are currently set up is that to offer a job to a non-citizen a firm has to certify that they can't find an equally qualified citizen to do that job at the same salary, and they have to offer a salary that is at or above the 50th percentile for that general position in that region. The percentiles are calculated from state dept. of labor statistics for that job title in ALL firms in the region - so they include all sizes of firms, and also include architects working in non-architecture firms (like developers, universities, retail chains, hospitals, etc.) which often pay more. The problem with that is that the 50th percentile for the general position is often higher than what a new hire would be offered in smaller firms. In other words smaller firms would usually have to offer average or higher-than-average salaries to non-citizens, even if they happen to be paying their US-citizen employees in the 10th percentile! It's especially problematic with entry-level employees because the salaries required for visa holders are well beyond typical small-firm starting salaries in most locales - and this experience level is usually the easiest to find and hire locally.
The timeline is difficult. As you probably know there are a limited number of visas available in a year, and there are filing deadlines associated with these. Then there are usually months of waiting (or large fees to "expedite" the wait to a matter of weeks or fewer months). Firms are not allowed to employ a non-citizen until the visa is granted (even if the person offers to work now for deferred payment, or even work for free). What this means to the firm is that it has to recognize a hiring need long before it actually needs the employee, advertise and interview to rule out unqualified citizen applicants, identify a non-citizen and negotiate a hiring deal, process this person's paperwork and fees, - and then sit back and wait months until this person can actually start work! And sometimes the application is ultimately denied (for reasons such as the prevailing wage issue, above) so the whole thing is risky in the first place.
Not all firms are so organized that they can know the workload and financial situation so far in advance. Many firms routinely hire this week because they need someone next week - or because they're already in over their heads with a backlog of projects.
Expense to the firm: technically the employee is not allowed to pay for most of the expenses involved with the visa application and the firm can get into a legal mess if it allows the employee to pay for things like the attorney's fees. In addition to the application fee and the expediting fee there is usually an attorney's fee involved - typically in the range of 5k to 10k per application (except in the largest firms that have in-house people to deal with this paperwork.)
In our small firm we have attempted to get through this process on a few occasions. We have encountered difficulty with the prevailing wage issue because of reasons described above. After these expensive, unsuccessful attempts - and recent law changes that make these rules stricter than in previous years - we've had to stop considering foreign applicants.
Usually the best bet for a foreign applicant is to target the largest firms in secondary (or tertiary) markets. Big firms in the midwest are more accustomed to bringing in visa applicants because they have a hard time finding and keeping enough people locally.
Also the whole process can be easier for someone with some years of experience. Firms have a harder time finding highly-skilled architects with years of experience and so are more likely to invest the time and money for the visa process for somebody at that level.
My office (small) has done this for two employees, and in both cases they were people who worked for us on a visa that was about to expire, then the office applied for the permanent visa for them after they'd been here a bit and they knew it was going to work out. I don't think they would have been willing to go through all that if they didn't have the chance to work with them for a bit first, it just wouldn't be worth it for an unknown employee.
I think you could have better luck if you try for an internship position or something that isn´t so well paid at first. You will have to prove yourself worth to the firm in order to stay., Getting an trainee visa is quite easy, you would just have to consult your requirements. For this, you need to pay about 1000 dollars I think and it´s good for almost 2 years, as far as I know..
These visas are for young graduates and I think they go up to the aget of 35, so there is a pretty good chance with that... This is easier mainly because you´ll cost less money to the company and usually this visa takes about 3 weeks.. I don´t know where you are from but almost every country has this visa...
In response to pix's suggestion, from what I know,if you have a trainee visa, you'll need to go back to your homecountry after this expires. I don't think you can convert this visa to an H1b. So, if you're looking into working in the U.S for a long time on an H1b, then this wouldn't really be a good option. If you're in it for experience, then this seems fine.
It depends on where you´re from.. some countries have different agreements, in my case, I´m from Mexico, and the transition is possible and not that hard.. actually all you need is a job offer and a letter from the company in order to get a work visa in the US
you are blowing it out of proportion and confusing h1b application process with a green card (permanent residency) application process.
h1b application does not require an extensive recruitment effort (advertising and interviewing potential applicants) - this is a part of a labor certification process for a green card application. for h1b everything is much easier. you just need to file a request for prevailing wage determination - they do it electronically these days. the response can come as early as in several hours, depending on the location and how busy the labor agency is. right now it takes about 4-5 months for the actual application to be processed. the "expedited review" would cost the company about $1,500. average legal fees are around 2k (i don't know where you got a 10k number - my whole green card application is about 5k) and you can pay yourself. i paid for mine, it is perfectly legal. no, it was not an in-house lawyer. i would suggest consulting an experienced immigration lawyer. he would explain the process better than i. having a good lawyer also guarantees that an application will be approved. it is a pretty straightforward process and they usually do not file if they are not sure.
prevailing wage vs. experience issue - true.
annual quota for h1 visas - true, but the fiscal year has just begun. they also introduced an extra quota for people with masters degrees from the usa. (again, consulting a lawyer would help understanding how bad the situation is)
it is easier to get an h1 visa with a larger firm - true. it does not have to be a "secondary market" though. all large corporate firms like som, hok, gensler, etc. have foreign employees and experience dealing with this issue. i also know several small boutique firms that do it regularly - field operations in new york for example.
kinetic8, why seattle? have you tried looking on east coast?
Are you saying I am able to get an attorney on my own to help me?
Is there any chance of working for an American firm without going to grad school?
Why Seattle? Well, I'm looking at Seattle because firstly, I graduated from Washington State University and I have friends from college working in various offices from Seattle... They have been very gracious and helpful in recommending me, but unfortunately I am running into major problems with visa application... Hence, this post on Archinect.com
In addition, everyone (friends from college) have been telling me that the Northwest is experiencing a construction boom for "green" buildings, and Seattle is a good place to look for jobs - There are a lot of jobs to be found... I've been told Callison is hiring a ton of people....
Other firms I've tried include:
BCJ, NBBJ, ZGF, Perkins + Will, MulvannyG2, Eric Cobb, Gensler, Mithun, Mahlum...
I'm from Singapore by the way... We have to do National Service. (basically mandatory military service) I just finished that, so I'm looking for a job. I miss life in the United States... and I miss my American friends.... That's why I'm here.
I could try the east coast I guess.... But of course, I'd need to know the odds of the firms willing to apply a visa for me; I need to know how possible this is... Or should I just focus on planning for grad school now.
You can certainly consult a lawyer on your own to get a sense of what's involved and how likely/unlikely it would be that you could get through this process in your local market.
Any attorney's fees directly related to a firm's application for a visa for you must be paid by the firm. We have had a little experience with this and used a highly-recommended attorney specializing in immigration issues and this cost the firm about $7000 per application. I'm sure it's possible to do that less expensively (in some markets, with some attorneys). There is also only a certain percentage of the visa fees that the employee is allowed to pay. Our attorney told us that even though many potential employees will offer to pay all application and attorney fees it is illegal for the firm to accept this arrangement.
It was a big hassle for us and between the prevailing wage thing and the difficulty in timing to meet the quota we've only successfully hired one person this way. That person turned out not to be a good fit with the firm. We would be unlikely to pursue this route again.
The east coast is not easier than the west in finding firms that will sponsor a foreign employee. There are firms on both coasts that will do this but the markets are very competetive in all major cities on both coasts so I do agree with the idea that large firms in the middle of the country are better bets. Even with some of the firms you mentioned their offices in the midwest are much more diverse and international than their offices in larger cities.
Q1: Would gaining a bunch of experience (in Singapore) and having a killer portfolio (although subjective as to what is "killer") greatly improve my chances of trying again to work in the US?
I'm wondering if the chances are so slim I might as well prepare myself for grad school....
Q2: Also, what are the chances of getting hired to an architecture office if I did grad school majoring in mechanical engineering instead of architecture? (It has been my interest to study mechanical engineering, but practice architecture)
Gaining a bunch of experience anywhere would certainly make your chances much better. The killer portfolio won't hurt, especially if getting experience elsewhere allows you to fill it up with photos of built projects and drawings from real-world projects.
While grad school could be useful in general, I'm not sure it will go a really long way toward fixing your visa issues. Wouldn't you just end up in the same position at the end, able to get a visa for practical training for a short period, but then back to trying to get the h1b?
If you're trying to make a choice between more experience or more education to make you more employable in the US then absolutely go with experience!
Your chances of being hired as an engineer in an A/E firm would be good if you get the engineering degree. Your chances of being hired as an architect - whether in an architecture office or engineering office - wouldn't be as good with the engineering grad degree than with the architecture degree...
I think it's strange that I would less likely to be hired into an architecture office with a Masters in mechanical engineering than a masters in architecture...
Am I really better of with an education in architecture in grad school? I assumed that in grad school it's just gonna be more theory reading/research + paper writing and more studio design...
Since, I've done all that in the undergrad program... Personally, I would think a Masters degree in engineering or business would be more beneficial to architecture practice.
But nontheless, is it really true? Would I be more likely to be hired into an office with a masters in architecture?
In addition, as far as experience is concerned... Is experience in a corporate firm more beneficial over one at a smaller design-focused office?
Is it more difficult to make the transition from corporate to design-focused or the other way round?
It's fairly easy to switch between extremes in firm types for the first 7 to 10 years or so of your career. Most firms expect young architects to firm-hop a bit to get diverse experience. It's really not that unusual to see portfolios full of residential detailing from people applying for "big brush design" positions with large firms, and vice versa - and it doesn't hurt your chances much. I worked in a 2-person firm for a long time and then moved on to one of the large firms that you mentioned above. Later I went to a well-known "boutique" design firm. There wasn't much concern in any of the interviews over my ability to adapt my skills and pick up on each firm's work and methodology, and I wasn't pigeon-holed or held back in any way in each firm because of my work history.
After the first decade or so it becomes a little more difficult because most people have developed a niche of sorts by then - roles within an office that they gravitate toward - and a higher level of responsibility and accountability and it can be difficult to move competently from one firm type to another at that level without going somewhat backward on the career track for at least a little while. But it's not impossible and probably not something you should worry too much about at this point.
A graduate degree in business may help you if/when you decide to strike out on your own. I can't see the mechanical engineering helping you too much in most architecture firm types - in fact firms I've seen tend to shy away from engineer applicants (unless specifically trying to fill an opening for an in-house engineer) - often because of the idea that average engineers' salaries are too high for architecture firms to afford!
But: if engineering is what you'd be happiest studying and something you're very interested in and want to pursue then you probably should. Surely there would be a great role for you somewhere, though it might take time to find it.
While some firms do value an M.Arch highly (and/or love to have that on their employees' bios for marketing purposes) it isn't a necessity and if you're not interested in doing it then don't.
It seems a little like you just want to go to grad school in something - anything - because you feel it would help with visa problems, and has been discussed before I don't think that in and of itself it's likely to help in the longterm with that.
Not really, I would go to *architecture* grad school if I think it'd help me with visa problems.... but otherwise, I'd really like to do mechanical engineering just to become a better designer.
A masters in business admin has been in mind as well, but I haven't gave plans for grad school any real serious thought yet. I wanted to gain some experience before making that decision... It's too early to decide...
I'm happy to hear that an M.arch isn't a necessity, because I really don't t want to do architecture grad school.
It seems like many peopl are raising the issue that grad school isn't a proper solution to getting the H1b visa... What is the visa for practical training? Is it the F-1 (student visa)? Is the transition to H1b difficult as well? What are the other solutions to getting the elusive H1b then?
I have many international friends from college that are working for architecture firms and they have been there for about 3 years now... So far, it doesn't seem like it's that difficult to get a working visa through OPT... At least, that's what I'm seeing...
(assuming my understanding that practical training visa allows you to work for only a year)
You get the F1 when you are a student. You can't work. After F1, when you graduating from a college in the States, you have one year of OPT (optional practical training) where you can work...
You can automatically work for a year in the states after graduation (as long as you find a job).
After that year is up, if your company sponsors your visa application you can then get the H1B... So, find a job on OPT, and make sure you find an employer willing to sponsor you after a year... You can even pay the fees yourself if the company is too cheap, but they need to be your sponsor.
Yeah the thing is, within a year you will need to get a sponsor for H1B... I would suggest: do a valuable degree in the united states that will be recognized internationally... one that will help you outside the states even if you cannot find a permanent job in the states.
aluminate - 7000$ per applicant? your firm must have some seriously expensive attorneys.
as for the money part of it, the fees nowadays can run upto $2000+$1000 for expedited and you can find a great attorney for about 1200. so you will spend a max of $4200, say $4500
kinetic8, i would go work for a smaller firm first, as they are a bit more relaxed about helping people out - most of the large firms you mentioned might not care a damn - they get so many applications that they rather not go for the hassle
Would I be able to get a job in an architecture office in America if I went back to the USA to get an MBA (instead of a Masters in Architecture)?
Does the OPT specify that you can only find work relating to your field of study? (i.e. work in an engineering office if I studied engineering. Or work in a law firm if I studied law - An MBA seems somewhat general, so I'm not sure if this question makes any real sense. But I want to make sure.)
How does this work?
I'm serious about going back to the USA and I want to make it happen. Any help/advice appreciated.
why would you ever want to work in an architecture office after doing an MBA?
If you really want to go the education route, it might be worth it to do something related (for instance, planning, environmental design etc.) than go for an MBA. Even construction management is a close choice.
As for the OPT, its advisable to find employment in same field, but it can be a closely related field too.
Nov 4, 06 2:46 am ·
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Question - Is it so difficult to get a job in the United States?
Hey ya'll
I graduated college in the United States in 2003. Because I had to return to my home country to do mandatory military service, I was only able to start looking for a job this year (2006).
As such, I wasn't able to do my OPT... However, having fulfilled all my national obligations for the military, I have now returned to the United States (Seattle) to look for a job.
So far, I have not been successful at all in gettig any interviews, largely because they are not hiring people who require a working visa. I've so far gone through about 10 firms... and it's pretty frustrating to have a good portfolio, but not get an interviews because the firms are not willing to help me with the visa.
I'd informed them that I was willing to pay the $1000 visa fee, but the firms replied that they there other costs on their end, and they cannot justify the amount of money and time spent in helping me with the application...
What I like to know is, is it generally so difficult for a non-US citizen to get a job in the US? How many international people are hired at your office that didn't go through OPT?
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I may apply for a job in the United States?
Dan
Some of the issues:
It can be very difficult for smaller firms to hire non-citizens because of the prevailing wage rules. The way things are currently set up is that to offer a job to a non-citizen a firm has to certify that they can't find an equally qualified citizen to do that job at the same salary, and they have to offer a salary that is at or above the 50th percentile for that general position in that region. The percentiles are calculated from state dept. of labor statistics for that job title in ALL firms in the region - so they include all sizes of firms, and also include architects working in non-architecture firms (like developers, universities, retail chains, hospitals, etc.) which often pay more. The problem with that is that the 50th percentile for the general position is often higher than what a new hire would be offered in smaller firms. In other words smaller firms would usually have to offer average or higher-than-average salaries to non-citizens, even if they happen to be paying their US-citizen employees in the 10th percentile! It's especially problematic with entry-level employees because the salaries required for visa holders are well beyond typical small-firm starting salaries in most locales - and this experience level is usually the easiest to find and hire locally.
The timeline is difficult. As you probably know there are a limited number of visas available in a year, and there are filing deadlines associated with these. Then there are usually months of waiting (or large fees to "expedite" the wait to a matter of weeks or fewer months). Firms are not allowed to employ a non-citizen until the visa is granted (even if the person offers to work now for deferred payment, or even work for free). What this means to the firm is that it has to recognize a hiring need long before it actually needs the employee, advertise and interview to rule out unqualified citizen applicants, identify a non-citizen and negotiate a hiring deal, process this person's paperwork and fees, - and then sit back and wait months until this person can actually start work! And sometimes the application is ultimately denied (for reasons such as the prevailing wage issue, above) so the whole thing is risky in the first place.
Not all firms are so organized that they can know the workload and financial situation so far in advance. Many firms routinely hire this week because they need someone next week - or because they're already in over their heads with a backlog of projects.
Expense to the firm: technically the employee is not allowed to pay for most of the expenses involved with the visa application and the firm can get into a legal mess if it allows the employee to pay for things like the attorney's fees. In addition to the application fee and the expediting fee there is usually an attorney's fee involved - typically in the range of 5k to 10k per application (except in the largest firms that have in-house people to deal with this paperwork.)
In our small firm we have attempted to get through this process on a few occasions. We have encountered difficulty with the prevailing wage issue because of reasons described above. After these expensive, unsuccessful attempts - and recent law changes that make these rules stricter than in previous years - we've had to stop considering foreign applicants.
Usually the best bet for a foreign applicant is to target the largest firms in secondary (or tertiary) markets. Big firms in the midwest are more accustomed to bringing in visa applicants because they have a hard time finding and keeping enough people locally.
Also the whole process can be easier for someone with some years of experience. Firms have a harder time finding highly-skilled architects with years of experience and so are more likely to invest the time and money for the visa process for somebody at that level.
Here's an older discussion about some of these issues:
http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=37882_0_42_0_C
wow. Bloopox is an expert!!!
Hey, Bloopox... thanks man!
I wish someone told me this earlier...
Aw.... &^%$#@!!
I need a miracle...
if you're swedish i'll swap jobs with ya
My office (small) has done this for two employees, and in both cases they were people who worked for us on a visa that was about to expire, then the office applied for the permanent visa for them after they'd been here a bit and they knew it was going to work out. I don't think they would have been willing to go through all that if they didn't have the chance to work with them for a bit first, it just wouldn't be worth it for an unknown employee.
Best of luck to you, it sounds tough.
I think you could have better luck if you try for an internship position or something that isn´t so well paid at first. You will have to prove yourself worth to the firm in order to stay., Getting an trainee visa is quite easy, you would just have to consult your requirements. For this, you need to pay about 1000 dollars I think and it´s good for almost 2 years, as far as I know..
These visas are for young graduates and I think they go up to the aget of 35, so there is a pretty good chance with that... This is easier mainly because you´ll cost less money to the company and usually this visa takes about 3 weeks.. I don´t know where you are from but almost every country has this visa...
In response to pix's suggestion, from what I know,if you have a trainee visa, you'll need to go back to your homecountry after this expires. I don't think you can convert this visa to an H1b. So, if you're looking into working in the U.S for a long time on an H1b, then this wouldn't really be a good option. If you're in it for experience, then this seems fine.
It depends on where you´re from.. some countries have different agreements, in my case, I´m from Mexico, and the transition is possible and not that hard.. actually all you need is a job offer and a letter from the company in order to get a work visa in the US
i am on h1b (since 2001)
dear bloopox,
you are blowing it out of proportion and confusing h1b application process with a green card (permanent residency) application process.
h1b application does not require an extensive recruitment effort (advertising and interviewing potential applicants) - this is a part of a labor certification process for a green card application. for h1b everything is much easier. you just need to file a request for prevailing wage determination - they do it electronically these days. the response can come as early as in several hours, depending on the location and how busy the labor agency is. right now it takes about 4-5 months for the actual application to be processed. the "expedited review" would cost the company about $1,500. average legal fees are around 2k (i don't know where you got a 10k number - my whole green card application is about 5k) and you can pay yourself. i paid for mine, it is perfectly legal. no, it was not an in-house lawyer. i would suggest consulting an experienced immigration lawyer. he would explain the process better than i. having a good lawyer also guarantees that an application will be approved. it is a pretty straightforward process and they usually do not file if they are not sure.
prevailing wage vs. experience issue - true.
annual quota for h1 visas - true, but the fiscal year has just begun. they also introduced an extra quota for people with masters degrees from the usa. (again, consulting a lawyer would help understanding how bad the situation is)
it is easier to get an h1 visa with a larger firm - true. it does not have to be a "secondary market" though. all large corporate firms like som, hok, gensler, etc. have foreign employees and experience dealing with this issue. i also know several small boutique firms that do it regularly - field operations in new york for example.
kinetic8, why seattle? have you tried looking on east coast?
I'm pretty confused now...
Are you saying I am able to get an attorney on my own to help me?
Is there any chance of working for an American firm without going to grad school?
Why Seattle? Well, I'm looking at Seattle because firstly, I graduated from Washington State University and I have friends from college working in various offices from Seattle... They have been very gracious and helpful in recommending me, but unfortunately I am running into major problems with visa application... Hence, this post on Archinect.com
In addition, everyone (friends from college) have been telling me that the Northwest is experiencing a construction boom for "green" buildings, and Seattle is a good place to look for jobs - There are a lot of jobs to be found... I've been told Callison is hiring a ton of people....
Other firms I've tried include:
BCJ, NBBJ, ZGF, Perkins + Will, MulvannyG2, Eric Cobb, Gensler, Mithun, Mahlum...
I'm from Singapore by the way... We have to do National Service. (basically mandatory military service) I just finished that, so I'm looking for a job. I miss life in the United States... and I miss my American friends.... That's why I'm here.
I could try the east coast I guess.... But of course, I'd need to know the odds of the firms willing to apply a visa for me; I need to know how possible this is... Or should I just focus on planning for grad school now.
Dan
You can certainly consult a lawyer on your own to get a sense of what's involved and how likely/unlikely it would be that you could get through this process in your local market.
Any attorney's fees directly related to a firm's application for a visa for you must be paid by the firm. We have had a little experience with this and used a highly-recommended attorney specializing in immigration issues and this cost the firm about $7000 per application. I'm sure it's possible to do that less expensively (in some markets, with some attorneys). There is also only a certain percentage of the visa fees that the employee is allowed to pay. Our attorney told us that even though many potential employees will offer to pay all application and attorney fees it is illegal for the firm to accept this arrangement.
It was a big hassle for us and between the prevailing wage thing and the difficulty in timing to meet the quota we've only successfully hired one person this way. That person turned out not to be a good fit with the firm. We would be unlikely to pursue this route again.
The east coast is not easier than the west in finding firms that will sponsor a foreign employee. There are firms on both coasts that will do this but the markets are very competetive in all major cities on both coasts so I do agree with the idea that large firms in the middle of the country are better bets. Even with some of the firms you mentioned their offices in the midwest are much more diverse and international than their offices in larger cities.
Q1: Would gaining a bunch of experience (in Singapore) and having a killer portfolio (although subjective as to what is "killer") greatly improve my chances of trying again to work in the US?
I'm wondering if the chances are so slim I might as well prepare myself for grad school....
Q2: Also, what are the chances of getting hired to an architecture office if I did grad school majoring in mechanical engineering instead of architecture? (It has been my interest to study mechanical engineering, but practice architecture)
Gaining a bunch of experience anywhere would certainly make your chances much better. The killer portfolio won't hurt, especially if getting experience elsewhere allows you to fill it up with photos of built projects and drawings from real-world projects.
While grad school could be useful in general, I'm not sure it will go a really long way toward fixing your visa issues. Wouldn't you just end up in the same position at the end, able to get a visa for practical training for a short period, but then back to trying to get the h1b?
If you're trying to make a choice between more experience or more education to make you more employable in the US then absolutely go with experience!
Your chances of being hired as an engineer in an A/E firm would be good if you get the engineering degree. Your chances of being hired as an architect - whether in an architecture office or engineering office - wouldn't be as good with the engineering grad degree than with the architecture degree...
I think it's strange that I would less likely to be hired into an architecture office with a Masters in mechanical engineering than a masters in architecture...
Am I really better of with an education in architecture in grad school? I assumed that in grad school it's just gonna be more theory reading/research + paper writing and more studio design...
Since, I've done all that in the undergrad program... Personally, I would think a Masters degree in engineering or business would be more beneficial to architecture practice.
But nontheless, is it really true? Would I be more likely to be hired into an office with a masters in architecture?
In addition, as far as experience is concerned... Is experience in a corporate firm more beneficial over one at a smaller design-focused office?
Is it more difficult to make the transition from corporate to design-focused or the other way round?
It's fairly easy to switch between extremes in firm types for the first 7 to 10 years or so of your career. Most firms expect young architects to firm-hop a bit to get diverse experience. It's really not that unusual to see portfolios full of residential detailing from people applying for "big brush design" positions with large firms, and vice versa - and it doesn't hurt your chances much. I worked in a 2-person firm for a long time and then moved on to one of the large firms that you mentioned above. Later I went to a well-known "boutique" design firm. There wasn't much concern in any of the interviews over my ability to adapt my skills and pick up on each firm's work and methodology, and I wasn't pigeon-holed or held back in any way in each firm because of my work history.
After the first decade or so it becomes a little more difficult because most people have developed a niche of sorts by then - roles within an office that they gravitate toward - and a higher level of responsibility and accountability and it can be difficult to move competently from one firm type to another at that level without going somewhat backward on the career track for at least a little while. But it's not impossible and probably not something you should worry too much about at this point.
A graduate degree in business may help you if/when you decide to strike out on your own. I can't see the mechanical engineering helping you too much in most architecture firm types - in fact firms I've seen tend to shy away from engineer applicants (unless specifically trying to fill an opening for an in-house engineer) - often because of the idea that average engineers' salaries are too high for architecture firms to afford!
But: if engineering is what you'd be happiest studying and something you're very interested in and want to pursue then you probably should. Surely there would be a great role for you somewhere, though it might take time to find it.
While some firms do value an M.Arch highly (and/or love to have that on their employees' bios for marketing purposes) it isn't a necessity and if you're not interested in doing it then don't.
It seems a little like you just want to go to grad school in something - anything - because you feel it would help with visa problems, and has been discussed before I don't think that in and of itself it's likely to help in the longterm with that.
Not really, I would go to *architecture* grad school if I think it'd help me with visa problems.... but otherwise, I'd really like to do mechanical engineering just to become a better designer.
A masters in business admin has been in mind as well, but I haven't gave plans for grad school any real serious thought yet. I wanted to gain some experience before making that decision... It's too early to decide...
I'm happy to hear that an M.arch isn't a necessity, because I really don't t want to do architecture grad school.
It seems like many peopl are raising the issue that grad school isn't a proper solution to getting the H1b visa... What is the visa for practical training? Is it the F-1 (student visa)? Is the transition to H1b difficult as well? What are the other solutions to getting the elusive H1b then?
I have many international friends from college that are working for architecture firms and they have been there for about 3 years now... So far, it doesn't seem like it's that difficult to get a working visa through OPT... At least, that's what I'm seeing...
(assuming my understanding that practical training visa allows you to work for only a year)
You get the F1 when you are a student. You can't work. After F1, when you graduating from a college in the States, you have one year of OPT (optional practical training) where you can work...
You can automatically work for a year in the states after graduation (as long as you find a job).
After that year is up, if your company sponsors your visa application you can then get the H1B... So, find a job on OPT, and make sure you find an employer willing to sponsor you after a year... You can even pay the fees yourself if the company is too cheap, but they need to be your sponsor.
Yeah the thing is, within a year you will need to get a sponsor for H1B... I would suggest: do a valuable degree in the united states that will be recognized internationally... one that will help you outside the states even if you cannot find a permanent job in the states.
and i've been wondering what country outside the US might have lower % of coldsnot employers. or which countries are less protectionist.
aluminate - 7000$ per applicant? your firm must have some seriously expensive attorneys.
as for the money part of it, the fees nowadays can run upto $2000+$1000 for expedited and you can find a great attorney for about 1200. so you will spend a max of $4200, say $4500
kinetic8, i would go work for a smaller firm first, as they are a bit more relaxed about helping people out - most of the large firms you mentioned might not care a damn - they get so many applications that they rather not go for the hassle
Would I be able to get a job in an architecture office in America if I went back to the USA to get an MBA (instead of a Masters in Architecture)?
Does the OPT specify that you can only find work relating to your field of study? (i.e. work in an engineering office if I studied engineering. Or work in a law firm if I studied law - An MBA seems somewhat general, so I'm not sure if this question makes any real sense. But I want to make sure.)
How does this work?
I'm serious about going back to the USA and I want to make it happen. Any help/advice appreciated.
why would you ever want to work in an architecture office after doing an MBA?
If you really want to go the education route, it might be worth it to do something related (for instance, planning, environmental design etc.) than go for an MBA. Even construction management is a close choice.
As for the OPT, its advisable to find employment in same field, but it can be a closely related field too.
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