My wife got her degree and license in architecture in Colombia and immediately after graduating came to the U.S. on a student visa to study English. We met at a party and one and a half years later we got married.
During her time here we came to the unpleasant discovery that her license in Colombia does not transfer to the US and that it would take here another five years if she wanted to become licensed in Illinois.
Like me, she has been in school most of her life (we're both in our thirties) and the prospect of another five years without a "real" job is not something she really wants to do (not to mention we want to start a family in a few years).
As soon as she was legally able to she started looking for work (for opportunities that don't require a license) but, as you all know, the job market is terrible and she hasn't had as much as a phone call in response. Like anyone who has the willpower/resolve to make it through the program, architecture and design is in her blood and she's having a hard time dealing with the possibility that all her sacrifices were for nothing. Likewise, I try to help her as much as I can and keep her hopes up but it's getting increasingly difficult to do.
That being said, we're coming to grips with the fact that she might need to go back to school if she wants to increase her chances of finding a job. However, we're looking for something short-term, preferably 1-2 years. Anyone have any suggestions on possible design-related fields she might have better luck with and possible diplomas/degrees/etc that, combined with her degree in architecture, will help her in her search?
start an interiors firm, do residential design, product design, sales rep for architectural products, start your own design and branding firm, graphics , furniture design, nkba - kitchens and baths, work in construction as a project manager or work in the development field, sell deep dish pizzas that resemble major works of architecture, open up a doggie day care those guys / girls make bank 20-35 dollars a day to let the dog run around and get muddy for me to pick up after work, architecture is a great education to do most anything with... more expensive school may not be the answer unless its a top level mba or something useful such as construction engineering and management or structural engineering or something that pays.
At this point, I do not believe going back to school for an arch degree is wise. Does she have work experience? That may be more valuable than education... Also, look into learning Revit and maybe even get an autodesk certificate for it, which can help gain a better chance of getting an arch job. Being LEED certified can also help as well.
Question. What does it take to become an "architect" in Columbia? Because to be consider an architect in the U.S., requires many steps and processes.
Thanks for all the ideas. We've been applying to all the architecture-related/design-related opportunities we think would be a good fit for her but haven't had any luck. I know starting her own business in a design-related field is always a possibility but we think it'd be a lot better if she first got some practical, real-world experience.
@Quan Nyen Tran
Thanks for the tips. I believe I did some research on getting a certification for Revit and it seemed the consensus was it only tests the user at a very basic level and really wouldn't tell an employer much.
As for what it takes to become an architect in Colombia, your quotations are somewhat justified in that it isn't as rigorous nor expensive process in terms of exams as it is in the US. She completed a five year program at college, wrote a thesis, and then had to take an exam before she was able to get her license. However, she came here directly after college so I guess you could describe her status as a not-so-recent-graduate, which makes finding a job all the more difficult.
Really, speaking to your last point, I think the thing that could help her the most is to have someone experienced help her develop her resume and portfolio, as her college only focused on creating an academic portfolio rather than something you would take to an employer.
My experience is only with business resumes which is a far different creature than that of design-related resume so I haven't been able to give her much advice. We've tried looking at other resumes and portfolios to get an idea of what the requirements are but I don't feel that it's as "polished" as it should be. I've tried looking for services where you can hire an experienced architect to work with you and offer advice but haven't had any luck.
Aug 16, 13 12:58 am ·
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What else to do with a degree in architecture?
Hi all,
Got a question I hope I can get some feedback on.
My wife got her degree and license in architecture in Colombia and immediately after graduating came to the U.S. on a student visa to study English. We met at a party and one and a half years later we got married.
During her time here we came to the unpleasant discovery that her license in Colombia does not transfer to the US and that it would take here another five years if she wanted to become licensed in Illinois.
Like me, she has been in school most of her life (we're both in our thirties) and the prospect of another five years without a "real" job is not something she really wants to do (not to mention we want to start a family in a few years).
As soon as she was legally able to she started looking for work (for opportunities that don't require a license) but, as you all know, the job market is terrible and she hasn't had as much as a phone call in response. Like anyone who has the willpower/resolve to make it through the program, architecture and design is in her blood and she's having a hard time dealing with the possibility that all her sacrifices were for nothing. Likewise, I try to help her as much as I can and keep her hopes up but it's getting increasingly difficult to do.
That being said, we're coming to grips with the fact that she might need to go back to school if she wants to increase her chances of finding a job. However, we're looking for something short-term, preferably 1-2 years. Anyone have any suggestions on possible design-related fields she might have better luck with and possible diplomas/degrees/etc that, combined with her degree in architecture, will help her in her search?
Thanks in advance.
start an interiors firm, do residential design, product design, sales rep for architectural products, start your own design and branding firm, graphics , furniture design, nkba - kitchens and baths, work in construction as a project manager or work in the development field, sell deep dish pizzas that resemble major works of architecture, open up a doggie day care those guys / girls make bank 20-35 dollars a day to let the dog run around and get muddy for me to pick up after work, architecture is a great education to do most anything with... more expensive school may not be the answer unless its a top level mba or something useful such as construction engineering and management or structural engineering or something that pays.
At this point, I do not believe going back to school for an arch degree is wise. Does she have work experience? That may be more valuable than education... Also, look into learning Revit and maybe even get an autodesk certificate for it, which can help gain a better chance of getting an arch job. Being LEED certified can also help as well.
Question. What does it take to become an "architect" in Columbia? Because to be consider an architect in the U.S., requires many steps and processes.
Goodluck on job hunting.
P.s. a good resume and portfolio is a must.
Depending on her experience she could become a project manager. I once worked with a guy in a similar situation who was from peru, & dats what he did
@Beepbeep
Thanks for all the ideas. We've been applying to all the architecture-related/design-related opportunities we think would be a good fit for her but haven't had any luck. I know starting her own business in a design-related field is always a possibility but we think it'd be a lot better if she first got some practical, real-world experience.
@Quan Nyen Tran
Thanks for the tips. I believe I did some research on getting a certification for Revit and it seemed the consensus was it only tests the user at a very basic level and really wouldn't tell an employer much.
As for what it takes to become an architect in Colombia, your quotations are somewhat justified in that it isn't as rigorous nor expensive process in terms of exams as it is in the US. She completed a five year program at college, wrote a thesis, and then had to take an exam before she was able to get her license. However, she came here directly after college so I guess you could describe her status as a not-so-recent-graduate, which makes finding a job all the more difficult.
Really, speaking to your last point, I think the thing that could help her the most is to have someone experienced help her develop her resume and portfolio, as her college only focused on creating an academic portfolio rather than something you would take to an employer.
My experience is only with business resumes which is a far different creature than that of design-related resume so I haven't been able to give her much advice. We've tried looking at other resumes and portfolios to get an idea of what the requirements are but I don't feel that it's as "polished" as it should be. I've tried looking for services where you can hire an experienced architect to work with you and offer advice but haven't had any luck.
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