The way I see it, if the job can't come to you, you go to the job. The job listings on this site has a ridiculous amount of job openings all over. Everyday there is a new posting of a job opportunity in NY. Maybe this is a chance for you to move to a new city and try something new and different even if its for a year. Not trying to be harsh, but I am getting kind of tired of hearing about how the economy sucks, and no building is going on. There are tons of interior jobs in NYC right now. It not necessarily architecture, but its under the umbrella of architecture. Take a look at the Corcoran website and see how many projects are under development, its insane.
http://www.corcoran.com/property/nd/development_list.aspx?page=1&Cat=Manhattan&group=CGM#Downtown

Thats my 2 cents.

i've been searching for a job for 4 years to get IDP.... i managed to take a gig in a related field but still no IDP.... at this rate, i'll be 40 by the time i get registered....

i'm making a big jump myself.... from detroit to jersey..... all my friends/family/etc are in the D, but i'm tired of this struggle...it's gets old and the same ol b.s.

good luck and just land a job out of state and bounce for a bit.....

I'm kind of in the same boat...I got laid off about 3 months ago and have been searching since. I'm most of the way through IDP, but it seems like every office around here is looking to fill positions way below my experience level or way above. Unemployment benefits only go so far! ha

So now it's either relocating for a job somewhere, which doesn't seem likely due to the cost of actually having to move, or look outside of architecture for a little bit. It might not be that bad though, you get the chance to kind of wait out the tumultuous economy and you're still free to pursue your own creative endeavors.

good luck!

on the other hand, I'm also considering going back to school instead

thats if i can secure a loan somehow, lol

I moved to NYC early September and started looking for jobs there. By the time my portfolio was up to snuff Lehman's collapse was just a few days away. Since then I have been working in a almost completely unrelated field.

Yesterday though, I got a job in Europe for a very interesting architect.

This might seem like it is obvious, but the reason I got it is primarily because I called up to confirm receipt of the application. There are hundreds of applicants for each job, and most of them are not even looked at. Unless you somehow make your presence known you will be ignored as part of the faceless applicant mass.

If you are calling a small firm, they might find it annoying. But if you are nice and polite over the phone your chances are exponentially improved.

"retail or something for two years" is exactly what i did, but then i didn't stop looking for a good architecture fit, either. you can do both.

i enjoyed my time working retail - flexible hours, time to do my own creative work, etc.

i learned a lot about the world outside of architecture circles AND had one of the most personally creative periods of my life, just doing whatever i felt like doing, making whatever i felt like making.

i agree Steven. Kind of the way I'm viewing my layoff situation and the possibility of not being in architecture for a bit. I get to do whatever creative venture I feel like doing, on my own terms.

that sounds amazing- steven... seriously. the flip side to all of these lay offs is this:
all those people got the proverbial pink slip, and inevitably a ticket to do their own thing. the rest of us who are supposedly "still lucky" to have their jobs are working insane overtime hours, missing sleep, and are chronically pissed off.

last week we had an "emergency" meeting on the project i'm on... i thought for sure the project was being put on hold and we would soon be laid off. i had a sinking feeling. turns out that wasn't it. what it was, was worse. the client expects twice as much work and wants it ASAP. some of us wish we had just been laid off.

I jump at the opportunity to do twice the work in 1/2 the time, the more you prove yourself the more clients will come to you for service, especially now.

+i
that is exactly the situation at my office... we dont seem to be adding any new people, but most of the projects we are on are drastically understaffed, and while 50hr weeks are the pretty much the min here, its been more like 60+ hr weeks for the past month for close to half our office.
It might be a reaction to the current market, but we have had 2 fantastic years in a row adding new projects, so its really hard for me to believe that we might be struggling. It seems to me some offices are using the psychological effects of a 'recession' to line their pockets a bit thicker.
"The economy is in the tank and everyone around us is laying off their employees. We arent in trouble, but people will understand if we keep less people employed, make them work more, and keep more of the fee for ourselves. perfect plan says mr boss man

oh i totally agree lletdownl. you have to admit, even at the worst of a backwards forecast- the recession has been happening for 14 months- with the last 2 being the worst. so in my case, i'm at a very large international firm- if we can't cut it for two months and need to lay people off- then how close are we really cutting. my bet is with you- the firm isn't cutting it close at all... they just think it's "understandable" to lay people off and get richer in the process.

and we have already been understaffed on this particular project as-is. doing twice the work is not proving yourself to anyone- it's proving that you will work for nothing and still stick around. you may think you are showing someone how "invested" you are, and you're a loyal dedicated employee. you're not. don't fool yourself. they will let you go just as easily as anyone else.