I needed a portfolio review on my work so far as a graduate of B.Arch from the American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Its a NAAB certified program from USA. Im currently based in Dubai.
I have taken a big break after graduation and mostly did few freelance projects while I was starting a family and moving around countries (Pakistan, Dublin, Ireland). I intend to start back in architecture / Interiors. I'm not being picky in the starting out phase.
I also would like suggestions as to what would be a better field of work for an appropriate life balance eventually: Architecture, Interiors or some kind of project management. I intend to be a balanced parent who wants to stays involved with my children reasonably being a single parent. I have a big supplementary family support (my side of the family) along with hired help for each of them. I'm not sure how I would pick between architecture and interior design later on and what would be a better option financially.
I also intend on renewing my Revit Professional Certification (I did it last in 2012). I'm looking in doing the PMP exam along with LEED and Pearl Certification (Abu Dhbai, UAE). Also how do I justify my work break due to family reasons on resume, cover letter and LinkedIn? Is uploading my work on Behance a good idea? or should Issuu be sufficient for job-hunting purposes? Should I condense my portfolio for job application?
Should I be planning to register for an M.Arch instead of starting out work with little experience and struggling? Wouldn't work be a better option for now? Also any suggestions for online M.Arch as I cant move with two young children (5 & 6) in the next 2-3 years.
I can also apply for Canadian immigration based on my NAAB certified B.Arch. Would that be a good option in long term compared to working in Dubai with no permanent residency qualifications for the children.
I also have an option to start out a high-end pret-wear & couture fashion venture with my sister, a graduate from London School of Fashion in Dubai. There is a big market for luxury goods and we have strong multi-generational family ties in the fashion, fabrics & tailoring businesses. So that option kind of comes very intuitively to all of us as a family. It would also mean good money and work/life balance.
Off topic I also got trained as a RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) which would lead me to be a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) after a year of field work. I would probably need to enroll myself in a Bachelor's of psychology (if required) and would defiantly get a Masters in ABA later on. The field of work seems really interesting personally as I have a great aptitude in teaching skills and had a lot of exposure around young children (big family). One of my child, 5, is also on the autism spectrum and that has given me a whole range of skill to work in this area. The work hours are great and you get paid almost $100 per hour eventually as a BCBA. Having said that my heart is in design despite my acquired skills there.
I intend to pick one field as Im restarting and then stick with it until I excel in it long-term. Work-life balance and money are very important considerations as it must be for everyone.
All career advice would be welcome along with constructive portfolio critique as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Looking forward to reading all your input.
Jay1122
Oct 9, 20 8:49 am
"Work-life balance and money are very important considerations as it must be for everyone.""my heart is in design". Oh you are in the wrong field. Architecture is not the best for those. Anyway don't know which country you will be working so can't specifically say.
For portfolio, general comments. TOO LONG. 150+ Pages jeez. Aim 40-60 pages. Edit it down. And too much empty white space for the layout, clearly poor layout organization. Page 64-67 is the best example of what you need for all the pages. Edit your drawing/diagram scale, resize and trim rendering aspect ratios etc. Full rendering as background with text overlay etc. Treat the whole page as a piece of art work. Most people flip through them, its all about first impression on graphics and efforts.
Hi everyone
I needed a portfolio review on my work so far as a graduate of B.Arch from the American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Its a NAAB certified program from USA. Im currently based in Dubai.
I have taken a big break after graduation and mostly did few freelance projects while I was starting a family and moving around countries (Pakistan, Dublin, Ireland). I intend to start back in architecture / Interiors. I'm not being picky in the starting out phase.
https://issuu.com/sumaira./doc...
I also would like suggestions as to what would be a better field of work for an appropriate life balance eventually: Architecture, Interiors or some kind of project management. I intend to be a balanced parent who wants to stays involved with my children reasonably being a single parent. I have a big supplementary family support (my side of the family) along with hired help for each of them. I'm not sure how I would pick between architecture and interior design later on and what would be a better option financially.
I also intend on renewing my Revit Professional Certification (I did it last in 2012). I'm looking in doing the PMP exam along with LEED and Pearl Certification (Abu Dhbai, UAE). Also how do I justify my work break due to family reasons on resume, cover letter and LinkedIn? Is uploading my work on Behance a good idea? or should Issuu be sufficient for job-hunting purposes? Should I condense my portfolio for job application?
Should I be planning to register for an M.Arch instead of starting out work with little experience and struggling? Wouldn't work be a better option for now? Also any suggestions for online M.Arch as I cant move with two young children (5 & 6) in the next 2-3 years.
I can also apply for Canadian immigration based on my NAAB certified B.Arch. Would that be a good option in long term compared to working in Dubai with no permanent residency qualifications for the children.
I also have an option to start out a high-end pret-wear & couture fashion venture with my sister, a graduate from London School of Fashion in Dubai. There is a big market for luxury goods and we have strong multi-generational family ties in the fashion, fabrics & tailoring businesses. So that option kind of comes very intuitively to all of us as a family. It would also mean good money and work/life balance.
Off topic I also got trained as a RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) which would lead me to be a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) after a year of field work. I would probably need to enroll myself in a Bachelor's of psychology (if required) and would defiantly get a Masters in ABA later on. The field of work seems really interesting personally as I have a great aptitude in teaching skills and had a lot of exposure around young children (big family). One of my child, 5, is also on the autism spectrum and that has given me a whole range of skill to work in this area. The work hours are great and you get paid almost $100 per hour eventually as a BCBA. Having said that my heart is in design despite my acquired skills there.
I intend to pick one field as Im restarting and then stick with it until I excel in it long-term. Work-life balance and money are very important considerations as it must be for everyone.
All career advice would be welcome along with constructive portfolio critique as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Looking forward to reading all your input.
"Work-life balance and money are very important considerations as it must be for everyone.""my heart is in design". Oh you are in the wrong field. Architecture is not the best for those. Anyway don't know which country you will be working so can't specifically say.
For portfolio, general comments. TOO LONG. 150+ Pages jeez. Aim 40-60 pages. Edit it down. And too much empty white space for the layout, clearly poor layout organization. Page 64-67 is the best example of what you need for all the pages. Edit your drawing/diagram scale, resize and trim rendering aspect ratios etc. Full rendering as background with text overlay etc. Treat the whole page as a piece of art work. Most people flip through them, its all about first impression on graphics and efforts.