Guys, I'm stuck in purgator and am DYING to get out. I graduated a year ago with a degree in architecture. Moved out to Chicago to look for jobs. Broke up with the longtime GF, moved back home and got a "filler" job. I'm currently working as a graphic designer for a company involved in the building industry. in the middle of NOWHERE. I've wanted to get away from here my entire life and now a year of aduating college I'm stuck... I've managed to put about $6,000 away (I have a lot of loans from school), am living at home and have a $250.00 a month car payment. I've erase the credit card debt but it's killing me spinning my wheels. It was my plan to earn about 6 grand, deffer the loans and move out to the west coast. I'd like SF but Portland sounds more responsible as I have family in the area (might have a place to crash for a little while until I get on my feet). I was going to get a job with starbucks, UPS, anything to just float while I tried to get back into architecture. It's been made clear to me that my work is good enough but I won't be considered for a position until I move to the area. But am questioning whether I should do this with the economy the way it is. I'm just so sick of living life knowing that everything is temporary. For 5 years I moved in and out of dorms, apartments, jobs, etc. As it is I'm one year out of an industry that requires me to complete a 3 year internship before I can get licensed. I have an income but I don't have my own place (I COULD get one but since I'm not staying there's not much of a point), my friends have all moved away, I can't really be too open with my co-workers about my plans for the future......I've moved every few years since High School and I'm really hoping to put my roots down somewhere. I feel that i have two choices... 1. Leave and move out to the west coast. Deffer my loans and hope to find a part time job or two to keep myself afloat while I look for a long term architecture position. 2. Stay until next year. I figure it'd take a few months to find a decent job and no one hires around Christmas...so unless I leave in the next two months I might as well resign myself to staying here for the foreseeable future. Next February or march probably. Do you think 6 grand is enough to make this move with the current economic climate? Or is is better to just suck it up and stay here for another year? I'd be MUCH more inclined to do that if I had an architectural position but unfortunately that's not the case. Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated.
With the economy the way it is I would stay put for another year. Keep putting more money away that way you have a nest egg and then do it.
Have you received your certification in Architecture? Portland is a great town, but jobs have been tough there for years and currently it's no better. I probably would have moved there long ago if not for that. How about Seattle?
Received my undergrad from an accredited University. Haven't started on IDP/GRE yet. Seattle has been another thought but given the choice I'd probably just go to SF. A lot of buddies aren't having a whole lot of luck in Seattle thus far and I don't really know anyone in the area to help cut costs.
why not stay where you're at, and look on monster.com for other jobs in other cities? You have a good living situation it seems, don't throw it off because its not exactly what you want. May take awhile, but you can get what you want with a little patience and by doing some work, i.e. doing well at this job and going to job interviews in other cities etc. Alot of the companies give phone interviews, so you wouldn't have to travel unless you were a finalist or something along those lines for the job. Sounds like you are getting antsy bro. Just calm down, and know you may not get there now, but you will get there.
SF is horribly, ludicrously expensive. You can still live well in Seattle for not too much; I rent a 2-bedroom house 10 minutes from downtown for around $1K/month. You can live decently while serving your apprenticeship.
That's the main issue. I've put out hundreds of applications all around the country. I've been looking for over a year, SF, Portland, Seattle, Denver, Miami, etc. At this point with this many people unemployed no one will consider a raw grad if they're not in the area. I've had quite a few firms say my work is good and that they'll consider me.....when I move to the area. I've been flat out told by alumni, etc. That unless I move to a target city there's very little chance that I'll get a job there. And it's much less about "not exactly what I want" and more about opportunities. If this job were in a more populated area with a possibility of finding a job that I want in the future I'd be more than willing to sit and patiently look. but that's not the case...there aren't architectural jobs here nor will there be.
California might not be your best bet.. they are running a 42 million dollar deficit and will in all likelyhood go bankrupt in 4 days. That is going to really screw the pooch there for awhile. If you are stable, even if not entirely happy, staying put for another year lets you gain some more monetary freedom.. and you will have a better idea of where your kind of work is going to be starting up again first. What's Vegas look like for apprenticship? They are about to build a high speed RR from Cali to there with our money... that place might be jumping first..
Vegas is awful right now actually. One of the worst places to be looking. I heard someone speculating that Cali going bankrupt could actually be a good thing for prospective buildings. I don't understand how though.
Marty's right, $6K is not a lot to start anew in a new place. First, last and deposit alone could eat up more than half of that. Vegas is a great idea.
I find that a little odd, as the jobs I have applied for and been interviewed for the most they have asked me is if I am willing to relocate. Maybe the jobs you have applied for need to be immediately filled? One thing you might want to look into is taking some extra courses, so that when you interview you can say that you have knowledge still relevant in the field. Being stagnate can definately hurt your chances later on. Another option you might want to look into is maybe applying for jobs in the field you are currently in. The only thing I would advise against is moving out of desperation. Nothing good usually comes from that IMO.
How old are you? Most of my peers have run into the same issue...if you're not from the area or haven't interned there you're not considered..which is really frustrating. I think it has a lot to do with how many unemployed architects there are right now honestly...at least I hope so. If I had some experience/expertise to offer them then I'd probably have a better chance. The field I'm in is kind of a unique little niche. And I have a 2 year non-compete (the owner's kind of sue crazy to boot) so I think I'll have to stay out of it (which isn't a bad deal). I'm kind of torn on the jobs in the area. My boss is a lifetime local and VERY plugged in. There's only a handful of firms and I know he's buddies with some architects....unfortunately I don't know. It could end up costing me my job and getting me closer to nothing....then again it could make the decision for me.
I'm 26. I graduated about 3 years ago from college. I had trouble finding a job, but like I said I was never told I had to be a local boy in order to get the job.
Man I wish I had graduated 2 years ago. That summer (with 1 year left) I got an internship with a huge firm in downtown chicago. They literally hired at least one new person every week that summer :P. Great firm that went on a hiring moratorium right as I graduated
What makes the west coast so much more desirable than the south or even a place like Tennessee/Carolina's for example?
Density and project types/opportunities. There are a few "major" architectural hubs in the country... 1. New York (have no desire to live there) 2. Chicago (tried it, am still open to it..... may end up there long term but as I'm young I'd like to try out the WC to see if I like it better before I commit myself) 3. LA (Sprawley) 4. SF Then there are second tier cities for architecture.......most of your "smaller" cities fall into this...Boston, Porland, Seattle, KC, Raleigh, etc. The difference is project types. Those top ones I listed are major international architectural hubs. There's tons of opportunities there to do all kind of project types...high rise, athletics, civic, etc. Not only in that city, but abroad as well. It's not uncommon to see a large firm from SF, NY, or Seattle poach buildings from local firms. I'm considering portland/seattle because even though they're small they're considered on the high end of non-hub cities. They're very progressive in terms of designs and opportunities as well. They'll get involved in CRP, sustainability, etc. which is where I would like to head. I lived in NC and quite honestly there's nothing design/wise going on there. There's more people than where I live now but nobody is doing anything cutting edge. It would be hard to get on the international scene and get the expertise that I desire from somewhere like Raleigh, Charlotte, etc. Like in Des Moines IA....there's a lot of firms and still buildings going up but only one firm would be considered cutting edge and very very few of the projects would be considered "fun". There as a project manager at my old firm...very talented guy who at the age of 35 decided that he wanted to leave KC to go to Chicago.....despite years of experience and the industry being in a hiring frenzy at the time it took him over 6 months of being unemployed to get a job in the "bigger" market. The unfortunate truth of the industry is that it is rather snooty. And while I don't expect to land the job of my dreams in the next few years I'm also trying to keep my options open so I don't get pigeon holed.
I was just asking, because it seems to me given what we know about california's economy (for example) it would make more sense to go somewhere that is growing or a place that you could help shape (I mean a place that doesn't have a set design style in place already). I didn't know that it was such an exclusive market though (with only 4 major places), because buildings are things that get built everywhere.
like finacious said.....tomorrow is never promised.....crash with someone you know in portland.....and see the sites, apply to places, get a pt job somewhere and enjoy life......
A couple things to consider doing. 1) Looking for a job doing what you are currently doing in one of the major cities. I know its not what you want, but think about it, you have experience in this field, so you use it to get one step closer to your job. 2) Searching the websites of major newspapers in the cities you want/need to go to. I did this and there were alot of jobs in the local classifieds not on monster.com and other job websites. Just some other things to ponder.
Just throwing this out there: Army Corps of Engineers search gave me this: http://sacramento.oodle.com/job/architecture/-/company_army_corps_of_engineers/ Military (i.e. Civil Engineering Units) Govt Jobs http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/search.aspx?sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedEmp=N&FedPub=Y&q=architect
Going along with what Stiches said, try looking around in Texas. I know we arent feeling as bad a pinch as many states. We have several large urban areas (Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth/San Antonio/Austion) that are still building. I cant really give any specifics as to architecture, but maybe use Monster or something to check it out. Besides, its got much better weather than Chicago. I love that city, but those winters are killers!
It depends on your market though. I'd be in the same boat as daphins if I graduated this year.. Luckily I still have two years left. In the world of film, there are very few places to go... Los Angeles, Chicago, New York... those are the main three. Sure there are jobs everywhere, but I don't want to be stuck all my life filming and editing car commercials in some random city.
Military's about the only "safe" job out there I guess. Plus you do gain some needed outside work experience and it speaks a lot. Not likely to find many entry level jobs in Cali at this point, especially in architecture. I have friends who are recent UCLA/Berkeley/Stanford architecture grads switching fields now into law, econ, etc. IMO, best bet is to stay around where you are and just find any job really.
