Expert: John Henry Architect - 6/7/2009

Question
Hello Mr Henry, it’s nice to meet you.
I am an architect who has just graduated in Barcelona (Spain), from both architecture (5years) and Technical Architecture (A technical degree (3 years) somehow similar to civil engineer, but more limited in the kind of projects you can undertake –mostly limited to buildings of all kind and landscape-).
The thing is that my girlfriend recently moved to Miami for an internship witch for the looks of it will end in a permanent position. In this scenario we have decided to move to the States for a limited period of time (around 2-3 years), and so it is my intention to try to obtain a job in Miami as an architect. However I don’t know what am I to expect about salary, working system, regulations (I’m rather talking about the way architects work in the States rather than visa, which I am told is granted to you once a firm hires you.-albeit more often than not foreigners are expected to pay the part that the firm should pay of that visa, or so I’ve been told). Can I sign up to the AIA? Should I? And many more things that I should know but I haven’t even figured out yet.
About my profile, I am a young architect (28) and have been working for small firms and as a freelance for some years now (I started to work in my 2nd year of university, first for the university itself –where I have been a teacher few years ago- (2 years) and later in the real world). I have knowledge of general architecture, construction, installations and structure calculus (I use CYPECAD I don’t know if it’s a common program in the States.) And I am skilled with the common informatics tools:  Autocad, Photoshop, 3d Studio … and I speak fluently Spanish Catalan and English.
As you can see I have a lot of questions and feel quite lost at the moment. My idea is to come to Miami as a tourist (staying at my girlfriend’s) find firms and go to interviews during this 3 months I can stay in the States.  Am I being too optimistic about my chances?

Thanks in advance for your time and your reply.


Answer
Hello Albert,
Miami is probably a very good choice to relocate.
There is a difficult construction recession now as you probably know.
Financing for all types of projects is almost impossible at this time and it may take several months for lending to loosen up.
Salary levels vary depending on experience.
If you are not familiar with imperial system of measuring you will have to learn quickly as there is no metric dimensioning here in the U.S.
However some very large firms may find your language skills and metric ease a plus so inquire in firms doing work in Europe and the Middle East, Russia, etc. for the best possible salary.
I cannot tell you what is the going rate for your background however.
Most firms will gauge your ability by your portfolio but normally have pay rates based on the amount of schooling finished here in the U.S.
So you will have to negotiate upwards as you may be at a disadvantage.
I also cannot advise you about your visa status; you should be able to call the Miami AIA office for information.
You can join the AIA as an associate member but need to pass the requirements here for a license including the general exams in order to qualify as a full member.
If you are a good illustrator you can also market these skills to any architect.
No one's chances for securing a new job are very good right now; most are trying desperately to keep their own positions and firms have been laying off their staff.
Miami is a large city and my recommendation is to look for the largest firms first.  You can also network with Cuban and other Spanish/Puerto Rican-American firms that communicate primarly in Spanish to see how the market is doing.
AutoCad is the primary tool for architects and engineers here.  Photoshop is used commonly and 3D Studio as well.  CYPCAD is not typically used.
The U.S. is just now seeing the bottom of the recession and I think your chances will improve the longer you stay here and keep trying for a position.
I suggest calling by telephone the architect or human resource office to ask who is currently hiring and simply go down the phone book for the most effective interview possibility.
Keep a list of the most favorable firms and call them again every two weeks.  Start a network of associates and attend the AIA events to meet as many people as possible.  Getting involved in community affairs is also the traditional way to be recognized.
Best of luck.