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Hi guys, this is my first post. I've lurked for a few months and always wanted to contribute, but not had the time to properly put everything down. From what I've read there are a lot of intelligent posters with a wealth of information, hopefully I can get some suggestions as to what I can do.
Basically I'm a graduate with 2+ years experience in my field but I'm stuck trying to get my career off the ground and for the first time; I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore. I live in the UK and I know this is primarily US dominated forum but a lot of the stories I've read ring true with my situation.
A little history:
- Graduated bachelors in architecture in 2009, had already done a summer internship with a company the previous year which then took me on in July full-time. The economy was doing pretty well and I had chosen my degree way in advance (16yrs old when I settled on my future career which was 2003). My profession is architecture which requires both a bachelors and a masters to gain a licence, which also requires minimum 1yr field work to be eligible for the 2 year full-time masters program and another year of work upon graduating the masters. This will feature later..
- Office order book had dried up and I was let go 3 weeks to Christmas due to the workload halting. Many firms in construction either went under, fired and re-hired their staff as contractors, or placed a permanent hiring freeze as they got ready to brace the downturn.
- Not to be deterred, I took up several jobs to get me by (retail, bartending, dishwasher plus some contract work), moved back in with my parents and focused on saving. Luckily I saved 70% of my income from my first job so I had something substantial to utilise for major expenses (car repairs, food etc.)
- After 10 months without work and many ignored CVs, finally got a lead for a job overseas in E.Africa, as the economy was booming and plenty of projects were being commissioned.
- Worked there for 2yrs, getting all the experience I needed, but I had a major challenge. The fees in the UK had tripled due to government policy and since scholarships weren't accepted for the masters program I had to pay out of my pocket. With the exchange rate against me, I could only afford one year with all the cash I had saved, plus going to school out of my home town incurred cost of living expenses which I and my family couldn't afford.
- So in 2012, flew back to the UK, settled for a 1yr Masters in construction management and moved back in again with my parents. With $0 to my name, I had to start from scratch.
- Graduated top of my class (along with highest mark on my thesis), but upon reflection they were handing top grades like candy. The masters program attracted a disproportionate amount of overseas students and the material was not really related to my field; it was more general project management theory and nothing specific to the construction industry. Chatting to one lecturer (now retired) he told me that the program was really just a cash cow since international students pay premium. Multiply that by 300 students and the school grossed £4.5m per year!!!!!!
- Nevertheless, I polished my CV and interview skills and I secured various interviews with multi-national firms for graduate roles in construction management.
Unfortunately none had taken me on, despite my experience and transferable knowledge. It's a buyers market out there and many people I've networked with who have far more experience than I do are competing for the little jobs available in the industry.
Overall, I'm feeling a little deflated and depressed, despite my efforts and exhausting my network I can't seem to reach escape velocity on my career. I have high school friends who didn't go to university, but already have houses and decent jobs (all through family connections). I'm not the type to fall prey to the 'keeping up with the joneses', but I can't help feel like a failure. I've held 13+ jobs, most of them in retail/ service sectors just to keep me going as I find work in my field. I've had more jobs than 4 of my closest friends combined!
Contract work is out of the question as I don't have the licence to sign off on construction/tender ready drawings...I got in touch with the architecture firm which took me on in 2009 but they're also struggling to secure work.
Over time I've become disillusioned with my profession as the ROI of the investment in time, money and labour to get an architect's licence yields a very low pay ceiling. Coupled with the effects of the recession it has effectively crippled my prime earning years. My parents have been extremely supportive through this, but since living away from them during university and moving abroad for 2yrs, I NEED my independence back!!!!.
My situation as it stands:
- Threw in the towel after 9 months of searching. UK construction economy is still in the red and house-building has completely frozen (a primary source of jobs before 2009). I took a trip to Canada in June to visit my girlfriend/decompress and just ponder on life.
-Through sheer serendipity I applied for a 1yr visa to Canada a few months prior to graduating my masters which was accepted. I had contemplated for a while a move to Canada as the prospects were much better plus I'm seriously considering a move to trades. Now that I have a chance to try again I'm going for it full steam ahead.
- Got a minimum wage job in a hotel bar/restaurant in attempts to save what I can to cover living expenses, taking any shift I can. Flights booked for January and I've applied to a 12 month internship that can take people on work permits. Hoping for good news in the next few days.
Special thanks to the tipping culture from American/Canadian visitors as I can save 100% of my earnings and just use the tip money to cover cost of travel. In the past 4 months I haven't left the house for anything apart from going to work. My social life ceased, but I'm saving plenty to cover costs when I make my way to Canada
All in all, I'm at a crossroads, I've read all about the Alberta oil fields, plus similar oil booms in North Dakota/Texas. I would seriously consider learning a trade (apprenticeships in the UK are blocked for people 24 and over) in Canada but I'm not sure which one. Plumbing and Welding are looking good in terms of career security/pay and difficulties to outsource them/automate them. If there are any CD members who work in Alberta/ Saskatchewan, I'd love to get in touch.
Any ideas would be most welcome. Thanks for reading. It's been a long time coming to put everything down on screen.
It is quite a read isn't it.
Well it was mostly venting in the first half, but the second half is my current scenario:
Cliffnotes:
-Have two degrees in construction related fields & experience
-Laid off during 2009 recession, took up min wage jobs and found work overseas
-worked for two years abroad but upon coming back, couldn't take my masters as I couldn't afford it. settled for a 1yr masters. Graduated top of my class.
-Had many interviews, exhausted my networks but no one is hiring/only hiring experienced candidates
-Industry contracted and not much signs of picking up, feeling left behind..etc.
-Got a 1yr visa to Canada, want to pick up a trade as an attempt to find something else that can sustain future economic shocks
-Looking for some tips as to what I can do, trades I can pursue
You are best off becoming a project manager for a large international construction firm like JA Jones used to be. I am not sure who the big players are now though in the industry.
Architecture has HUGE unemployment here in the US fyi.....
You are best off becoming a project manager for a large international construction firm like JA Jones used to be. I am not sure who the big players are now though in the industry.
Architecture has HUGE unemployment here in the US fyi.....
After my project management degree I had interviews with big firms. Mostly based in London, but multinational
e.g. AECOM, Turner & Townsend, Mace, CMH2Hill....all for project management positions. Made the final cut on most of them but with so much competition going on and so few jobs (300 applicants per company I was told), even with my experience I didn't get through.
Oh yes, I've given up finding work in the architectural field, now trying to find a way into a similar field, but without the horrid job prospects, hence why I'm thinking trades
About 75% of infrastructure in the USA is government funded. Having said that although there is a oil boom in the midwest there is not exactly a massive construction boom with houses etc. I know Europe is in pain, especially Spain and without a doubt Bosnia.
Have you tried maybe some NGO's in Africa because they probably want people to trust in terms of construction.
I am sure you probably experienced a bit of a lack of trust and that's a bit evident from what some can see here:
About 75% of infrastructure in the USA is government funded. Having said that although there is a oil boom in the midwest there is not exactly a massive construction boom with houses etc. I know Europe is in pain, especially Spain and without a doubt Bosnia.
Have you tried maybe some NGO's in Africa because they probably want people to trust in terms of construction.
I am sure you probably experienced a bit of a lack of trust and that's a bit evident from what some can see here:
yes, very familiar with E.African projects. Lots of corruption, embezzling, cutting corners and shady trading. You definitely need thick skin and to loosen some of your morals to get ahead.
I would go back and work there but my only challenge is the exchange rate. I'd need to travel to and from Europe/Canada frequently due to family commitments and wish to work in a country with a strong currency. My two years of work in E.Africa only earned me under £1.5k and I saved 40% of my monthly income.
I applied to firms back there but most are looking for senior members to pay expat level income; similarly to the Middle Eastern firms.
I don't know about the education system in UK so yes if you are seeking employment in UK shouldn't ask here as the hiring process, lingo, and small details are different. Over here, if you have 2 years experience or less and cant find work you get a masters. If you have 2-4 years experience you get an MBA or a degree equivalent to one (which is what you did). Because of the corporate structure in the US, that is how you get career jobs over here by going back to school and certification.
The other alternative is networking, but well guess you have seen the BS of that advice. Catch-22 only can build a reliable network unless you are working. They never clearly speak about how an unemployed person grows his or network for a reason.
As far as US goes, pretty much all us 20s can do if can't find a real job. Either go back to school or sign up with temp agencies and network. Keep in mind your net worth is not determined by your 20s so there is still time for you to explore another sector that has more job opportunities. The day you start comparing yourself to others is when you really lose been there and it sucks. You find yourself stuck and well the job market wont wait for you to become unstuck.
A great number of students in US who couldn't get employment in their filed of study have gotten Master degrees in other fields with great job prospects. For example, Computer Science, Financial Engineering, and Real Estate master degrees are known to help students in their job search. I'll explain the Financial Engineering masters program and use this to see how a Masters degree in US is primarily used. In the US, those degrees only accept GRE, liberal art students, Math majors, or any degree that deals with calculus (that excludes all business degrees surprise surprise). As we know, a lot of liberal arts bachelors are not leading to jobs so these students spend another year in school doing a Masters program that applies what they learned to a different field. A math/ architecture major may have good quantitative skills, but the Financial Engineering degree teaches them how to apply their skills to everyday financial problems. Thus, they are now able to apply to a plethora of analyst positions as well as math/ architecture positions.
yes, very familiar with E.African projects. Lots of corruption, embezzling, cutting corners and shady trading. You definitely need thick skin and to loosen some of your morals to get ahead.
I would go back and work there but my only challenge is the exchange rate. I'd need to travel to and from Europe/Canada frequently due to family commitments and wish to work in a country with a strong currency. My two years of work in E.Africa only earned me under £1.5k and I saved 40% of my monthly income.
I applied to firms back there but most are looking for senior members to pay expat level income; similarly to the Middle Eastern firms.
Well certainly the dollar is rising and oil is dropping. I supposed it could be worse. The Russian ruble is really taking a beating. It's about half the worth of what it was six years ago. It is interesting how some prices are set. In 2008 I went to china and the government sets the price of oil. It went up 8% overnight while I was there.
In terms of the USA I would say 75% of infrastructure spending is government on some level. Having said that you might want to look at what are metropolitan planing organizations. They are subregions for planning and transit. It might also help to learn more about procurement because that varies all over the place here. Agencies like these are advisory but they can probably tell who made things in the past. More of a networking thing then a job but it's a good starting point.
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