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Old 09-13-2012, 04:35 PM
 
8 posts, read 8,845 times
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Originally Posted by MiamiRob View Post
I would ask first are you a Architect? Do you have a degree in Architecture? If you are coming to the US I suggest you try to find what companies are hiring. The Architecture field is very competitive and I ask what degrees you have because a "drafter" doesn't make a lot of money where as a architect does. Start contacting companies first and have a resume.

Realize also that the US doesn't hand out Visas unless the government thinks your talents are needed here.
Yes, I am a licensed architect. Member of the Portuguese Institute of Architects (OASRS).
The option to work as a drafter, an entry level, is to motivate the hiring entity. Meaning I would ask for less than market value.

And that is because I would have to overcome some hurdles, like learning Florida's building codes, the Imperial measuring system (inches, feet, ugh...), to master Technical terms in English, and possibly some different working methods. I couldn't take responsibility for whole projects right away.

That being said, being a foreign worker has its own advantages to the employer: I cannot change firms until the visa contract expires (6 months-1 year, extendable to 2 years), while the employer could fire me as a normal American citizen, anytime they want.
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Old 09-13-2012, 04:44 PM
 
8 posts, read 8,845 times
Reputation: 10
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Originally Posted by FlyMIA View Post
It may be somewhat difficult for you to get a Visa. In the rare chance you can get a job the company needs to prove that your skills are so valuable that the U.S. should give you a Visa and basically take away a job from a U.S. resident or citizen. Not an easy thing to do. You are from Portugal so you obviously speak Portuguese that can be a plus, especially down here with Miami's large ties with Brazil. You really just need to search for jobs, it is not easy unemployment in the U.S. is higher than normal and even higher in Florida. It is not as bad as it is in parts of Europe like Portugal but it is not easy for anyone to get a job in many fields.

$1000 a month can get you a nice place with roommates. Really I would not waste too much time and money visiting Miami when you do not even have any jobs lined up. It is not easy to find a job in the U.S. right now and you coming from Europe it will be 20x harder for you. Come visit but if you really want to try to get a job in the U.S. be open to any area in the country. But I will say it will be very difficult unless you can find something that really needs Portuguese language skills. Even then there are plenty of bilingual people in Miami and the U.S.
I can speak decently all 3 languages. Perhaps a bit less on the Spanish, but I am confident that with half an hour of training I can get their accent just fine. I don't expect to find any jobs requiring Portuguese.

I picked the US, because it's a long time wish of mine. I understand things are rough at the moment there, and I would be just another guy trying to «steal» a job from a local citizen. But things are rougher here, so just «rough» is bearable, I think.

I am open for any other area in the USA, as I am not picky. If Miami is overflowed with unemployed people, I can just try elsewhere. I just had the feeling some cities had more opportunities than others, and Miami was one of them. Also, the weather is not an issue to me, as it is very similar with my own (minus the hurricanes), and I am familiar with the more prominent Latino culture of southern Florida.
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Old 09-18-2012, 10:49 AM
 
Location: South Florida
5,016 posts, read 7,409,558 times
Reputation: 5446
Florida in general has a bad job market. The jobs that do exist are low paying, dead end jobs.

Since you're open to other areas of the U.S.... check out other areas of the country.
Texas seems to be doing well lately.

Best of luck!
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