Fucked: Me.

[wileypeter]

Unemployment in Oregon is well above the national average. Nobody in architecture is hiring. I am planning a trip through Vancouver, WA, to drop off resumes. Probably moot, but I need to do something.

Dammit.

Comments

[mossy.livejournal.com]

Damn :(

Keep looking, if needs be send an application to every single office in the area. Someone will be hiring, and once you get a job, even if not ideal, you will be in a more comfortable position to look elsewhere.

Best of luck, and don't let this drag you down!

[wileypeter]

At the moment local firms are beginning some layoffs, so it's pretty discouraging. That said, if I can find a place that does forensics I might have a shot. Not what I wanted to do, but if it happened at least I'd be employed.

Sigh.

And thanks.

[lotusice.livejournal.com]

Ah, hon ...how frustrating and disheartening!

Just keep swimming, you know?

[wileypeter]

P. Sherman, Wallaby Way, uh . . . what was I doing?

It sucks. Architecture never pays particularly well relative to other professional jobs, contrary to popular perceptions.

What is the most expensive thing you'll buy in your life? A house. Or if you're wealthy (or a corporation) a building. What part of the process of making a building that has the most lead time? Architecture and design. So basically it's the first part of a ridiculously expensive process, so it's the first thing most people don't do as soon as the economy shows any signs of tanking. It's hard to fault the logic, but given that it's no surprise that billing hours in architecture firms are apparently an extremely accurate indicator of probable economic downturns.

I just picked the worst time to graduate with my degree since the 1930s.

[shigella.livejournal.com]

Nu har du skitit i det blå skåpet.

Dude, that sucks. And I don't mean to make light of it. I've been laid-off before and my own job is in the precarious mortgage industry.

Please do follow-up calls and politely 'pester' everyone when you do apply with employers. The squeaky wheel gets the grease (and sometimes the 2nd interview too).

And if Vancouver is a better market, you could realistically go there, right? Even temporarily, for a few years, to follow the money? Larger cities offer more opportunities.

I do hope you can get some leads. You have the kind of curious devotion to architecture that most firms NEED.

I do not defecate in cabinetry, thank you.

[wileypeter]

I've called several places, politely of course. Pretty much everyone has said they'd keep the resume on file but they weren't hiring until at least January.

The Vancouver of which I spoke was actually Vancouver, Washington, which is a smaller city just across the Columbia River from Portland. It's just not the first place one looks for architects, given the number of firms in Portland. Given the current real estate market we're pretty solidly tied to the house we bought, so the job market here is the job market I get.

Of course, architecture firms everywhere are getting hammered, so it might not be a bad thing. Buildings cost an obscene amount of money to make, so unless it's well past the point of architects' involvement it isn't happening in the current economy.

Local firms are laying off workers, so I have company. Misery doesn't actually care, though.

[kimatyza.livejournal.com]

Offers you hugs and lots of crossed fingers.

That is the pits, because you really worked for this. If lotusice's recent experience has taught me anything it is that living your dream is worth every effort. ((Even moving your family to Maryland. *ahem*))

[wileypeter]

Thanks. It's especially galling given the projected addition to the family, but I can't force the economy to improve, so I pretty much just have to keep plugging along. Oh, and move to a different couch cushion so the couch wears evenly.