Hey there!
This is my first post here! That means I’m moving to the US soon, and I’d love to share my experience with all of you š Let me introduce myself:
My name: Isabella / Country: Colombia / Age: 24 years old / Profession: Architect / Experience: 2 years in the field / Pets: 1 cat
I studied architecture in Bogota for 5 years, and before obtaining my degree, I began working at a construction site. This experience helped me grow professionally in many ways, making me more confident in my decisions and developing the skill to materialize my ideas in the projects I worked on.
Although this experience strengthened me, it is a fact that architects are meant to become not only builders but also designers to improve our cities and societies. That’s why I started looking for new work and life opportunities, and the US always seemed like a great country to pursue them. In 2022, months after graduating, I had the chance to study English in the US, in Florida. It was an amazing experience! I got closer to different cultures, made friends from all over the world, and when I felt confident in my English, I wanted to find an opportunity to work as an architect there.
This is how I found Architect-US on Google. I was a bit insecure about everything, didnāt even know how long it would take, I knew nothing! But I took the chance and contacted them. They were always there for my doubts, and then I became part of their pool of members. I had never had to present my portfolio to companies, and they helped me organize it better and make it stand out! The wait time is typically between 3 to 4 months (those are the regular times) to find a company interested in interviewing you. In my case, it was almost 5 months, to be honest, I started to feel sad, as I wasnāt receiving any interviews. But you know, waiting can be frustrating for almost everybody. The most important thing for me was to believe in my worth and stay focused on my goal to work in the US!
All in all, I had 2 interviews with 2 different companies in my process. Architect-US prepared me for both and kept me updated all the time. In the 2nd interview, I was just hoping to be selected; this company works on projects I would love to learn about! Besides, talking with them was nice; they were chill, and the conversation flowed in a great way. With them, I felt really optimistic! And 10 days later, I received a job offer from them.
Guys, you can’t imagine my happiness! Knowing that I will work with them and not only that, knowing that I will be living just 40 minutes away from the Big Apple! I just knew this experience would be amazing! Architect-US got hands-on and arranged all the documentation and payments to be done. As I said before, they were always there to answer all my questions and even gave me heads up in advance about the next steps to follow!
About my visa process, everything went smoothly and quickly. Actually, I had to request an emergency appointment because the available dates didnāt work for the times the company needed me to start working. You know, consulates are very serious, and itās very important to answer confidently, keeping your answers short but concise. After all, you are truly interested in having this great experience, so donāt be nervous. If you are about to go to your visa appointment, you will do great!
I’m convinced this experience will be amazing! I expect to learn a lot about design processes, feel more confident professionally speaking English, strengthen my skills, and feel more confident in my field. And, of course, to explore lots of places and have fun!
I think this first post was longer than I planned, but Iām really happy to have shared a bit of this process with you! You can contact me if you would like to; we are a community!
Bye-bye! Wish me luck š
