Hi everyone!
I’m about to enter my third year of architecture school, and I absolutely love what I study but here’s the thing in my country, architects are severely underpaid. I’ve put in two years of hard work, sleepless nights, and patience… and honestly? It feels like it’s not worth the return here. It’s frustrating, and frankly, unfair.
So I’ve made a decision: I’m going to push myself to reach an international level and somewhere my skills will actually be valued.
That’s why I’m reaching out to you all:
How do I build a killer portfolio + CV that stands out globally?
· What should I focus on as a 3rd-year student?
· What are the biggest mistakes to avoid?
· How do I balance my hard work in the uni with building a great portfolio?
A bit about me: I’ve been drawing since I was a kid (manga/anime 😂), I’m good with watercolors plus i start digital art too, and I’ve had a few small achievements in recent years. I can use this talent, but I feel it's insufficient since a lot of archi students who also possess it. (In my uni)
I just need direction 🙏
Would love to hear your honest advice, criticism, or even your own success ststoriesi really need answers
Thank u 🩷
You’re gonna hate hearing this, but a killer portfolio to an employer will be just as full of technical work as quality designs. A full fledged partition detail, wall section, or Bathroom diagram will be more valuable than anything else. Prove that you can understand the technical aspects of the job
Which planet are you aiming for where this is valued? And how is that related to portfolio? There are no magical countries. Architecture is a service profession and you are performing a service to the public through your hard work to life safety and public welfare, and hopefully some of your time is paid by thoughtful clients or developers.
Unfortunately it’s becoming increasingly more difficult and more rare for the well-paying countries to hire international candidates. Our governments are making it more expensive and difficult to do so.
When employers look at your portfolio, they're basically asking, how much do I have to train this person? Do they know their stuff? How much hand holding will they need? You'll be doing a lot of production work, so show you know the fundamentals and can hit the ground running. And make sure you're a good fit, their values and yours should align.
You don't, you get a job to gain real world experience. That's what's getting people employed. Portfolios are important for freelancers to show to customers but less so to find actual employment beyond internships, summer jobs and short term hire for competitions.