I'm looking for advice on how to help my wife get back into her profession. She was a professional architect (owned her own successful firm) in Brazil when we got married 16 years ago. When we moved back here, she took time off to focus on raising our son, who is autistic. Now that he is older and becoming more independent, she is really wanting to work again but has this huge gap. She is a fast learner and has been renewing her skills (Autocad, etc) and is willing to start at entry level or even just help with things around the office for someone who is willing to help her find a pathway back to doing the kind of work she loves. We're grateful for any advice.

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cleverocks t1_iufk9fg wrote on October 30, 2022 at 11:04 PM

So she’s looking for Constructive Criticism?

shalomfromus t1_iug8zhp wrote on October 31, 2022 at 2:14 AM

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luv2ski64 t1_iufn6a2 wrote on October 30, 2022 at 11:25 PM

I know Josh McCullar was looking to hire someone with experience recently, would be worth reaching out if the architecture styles mesh https://www.joshmccullararchitects.com/

cyberfugue OP t1_iufrblt wrote on October 30, 2022 at 11:56 PM

Thank you for sharing this. It’s appreciated!

Supergirrl21 t1_iug3gnl wrote on October 31, 2022 at 1:30 AM

I don't have any specific leads but from what I've been hearing it's a good time for her to be getting back in the game--there's a shortage of mid-career architects out there due to the Great Recession. Best of luck to her!

BrendanQ t1_iugcrwc wrote on October 31, 2022 at 2:44 AM

Last time I heard, ENV VA on Hull Street out of Manchester is looking for an entry level architect. I’d give their office a call

kipfoot t1_iuhv18y wrote on October 31, 2022 at 1:33 PM

to your wife:

bem fieto! I think that raising a kid on the spectrum to be an independent young adult is an accomplishment you should feel proud about.
don't worry about acad refreshing too much. If that's what a firm uses, it'll take a couple weeks to be back up to speed. However, REVIT is pretty common, especially at big firms, so sign up for a course at JSarg for the spring. It's a different way of thinking than acad, getting a grounding would help when the question comes up.
Don't spam all the architects on google with a resume. Look for which firms you'd be a good fit with and contact them. Big firm? Small firm? Type of work? Need flexibility? All these things are very important, in my opinion.
If your practice was in Brazil, then the steepest learning curve will be the building code, so just acknowledge that it will take a year before you're feeling up to speed and beginning to remember egress requirements and UL wall assemblies.
DMed you

deenda t1_iuivgz1 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 5:44 PM

My advice would be to focus on Revit instead of Autocad.

ImmobilizedbyCheese t1_iugxqj8 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 6:39 AM

Google "architect Richmond" and send a resume to every website that has an email link on their careers page. This is what I did when moving down here to find an engineering company. Nearly everyone is hiring in this field right now. Try Commonwealth, Worley Parsons, and Fultz & Singh.

balance07 t1_iuhhs3s wrote on October 31, 2022 at 11:29 AM

https://jobs.masonandhanger.com/#/jobs/5556

job is listed for Lexington KY but is also open for the Glen Allen office.

skinsfn36 t1_iujdv5f wrote on October 31, 2022 at 7:46 PM

DMd

cyberfugue OP t1_iuk2ldi wrote on October 31, 2022 at 10:44 PM

Thanks to everyone for the advice!