Very nice issue you brought out, I am curious too.
Sharing my experience: here in italy the situation is pretty sad. I started recently and I have a few friends around the country in the same situation.
As an entry level you won't earn more than 1000-1500euro per month (often less). this ain't a problem, really... the problem is that you could stay as this forever, at least until you don't work alone.
Another problem is the type of agreement you have with your practice: most of the times we are asked to work as a collaborators, which means you are as employed but you take the risks as working alone (you need to pay taxes by yourself as long as the due pension charges, etc.): this widely spread habit is barely legal (I'd say it's tolerated), but it can be protracted for years.
I have a colleague which is in this very same situation from 10 years, but I must admit he is doing nothing for changes to happens...
The agreement says that as collaborators we can work when and where we want: obviously it doesn't work like this for real. I stay to the office till late quite often, working during week-ends when needed. But, again, this is not a big problem.
On the other side you can take the exams to become architect as soon as you get graduated: the exams is not so difficult. to be honest the most difficult part, at least for me, is to draw by hand when I am not so use to nowadays. The exams is quite naive: we got 8 hours to develop a design, entirely drawn by hand; a month later (nearly), if we are approved, we have an oral examination discussing the design we did, and some additional legal and technical question. that's it. After this you become architect, obviously knowing nothing about how practicing the profession.
I am a bit concerned about how the educational qualification is taken worldwide: I heard that the american graduation is barely null in italy, and so in other conuntries in europe (as probably the other way around): you certainly need to investigate about how this thing's going. As for europe, I think the qualification is accepted in every union's country, but with minor differencies, excluding UK which has its own criteria.
... No other knowledge than Autocad and what she learned during those 3 years that she spent here working in this firm. That gives me a lot of hope, but now that Miami is slowing down I wonder if they are going to keep her, or fire her because of her over inflate salary. 
) I'm seriouly thinking of moving back with my parents to survive.
- By choo-chee
- By Mark Bell
- By Forum Moderator