Bonus: Redlines - Exploitative Visa Practices and Effects on Immigrant Architects
11/01/23 • 43 min
Bonus Episode! Tangents, meet Redlines - our new podcast by Out of Architecture.
This episode shines a light on the withholding of critical information by architecture firms to create an uneven power dynamic as firms hold visa sponsorship over young, foreign workers.
Our storyteller this week is Cat - a pseudonym - who shares their personal experience with the H1B visa process in the United States and the challenges they faced while working at a reputable architecture firm.
Cat discusses the lack of transparency, exploitation, and the difficulty of seeking a life in the US versus other countries.
“I asked my employer, can I have my receipt number so I can go into USCIS system to look up whether or not I got selected this time. They told me that there is no longer such a thing as a receipt number. But this contradict with the official statement that USC has put out on their own website, this number obviously exists. It's just my employer decided not to disclose it.”
Key takeaways:
- The path to sponsorship can take years with uncertain results
- Lack of transparency in the H1B visa selection process
- Employers can legally withhold sponsorship information from workers
- Risk in the visa process creates opportunities to take advantage of sponsored workers
- There are many countries that provide better options for young architects
Redlines on Spotify
Redlines on Apple Podcasts
---
Bonus Episode! Tangents, meet Redlines - our new podcast by Out of Architecture.
This episode shines a light on the withholding of critical information by architecture firms to create an uneven power dynamic as firms hold visa sponsorship over young, foreign workers.
Our storyteller this week is Cat - a pseudonym - who shares their personal experience with the H1B visa process in the United States and the challenges they faced while working at a reputable architecture firm.
Cat discusses the lack of transparency, exploitation, and the difficulty of seeking a life in the US versus other countries.
“I asked my employer, can I have my receipt number so I can go into USCIS system to look up whether or not I got selected this time. They told me that there is no longer such a thing as a receipt number. But this contradict with the official statement that USC has put out on their own website, this number obviously exists. It's just my employer decided not to disclose it.”
Key takeaways:
- The path to sponsorship can take years with uncertain results
- Lack of transparency in the H1B visa selection process
- Employers can legally withhold sponsorship information from workers
- Risk in the visa process creates opportunities to take advantage of sponsored workers
- There are many countries that provide better options for young architects
Redlines on Spotify
Redlines on Apple Podcasts
---
Previous Episode
A Passion for Listening, Learning & Helping with Outer Labs' Nate Steinrueck
Our guest today, Nate Steinrueck, Product Strategist at Outer Labs, shares his journey from studying anthropology to working in architecture and eventually transitioning into the tech industry. He emphasizes the importance of being a good listener, learner, and helper in his work, and how these qualities have shaped his career. Nate also discusses the similarities between architecture and product strategy, highlighting the value of problem-solving and effective communication in both fields. He offers advice for those looking to make a career change and emphasizes the importance of finding alignment between one's strengths and passions.
Listen to the end to hear our highlight from OOA community member, Rachel Gresham, Senior Director, Professional Practice Programs at The American Institute of Architects. Connect with her on Linkedin, and let her know you found her through the Tangents podcast.
Highlights:
- Nate strives to be a listener, learner, and helper in his work, focusing on understanding the needs of others and finding ways to make their work more efficient.
- His background in architecture has provided him with valuable insights and skills that he applies to his role as a product strategist.
- Effective communication and problem-solving are essential in both architecture and product strategy.
- When making a career change, it's important to evaluate your strengths and passions and find alignment with the roles and companies you're considering. (Find out the interesting way Nate went about doing this!)
Next Episode
The Power of Designing Experiences with Odyssey Works’ Abraham Burickson
In this engrossing discussion, Abraham Burickson elaborates on how his journey in the world of architecture led him to develop the concept of experience design.
Having worked in various architecture firms and conducted research, Abraham discovered a gap between the promise of architecture and its practice. From tangible architectural projects to uniquely curated experiences called Odyssey Works, Abraham redefines the conventional understanding of architecture.
Discussing his one-person tailored experiences approach, Abraham delves into the philosophy behind embracing a client's life and empathizing with their reality to create designs that reflect their authentic aspirations.
Highlights:
- Exploring Indigenous Architecture in the Amazon
- Frustrations with Traditional Architecture Practice
- The Birth of Odyssey Works: Personalized Experiences
- Impact of Odyssey Works on Participants
- Reflections on the Power of Personalized Design
- Long Architecture Project and Phase 0
- Connecting to our Humanity and Our Community
- Digging deeper to get to the WHY
- Finding Our North Star
- The Life-Changing Power of Connection
- Experience Design Certificate Program
- Experience Design, a Participatory Manifesto
Links:
- Preorder Abraham's book: Experience Design: A Participatory Manifesto
- Experience Design Certificate Program: Odyssey Works
- Long Architecture Project
- TEDx Talks: Design Experiences, Not Things
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Also, did you hear OOA launched another podcast? Redlines dives into the other side of architecture that is often not talked about.
Redlines on Spotify
Redlines on Apple Podcasts
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Guest Bio:
Abraham Burickson, Co-Founder of Odyssey Works and Co-Director of the Experience Design Certificate Program, has spent more than two decades exploring the relationship between what we make and how it is experienced. Trained in architecture at Cornell University and in poetry and playwriting at the Michener Center for Writers, he has also studied the transformative power of designed experience with the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey, the Shuar of the Ecuadorian Amazon, and with countless artists, designers, and students through Odyssey Works. He is also the founder of The Long Architecture Project, which rethinks architectural practice from the perspective of Experience Design. He has won prizes, lectured and taught widely, given a TEDxtalk, and was once hired by German television to kidnap an American skateboarding champion. His book Experience Design, A Participatory Manifesto, is now available from Yale University Press.
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