Are people always giving you compliments for your interior design ideas? Do you love rearranging furniture and decorating rooms? Perhaps interior design is the best career for you.
Before you make the career choice, there are a few things you need to know and be able to do before you are considered ready to be an interior designer or architect. These careers will have you facing problems every day, and you need to be ready for them.
You need to have a knack for design
This is obvious; in order to be an interior designer, you must have a flair for arrangements according to space, colour, textures and tones. If you enjoy decorating your home and even get compliments each and every time a guest arrives, that doesn’t mean you are ready to be an interior designer. The best way to start your career is to follow your passion. Doing something you like will have you happy to go to work each and every day and help to enjoy it.
Are you happy with a basic wage?
We all want money, which is why we work. But if you are someone who wants a high wage, then interior designing or architecture is not the path to take. You would think with the education involved you would be getting a high paying job; however, this is not the case. An entry-level interior designer receives around $42,000 per year. This will be determined on location, your work experience, the size of the company, and how much education you have carried out.
You can dictate what you want to be paid by getting more experience and exposure as much as you can. Someone who is working within the field of architecture, building codes and the laws will be more likely to be successful financially.
You need to develop your portfolio
A picture says a hundred words, and this can be true when talking about an interior designers’ portfolio. You can talk for hours about the textiles, patterns and colours, but if you don’t have an outstanding portfolio that shows off your projects and designs, then you won’t have any success.
If you are just coming out of school and are new to the industry, then you need to offer a few services either at a reduced rate or for free in order to get your profile started. It is a great way to meet the local suppliers and merchandisers also so you can build a rapport for projects in the future. Find your interior design style and stick to it. You must also take into account clients needs and wants, however, but don’t lose what you are known for or your personal flair.
Everyone, whether you are an interior designer, architect or even a nurse, starts at the bottom. With some proper marketing and effort, you can be a success within the industry of interior designing.
You need to understand local laws and codes
Designers may, at this point, decide to be a decorator instead as they can avoid learning the laws and building codes. It can be boring to learn, but it is the knowledge that interior designers must acquire. You will need to learn about plumbing codes, load-bearing walls and electricity among others things, but it is essential to the industry and will give you an advantage and marketability that decorators simply do not seem to have.
The education you will need to undertake will be different in each area, but there is a significant amount of schooling that needs to be done, which can steer people away from interior designing and architecture.