I recently graduated college with a BID (Bachelor of Interior design)and BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts-Studio Art) in May. I have since started my own residential design company. I am doing well but am torn between getting a corporate interior design job so that I can get certified and giving up what I have been working so hard to start versus keeping my new company and not being certified. I need help and would like your input. I live in Texas where there is a Practice Act and don’t want to regret going to school only to be thought of as a decorator.
(submitted by Heather G.)
You are to be commended for both degrees and to have gotten your business going so quickly. I appreciate your dilemma as I was in a similar situation when I decided to go to graduate school. I had the business opportunity, but wanted to have more education and get my registration. At the time, I thought that was the benefit of my decision. However, I later realized that the best benefits were my true education ” learning and making mistakes on someone”s payroll!
As a small business practitioner, I could have never had the opportunities to learn as much as when I was in a large A&E firm. You get to use the latest software and technology, learn shortcuts, detailing, project management, business management, presentation techniques, and have a variety of types of projects that small firms only get after years of experience. I quickly learned all aspects of the design process and how interior design should fit into that process and the value that an interior designer”s education brings to the project. When I left, I wanted to expand my design knowledge in another field and yet wanted ownership. I was able to negotiate to my dream job, because I had had the big firm, big project experiences, and learned to handle all aspects of project and firm management.
In every business you learn something and that adds to your “bank of knowledge” whether you are aware of it or not. Each type of project adds to your creativity and learning that carries to the next one. Having had the experience of seeing others” management projects in design firms allows you to observe what works and what doesn”t work with both clients and employees. You need to know how to cultivate both to be a successful entrepreneur.
Changing your career direction when your responsibilities (car payments, mortgage, children, etc.) are flexible is easier. Look at the area of design that you want to learn or a firm who”s work that you admire. See what is available and create the position that you want. Be open to the possibilities. Match your skills to the firm. Obviously from your starting your own business, you have the selling skills to convince a firm that they should hire you.
Today”s careers have variety of jobs. The stigma of many jobs on a resume is no longer a bad thing. Satisfy your creative needs and work in firms that practice in design areas you want to learn. Think about where you want to be in 5, 10, 15 years. Certification will become a requirement and especially in healthcare, hospitality, and larger residential design. You want to be able to be a practicing interior designer in the area that you choose, whether as an owner or on a team of another firm, for the remainder of your career.
