Interior Designer

What are Interior Design Career Options?

Simply, your career options are wide open in interior design. We have done our research, and there is work for an interior designer in any job concerned with aesthetic appeal. Seriously! People like to have spaces that look nice, function well, and create atmosphere. This is not hard to imagine; people respond to homes, offices, buildings, stores, restaurants and even theme parks that have a certain aesthetic appeal. Thus, businesses and homeowners are all looking for ways to create the responses they desire from clients, consumers, families and friends. Fortunately for you, they are not necessarily able to do this on their own. Enter the interior designer! There are extensive possibilities for you to work in either residential or commercial design!

Because the possibilities are so broad, many interior designers have chosen to specialize in a certain aspect of design. For example, if you would prefer designing a spicy, passionate atmosphere for the new Cuban restaurant in town, or a professional and welcoming environment for your dentist’s waiting room then perhaps you might like to specialize in commercial design. On the other hand, if creating funky basement hang-outs and romantically ethereal master bedrooms are more appealing, maybe residential design would be a good fit for you! Of course, your specialization could be even more focused; many interior designers choose to only design restaurants or to only design kitchens and bathrooms. The important thing to realize is that you can sculpt your career around your interests – as broad or as narrow as they may be!

Well, you can probably imagine that in a career field as open as interior design, salaries will vary. How much money you can make is determined largely by which area of design you choose to enter. Further, salaries can also vary based on whether you work for a design firm or whether you are self-employed. Variations are also present depending on geographical location. Taking all of this into consideration, we have provided you with some statistical information that can serve as a general predictor of the kinds of salaries you will be eligible to earn. As an interior designer at the beginning of your career, you can expect to make approximately $30,000.00 per year. This figure could increase to $35,000.00 or $40,000.00 after you have been working for three to four years. As you gain more experience and perhaps begin to serve as the manager on larger projects, you could expect your salary to jump another $10,000.00 to $15.000.00. Partners in design firms could reasonably expect to earn anywhere from $75,000.00 to $100,000.00 per year.

The outlook for interior designers is very good. Faster than average growth is projected for this field by the OES (Occupational Employment Statistics) Survey, for the Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor. The rapid growth in this industry is due in part to the popularization of the field along with significant reductions in cost of materials. Expansion may also be due to more people realizing the benefits - economic or otherwise - of having their residential and commercial spaces professionally designed.

Experience - previous work as an intern or design assistant is helpful. A portfolio of all past work is essential in obtaining any position.

Personal Characteristics/Skills - above average ability for creative expression; good communication skills; team player but with an ability to work independently; aptitude for technical knowledge and illustration; computer skills (especially with the use of CAD - computer assisted design); ability to discriminate between colors and judge quality of various materials; high ethical and moral standards; good physical health and stamina; use of all five senses; also, trade or craft skills are helpful.

Design Assistant > Interior Designer > Senior Designer > Partner or Design Firm Owner

Start your career today by enrolling in an Interior Design or Interior Decorating program from one of our highly respected interior design schools!

Interior Designer
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