Читать книгу Professional Practice for Interior Designers - Christine M. Piotrowski - Страница 100

The interior design profession offers students and professionals numerous options and directions for career opportunities. For many, the direction in the profession seems very logical and direct. “I intend to design residential interiors.” “My goal is to be involved in the design of restaurants and hotels,” say others. Clearly, this latter sentiment could mean any number of commercial specialties.

Part of one's effort to determine a path in the profession involves personal and professional goal setting. Goals provide direction in our lives. Professional goals help make choices and decisions that arise during our careers easier to navigate. Personal goals help to balance professional activity for a fuller life. Setting goals is risky and takes commitment, but if the goals we set are goals that interest us, they likely will be fulfilled. It takes time to reach goals. Just as Rome was not built in a day, obtaining the credentials to create designs that are purchased by custom furniture manufacturers, or presented awards by magazines and associations, or perhaps work for a major manufacturer does not come overnight.

We also discuss career options and specialties in this chapter. These brief descriptions will assist readers in understanding that the interior design field encompasses substantially more than designing homes. Commercial interior design has taken on increasing importance over the past 60 years with the planning and design of hotels, restaurants, medical facilities, and offices of every kind.

Regardless of where you start in the profession, 5, 10, or 15 years later, you might find yourself doing something totally different in the field. To many designers, this is just one more exciting aspect of this profession.

After completing this chapter you should be able to:

 Explain why it is important to set goals.

 Discuss factors that make goal setting difficult for some people.

 Define and explain what a personal mission statement is and why it is a helpful tool for students and professionals.

 List and define three characteristics that will define your personal brand.

 Complete the personal goals exercise and the professional goals exercise.

 Discuss the factors that should be considered when making a decision concerning an initial career path.

 Discuss the pros and cons of a career path as a generalist versus a specialist in an area of design.