Читать книгу Professional Practice for Interior Designers - Christine M. Piotrowski - Страница 107

Your first real job in the interior design profession is a significant milestone. For everyone, it is the first step on a journey that can lead to a rewarding and successful future in a career full of challenges and excitement. That first position can also chart a direction toward a goal for the future; more often, it becomes a stepping‐stone to other opportunities.

Interests in specific kinds of design work obviously influence career options. Outside interests or experiences from a previous career can move you toward a particular specialty. Understanding who you are and what your interests are will help you make the decision as to which area to go into in interior design. Completing the sections on goals in this chapter can be quite helpful.

Few designers remain with the same company for decades. It is likely that you will be with three or more firms before you retire. Some sources say graduates may change jobs as many as 10 times before they retire. And that's okay: It is important to keep yourself open to new opportunities, especially after you have gained some on‐the‐job experience.

At the beginning of your career, be advised that employers will expect you to “pay your dues”—and this does not mean to a professional association. Despite the new employee's training and talent, the interior design firm will want to train and observe the employee for some period of time before giving him substantial project responsibility. In many cases this means doing what graduates refer to as “menial work,” such as maintaining the library, calling for pricing, gathering materials for presentations, and organizing sample boards. There is nothing wrong, however, with maintaining the library. All of these tasks are part of the design process and are undertaken by the most experienced professional as well as the beginner.

It simply takes time to transition from entry‐level recent graduate (or new employee) to having the responsibility of dealing directly with clients. Internships play a vital role in speeding transition.

Here are several factors that may influence your career decisions:

 In a small firm, the new employee might be able to work on a variety of projects sooner than those who begin work at a larger design firm.

 Expectations for productive work—alongside experienced designers—will be high in a small firm.

 Entry‐level designers generally progress more slowly in larger firms.

 Larger firms give an entry‐level designer the opportunity to see how a variety of bigger projects are handled by playing a role on a team.

 Compensation and benefits should be weighed carefully; sometimes working for a firm at a lower salary is the better choice because of the experiences that the new designer can have with that firm.

 Promotions come slowly in design; it most likely will take an entry‐level designer two years or so to move up to the next job level in a design firm.

One of the fascinating aspects of the interior design profession is the variety of ways in which an individual can work in the field. Although some areas do require training or experience beyond the undergraduate level or the normal interior design degree, many offer positions that the trained interior designer can achieve with work experience in the field.

This is a challenging, exciting—sometimes frustrating—profession. But it is also a great way to make a living! A certain amount of patience is necessary in this profession.