Dear Melissa:
I am an art student at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. I wanted to ask your opinion on something. You see, I am trying to figure out which career in interior decorating would be best for me. I want to focus on one particular aspect of it, learn everything that there is to know about it, and become one of the best in that particular department. I was hoping that you might be able to take a minute and list a few options that you think would be helpful. This would really help me in developing a career plan. Thank you so much!
Scott
Dear Scott:
While your goal of a concentrated field of study is admirable, I'd like to suggest something entirely different. Sorry, that's what happens when you ask an opinionated old broad for advice.
The field of interior design is an enormous one, and in a bad economy a difficult one. It includes: retail sales, textile design, color psychology, interior architecture, set design, magazine photo styling, kitchen/bath design, interior photography, furniture design, antiques, manufacturers representation, historical preservation, CAD, showroom management, renovation, software design, project management, lobbying, and teaching; as well as good old-fashioned commercial, retail, healthcare, hospitality, institutional, and residential design. WHEW! I hope I didn't leave anything out.
How will you know which aspect of the field appeals to you until you explore it? Okay, you can rule out some topics immediately just by their names, but college is a great time for experimentation. (You know what I mean.)
I would pursue a variety of classes. In fact, I did just that. And while at first I thought I'd specialize in kitchen design -- and then in contract design -- when I actually started working, I found out that specialization was much too boring for me.
I like having a full-service design studio, with teaching and writing thrown in, just in case I thought I should have some free time
While your goal of a concentrated field of study is admirable, I'd like to suggest something entirely different. Sorry, that's what happens when you ask an opinionated old broad for advice.
The field of interior design is an enormous one, and in a bad economy a difficult one. It includes: retail sales, textile design, color psychology, interior architecture, set design, magazine photo styling, kitchen/bath design, interior photography, furniture design, antiques, manufacturers representation, historical preservation, CAD, showroom management, renovation, software design, project management, lobbying, and teaching; as well as good old-fashioned commercial, retail, healthcare, hospitality, institutional, and residential design. WHEW! I hope I didn't leave anything out.
How will you know which aspect of the field appeals to you until you explore it? Okay, you can rule out some topics immediately just by their names, but college is a great time for experimentation. (You know what I mean.)
I would pursue a variety of classes. In fact, I did just that. And while at first I thought I'd specialize in kitchen design -- and then in contract design -- when I actually started working, I found out that specialization was much too boring for me.
I like having a full-service design studio, with teaching and writing thrown in, just in case I thought I should have some free time
The undeniably best thing is to intern at different types of firms while in school. Don't commit yet. Life is long. And the more varied your knowledge, the better you can navigate this challenging economy.
Good luck!
M.A.K.
Good luck!
M.A.K.
