Advantages & Disadvantages of Careers for Graduates of Interior Decorating

There are plenty of careers for graduates of interior decorating to choose from. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics states that "Employment of interior designers is expected to grow 19 percent from 2006 to 2016, faster than average for all occupations." Though this pertains to also those that hold a higher college degree in the field as well, it may just you take extra time to climb the ladder of success or additional education as time goes on.

Be Your Own Boss
As a graduate of interior decorating, you can start your career by opening up your own design business. The advantages of this is that you can set your own hours and build up a portfolio of your individual skills and talents. The disadvantages are that, not holding a college degree can make it harder to market yourself to clients and you must take care of your own legal liability when it comes to home improvement permits, insurance, licenses and taxes.

Work At A Firm
Applying for an opening at an interior design firm can get you in the door to the home improvement and remodeling world. A disadvantage of this is that, as only a graduate of interior decorating with a certificate rather than being a designer that holds a degree, it may not be possible for you to work as a designer within the company but rather as an apprentice or an assistant under one. The advantages of this is that it offers you a chance to build up your resume with real work-life experience, learning opportunities and a network of professionals in the field.

Work At a Interior Design Retail Store
Many home improvement stores, furniture shops and other retail business that cater to interior design hire professional graduates of interior decorating to assist customers and clients in choosing materials and decor elements for their personal remodeling projects. In this career you may not be able to design an entire room or space all of the time but you gain work experience in the field to add to your resume. It also offers the opportunity to gain personal clients, with your companies permission, either for small compensation or just the addition of pictures to add to your portfolio, depending upon the applicable laws of your area.
.Real Estate Office

Work With Realtors
Real Estate offices, as well individual Realtors employ graduates of interior decorating and design to stage model homes as well as consult sellers on getting their houses ready to go on the market. This career choice offers photos of staged rooms to put in your professional portfolio as well as work experience for your resume in dealing with clients. The disadvantage to this job is little room to express your individual tastes, as you must go with what style is currently selling in model homes and working with a limited amount of material choices in personal homes. The latter is usually more about editing the decor, rather than adding to it.

Partner Up With Construction
Along the same lines as Realtors, partnering up with other local contractors can offer you opportunities to design the decor in model homes. Being a graduate of interior decorating in this field, you can also advise on the choice of colors and material used while building, or remodeling, houses. The disadvantages of this career choice can be that you may still have to maintain sub-contractor (self-employment) status and work may be unsteady, based on the individual projects that the contractor has if it is a smaller company. The advantages are that you can build up your work portfolio and resume, while creating a network of future clientele.

Work in the Entertainment Business
Local theater companies may need set designers for the stage to portray real life home settings. The same goes for television and movie production companies. While this is a harder field to break into without an actual interior design degree, it can be possible with a solid portfolio and real life experience. Additional education may be required, tailoring your study to how to design for a set, due to camera angles, lighting and other elements that are specially geared towards the stage. This career choice for graduates of interior decorating offers a very creative outlet for expression at times but also will require stifling some creative impulses at others, when specific requirements for a theme or style have to be met.

Reference:
US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Interior Designers