CAREER ADVICE

Designing Men and Women

Do you enjoy puzzles?  Are you creative?   Do you enjoy working with computers?  Do you like to do a variety of things in a day?  If you answered yes to these four questions you may find a career as a Commercial Interior Designer very rewarding.  According to the 2000-01 issue of “Occupational Outlook Handbook” which is a publication of the U.S. Government, this field is expected to have faster growth potential than other industries, but the competition for these positions will be tough.  

Commercial Interior Designers are people who like variety in their daily tasks.  They visualize a space and help make workable solutions a reality by working with customers, contractors and architects.  They must understand how people work together and what they need to perform their jobs.  They work with architects, contractors, the customer and within building codes to create safe, healthy work environments. 

How can you prepare?  You should plan to attend college since a college education is generally required.   Art, art history, principles of design, sketching, business administration, marketing and psychology all provide a good background for designers.  Personal traits must include self-discipline, creativity, imagination, attention to detail and persistence.  Communication skills, both written and spoken are required.  Listening is another communication skill.  Designers must be excellent listeners because they need to identify their customers’ needs and then successfully translate what the customer has stated into a workable and attractive design for the office.  Additional skills include problem solving, time management, and ability to meet deadlines.  Can you handle stress?  You need to consider this if you are thinking about a career in interior design.  

Mr. John Wasta, Chief Operations Officer of Pioneer Workspace Solutions in Cedar Rapids, offers this advice to high school students who are considering a career in Commercial Interior Design: “This is a growing field in the Cedar Rapids market.  Many of our larger employers are hiring their own designers to work in their Facilities Departments.  Pioneer currently has three full-time designers and eight of our former designers are working with clients in the Cedar Rapids Area. 

A job shadow or student internship would be extremely helpful for high school students who are thinking about a career in office design.  These work-related experiences often give insight that cannot be learned any other way.  If you are interested in either a job shadow or student internship, please talk to your counselor or school-to-work coordinator.

Working conditions tend to be pleasant as a great deal of work is done in an office.  Commercial Interior Designers spend quite a bit of time at the business for which they are doing design work.  Normally, interior designers will work the standard 40-hour workweek, but must be prepared to work overtime to meet deadlines.   Median income for interior designers across the U.S. in 1998 was $31,760 and has been growing faster than inflation. 

Commercial Interior Design has almost unlimited opportunity in career growth.  Within the supply chain, there are jobs that require a minimum of high school; many require a college degree, work-related experience or advanced academic certification.  The field is growing, the technology is advancing and consumers are becoming more demanding.  I would recommend this as a career path because it is exciting, challenging, rewarding and always changing.” 

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