Becoming an interior designer can be a very rewarding and exciting profession. However, it’s not always easy to crack into the world of interior design. But there are certain steps you can take to help ensure your success. The steps include getting an education, gaining an internship, getting an entry level position, and then gaining experience. All the while you should be slowly building a powerful portfolio by gaining experience in interior design.
Interior Design Education
For 99% of future interior designers, the place to start is by gaining an education. You have to go to school to be an interior designer. Also, you have to make sure you go to the school that’s right for you. So make sure you carefully research colleges and then choose the one that best fits your needs.
Gain an Internship
A very important step in gaining experience in interior design is to intern with a business. When you intern you do work for a company without getting paid.
You are basically exchanging your services for the experience and education you’ll get from the company.
There are many great things about interning but probably the best is the fact that you will be able to begin to build your portfolio. This, along with just gaining experience, will be a great asset to you when you begin to look for a job.
Get an Entry Level Position
Unfortunately you can’t just jump right into interior design and land a great job. You have to pay your dues and work your way up the ladder. So get a job at the bottom and work as hard as you can. This will give you great experience in interior design and allow you to succeed in the future.
Gain Experience
This is the key to you really succeeding with interior design. You need to gain as much experience as you possibly can. As part of that experience, every time you do something that is really good, make sure you include it in your portfolio. Volunteer to do extra work, learn as much as you can, and gain all the experience that you possibly can. Then place it all in your portfolio.
This takes us to the last point.
Your Portfolio
You want to make sure that you build as great a portfolio as you can. You want to spend a lot of time on actually putting together your portfolio too. Future employers, who may very well have great jobs to offer you, will be looking at this portfolio. So, as you gain the experience and complete tasks that you are proud of, be sure to put it in your portfolio.
Gaining experience in interior design is the only way to really ensure your success in the interior design field. You have to get an education, obtain an internship position, get an entry level position, gain experience, and then have a great portfolio. If you have all of those things going for you then you will almost certainly succeed as an interior designer.
When you enroll in the interior design program at the Academy of Art University, you will learn the design, business, and communication skills you need to succeed as an interior designer. You will learn to combine practical knowledge of materials with creativity and design skills. Learn more about the Academy of Art University | Request free info
Interior design programs at the Art Institutes teach you how to combine space planning, livability, and design in residential and commercial interiors. You will study fundamental design concepts along with industry-related technology.