Career change to interior design. How should I get started and what is the market outlook like in the field?

I have been in the HR field for the past 7 years, I have a BS in Advertising. I love decorating and it comes with such ease, I want to get into the more technical aspect of design. Should I return to school and is this a good field? If you or someone you know is n this field, please shed some light.Career change to interior design. How should I get started and what is the market outlook like in the field?
Interior design is a lot more than interior decorating. If interior design really is something that interests you enough that you are wanting to switch careers, you must get a degree or diploma in it from an accredited school. The programs run from two to four years depending on the school and the exact program. Usually the private colleges are quicker because you don't have to take phys ed, humanities, and other non-core classes. No matter how you do it, it is an intense program, and no matter how good the college or university you attend, you will still have to keep learning forever after graduation because there are always new products, new technologies, new construction methods...



Interior design is actually the profession that bridges the gap between decorator and architect. The architects are responsible primarily for the exterior and structural aspects, and the decorator embellishes the interior. The interior designer plans the interior, weighing practicality (function) with aesthetics, while respecting building codes, fire codes, and more. It is a very technical field and it is also a unique field because it is really the only industry so closely linked to construction where women out-number men 3-1.



In terms of job availability and pay, there is a wide fluctuation from one geographic location to the next, so you'll really have to investigate this from where you are. It is a wonderful field to start your own business in if you are certain you have what it takes to make it work -- this requires some way to support yourself for the first while as you're building up your business, endless patience, the ability/energy to work 7 days a week, and the guts to go find clients. From experience I can say that in the first year at least it will be very rare that clients would seek you out -- you would have to actively pursue each one to end up with a signed contract.



Where I am, working for a design office, very recent interior design graduates with real talent and skill earn about double minimum wage and that increases after they pass the 6 month mark with a company, then usually again at the one year mark. A designer employed by a firm with several years experience is making a comfortable salary -- certainly not rolling around in money, but way above the poverty line.



If you opt to work on your own, your salary will fluctuate greatly for at least a few years. Some months you'll just scrape by (hopefully) and other months you'll be paying off debts twice as fast as you had anticipated.



Whether you choose to work for yourself or for someone else's firm, interior design is a very competitive industry and you have to be able to sell yourself. You have to be self-motivated, and you have to be exceptionally perceptive/observant.



The interior design programs include various art courses (colour theory, drawing, etc); theory classes like art history, professional practice and lighting principles; industrious courses like furniture making; and technical classes such as drafting -- both manual and using AutoCAD. If interior design is what your true calling, it will become a way of life rather than a career.



I hope I have answered at least some of your questions. Good luck!