the boards
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
1 Judy's uncle mentioned to a friend of his that Judy had recently started work at a residential interior design studio only a month after graduation. This friend thought that hiring Judy would be a great way to get some design ideas “on the cheap.” The friend's project involved the remodeling of his kitchen and family room. Judy was excited about doing a project like this and jumped at the opportunity. She did not mention the project to her boss, as she felt that it did not need to involve the employer. Judy plans to do the project in her spare time and charge the client an hourly fee paid directly to Judy.
2 Mary is inspecting a job site designed by her firm, a small commercial design studio. She notices that the wallpaper installer is using the wrong wall covering in the reception area. She attempts to call her boss about the mistake, but is interrupted by the client, who has questions about other areas of the project. She never gets back to her boss that day. A few days later, Mary finds that the wrong paper was installed in the reception area.
3 Katie has been working for a design firm for five years and has gained much experience in a design specialty area. She became disgruntled because she did not receive a raise and promotion recently that she was expecting. Other design firms have approached Katie in the past year about moving to their firms. After finally deciding to look for another job, she first tries to talk to the owner about her concerns and is told she is still not eligible for a promotion. Now thoroughly discouraged, she takes plans of projects she has been involved in and includes them in her portfolio for the job interviews, without permission of her current employer.
REFERENCES
1 1. Oxford American College Dictionary, 2002, p. 271.
2 2. Hirsch, 1996, p. 149.
CHAPTER 5 Professional Options
The interior design profession offers students and professionals numerous options and directions for career opportunities. For many, the direction in the profession seems very logical and direct. “I intend to design residential interiors.” “My goal is to be involved in the design of restaurants and hotels,” say others. Clearly, this latter sentiment could mean any number of commercial specialties.
Part of one's effort to determine a path in the profession involves personal and professional goal setting. Goals provide direction in our lives. Professional goals help make choices and decisions that arise during our careers easier to navigate. Personal goals help to balance professional activity for a fuller life. Setting goals is risky and takes commitment, but if the goals we set are goals that interest us, they likely will be fulfilled. It takes time to reach goals. Just as Rome was not built in a day, obtaining the credentials to create designs that are purchased by custom furniture manufacturers, or presented awards by magazines and associations, or perhaps work for a major manufacturer does not come overnight.
We also discuss career options and specialties in this chapter. These brief descriptions will assist readers in understanding that the interior design field encompasses substantially more than designing homes. Commercial interior design has taken on increasing importance over the past 60 years with the planning and design of hotels, restaurants, medical facilities, and offices of every kind.
Regardless of where you start in the profession, 5, 10, or 15 years later, you might find yourself doing something totally different in the field. To many designers, this is just one more exciting aspect of this profession.
After completing this chapter you should be able to:
Explain why it is important to set goals.
Discuss factors that make goal setting difficult for some people.
Define and explain what a personal mission statement is and why it is a helpful tool for students and professionals.
List and define three characteristics that will define your personal brand.
Complete the personal goals exercise and the professional goals exercise.
Discuss the factors that should be considered when making a decision concerning an initial career path.
Discuss the pros and cons of a career path as a generalist versus a specialist in an area of design.
A PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
Many readers have heard of Steven Covey and his very popular book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. To Covey, a personal mission statement helps a person set a direction for what that person wants to do in his or her personal and professional life. Much like a business mission statement, “it focuses on what you want to be (character) and to do (contributions and achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based.”1
A personal mission statement will help you define your focus, which, in turn, will help you determine on what you most wish to spend your emotional, psychological, and financial resources. According to Covey, a personal mission statement will help you more effectively handle the changes that will constantly affect your life.
Creating a personal mission statement starts with allowing your innermost self to make you aware of what you most want in life—not just today, but in the future. It starts by determining the end you most desire, such as to own a successful design practice, to be the principal project designer at one of the top five design firms in the country, to have both a satisfying family and professional life, or anything else you can imagine.
Here is a brief example of a personal mission statement:
To believe in myself and allow myself to try, to experiment, to experience, thus to learn.
To strive each day to be willing to pay the price to achieve greater happiness, confidence, and spiritual growth.
To do some work that benefits others and that is enjoyable to me.
To treat others based on the principles that I hold as important.
It is a good idea to draft a personal mission statement before you continue reading this chapter. Think of what you want to be known for at the end of your career, or even your life. Consider the roles that you now play within your family, in your career (or potential career), with friends, and in the community at large. Determine your values—what makes you the person that you are. Make notes about the things, words, places, and activities that inspire or excite you. Then take some time away from the hustle and bustle of your daily life to write down a personal mission statement. It doesn't have to be structured like the example. Any format or length will do.
After reading this chapter, you might want to revise your statement, or you may find that it's fine as it is. Then again, nothing says that you can't rewrite your personal mission statement in a year or more. In fact, it is perfectly natural that it might change as the years go by. This is because new opportunities you can't envision today will possibly present themselves.
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GOALS
Our world certainly
