The Ins and Outs of Residential Design
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), residential designers and urban planners earned a median annual salary of $56,630 in 2006. Besides the appealing paycheck, residential designers should have wonderful career prospects: jobs for residential designers should increase by fifteen percent within the next decade. If you aim to enter the thriving field of residential design, you should both familiarize yourself with the job's responsibilities and learn how to get the training you need.
What Does a Residential Designer Do?
Residential designers design private buildings from A to Z, which may include drawing blueprints, selecting materials, planning landscapes, and overseeing construction. To best complete their jobs, residential designers should not only understand current property laws and building regulations, they should know how to work within their clients' budgets. Specific careers within the field of residential design include:
- Civil engineer
- Kitchen and bath planner
- Showroom coordinator
- Landscape designer
- Community designer
- Architect
Although some residential designers work for private firms, the government employs most residential designers.
How to Get the Training You Need
The BLS reports that job prospects should be strongest for designers with formal training. Depending on your area of specialty, your residential design program may teach you about architecture, law, finance, computer design software, or urban planning. With the help of your school's career services office, you might also secure an internship with your local government's planning office.
Requirements for entry-level residential designer positions can vary from state to state. If you want to boost your hiring prospects, consider earning a master's degree or securing official licensure through the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Source:
"Urban and Regional Planners," U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
