6 Years After Design School
“All drains lead to the ocean, kid.”
A quote from Disney’s Finding Nemo.
Choosing College
It took me a years to feel it in my heart that it was time to go to school. It took even longer for me to actually graduate, being as though I could only go part-time. In high school, when everyone was talking about college this and college that, my best friend and I were just like...yeahhh getting through these past four years was hard enough. Plus, I didn’t educate myself, nor did I have proper counseling at my high school to know where to begin. I heard a lot about Cheney University, and some other college that people students were getting scholarships to. They didn’t sound very intriguing, also I’m not big on following people so I didn’t ask questions. I did wonder about the scholarships though. My family was not full of college grads and all that so it was a very blurry subject. One of my close cousins did attend college, though. He suggested that I save money and go to Community College first and then transfer over to a better school to obtain my degree.
I don’t remember when, but I did try to attend Community College of Philadelphia. All I remember was that the staff was not very nice, or helpful. It was stressful trying to get in, and start classes because they tried to run me all around a campus I had no idea about. I decided that was not the school for me quick.
At a later date, I felt the need to go to a different college and try again. This time a school for artists. I sat down at a computer at a library in West Philly, and was going to check out either University of Arts or The Art Institute. I decided to type in The Art Institute whatever reason, and after that everything went cool for me. The staff who were in the admissions department were really friendly, welcoming and helpful. Basically they held my hand through the application process and showed me around. I’ll never forget the first women who was so nice and supportive, named Carla Blue (obviously that’s a very memorable name :).
I never gave up.
I’m not going to go into too much detail in this section of the blog. It was stressful, it was rewarding, challenging and I enjoyed the overall fulfillment of growing through the levels of obtaining my bachelor’s degree. That was the first college I had given a chance, so it was really all I knew. Other students would complain about this and that, but I had nothing to compare it to, so I had very little say-so.
There were some good instructors and some really mean ones. One time, an instructor that I considered to be sooo mean gave me a failing grade on my assignment. I was so frustrated and didn’t understand why she gave me a failing grade knowing how much effort I put into the project. I was a single mother by then, just trying to make it through the days of school. The instructor asked me to come into the hallway, and into the empty classroom next door. There, she explained why she treated me the way she did. This is basically how she said it....
Katrina, you have soooo much talent. I know you can do better than that. Any other student in there can stop now, and get their associate’s degree. But I am NOT going to let you do that. You need to get your bachelors, and you can do it. You have what it takes!
It was tough love. I was so grateful for her letting me know that, and getting that off her chest.
Finally Graduating.
Man, that took forever. I don’t know if my colleagues felt as relieved and accomplished as I did when I walked across that stage in my cap and gown to receive my degree. The fact that it took me so long going part-time, having a baby, and that I would be the first one in my family to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree. I wasn’t a type A kind of student, but I was extremely ambitious and passionate about my profession.
Anyway I had all these plans for when I did graduate. Move to Los Angeles, get a loft condominium, get a brand new Range, and buy a pair of black Louboutin pumps, are just some things I had written down. Clearly I hadn’t calculated the actual starting salaries for interior designers. Society made it sound like getting a degree would automatically kick your income up to the upper middle class.
I imagined of working in an office now that I was done school, rather than the retail or restaurants I had worked in previously. I had determined I wouldn’t have to go backwards, and that I would get paid. I had my resume, business cards, and portfolio all ready to present to employers on interviews. The professors always told us that most of us were going to work years as CAD monkeys at first anyway, so us anticipating working on dreamy projects, to them it seemed far fetched.
Career-Driven
For months I searched and applied to design jobs at firms, and showrooms. I had an offer from a new firm but they offered a number so low, I had to turn it down. I’m not the average college grad who still lived at home with their parent(s). I was not 22 years old, I had a child, and definitely had bills. I ended up getting hired at a showroom that I just adored the furniture style and space. BoConcept. I passed by it on Chestnut, downtown for years. I tried to get in as an intern over the summer before I finished school. It’s very eye-catching. The Danish style was much more sophisticated and luxurious than what I was used to at IKEA. Still loved IKEA, but this was obviously next level and ready for me to experience.
Working in a luxury showroom was aesthetically pleasing, co-workers were great, and learning more about how to work with residential clients had indeed shaped my career. Plus the environment was where I wanted to be. I love Center City lifestyle, the cafes, the shops, and the architecture of course. So I did that until, I had come the realization that it wasn’t helping me meet my goals. The potential was there, but the clients were absent for me after my first month. I love designing, and composing a complete design by sketching, selecting a palette of materials. Being able to see it all come to life is a really gratifying feeling. This was not the place to really experience that. Also, I like to keep active and productive throughout my days. Plus, I was over waiting to approach walk-ins and figure out natural sales tactics to make money. At this time of my life, I was looking to buy my first home for my daughter to live in. The salary I was making wasn’t the minimum required to get a property loan. I had to go.
My Turning Point
I was looking and applying to firms that I could practice my craft and utilize my technical design skills that I had learned in school. At Bo, there was no Autodesk, or even sketching or drafting. It was a very simple software to give a basic idea quickly to show customers the potential design of their space. I barely got to use that, because that tool was only for people who requested design services prior to purchasing any furniture. I wanted bigger projects.
Trying again for local firms, I didn’t have any luck for whatever reason. I got hired at a firm in Ambler, PA. 22 miles from West Philly. There, I worked on lots of YMCA renovations, luxury senior living facilities, medical suites and affordable multi-family housing. I made the most and greatly appreciated the projects I worked on for 4 years. The drive was a lot for me. After a while, I started feeling that it wasn’t worthy of how many hours I was missing out on for myself. Then, there was heavy micromanaging, which was...annoying. My actual supervisor, the design director, was great. But micromanaging, I was done with. Also, there were many projects that simply did not come my way and I felt that there was either favoritism, or subconscious profiling. Overall, I had to make another big decision for myself. I listed down the pros and cons.
The main reason the cons won, though, was the fact that my daughter’s health is a priority. Twice I had to rush and leave work to get to her ASAP and pick her up from the nurse’s office in school. ASAP coming from Ambler meant 45 minutes minimum. That is not enough time to get to your baby when she is sick and needs your care. So I knew that being closer to home was a goal. Being in charge of what projects I get to work on was a goal. BEING HAPPY WAS A GOAL.
As a designer, I often met reps and got updates on the latest new patterns of wallcovering and fabrics and tons of materials. Materials that the projects I was used to at the Ambler firm did not have the budget or interest of the owners. My co’s would laugh and say, “Ha! We’ll never get to use that!”. They accepted it and moved on to the basic affordable finishes. I love to design hotels, boutiques, beauty salons, restaurants, cafes, spas, and those types of categories. Luxury interior design is my thing. People always asked me if I wanted to work on my own. I always replied, eventually yes. Although, I didn’t know exactly when I would be ready to do it. I could definitely see myself handling my own company, my own team and the projects. Meanwhile, I figured it was time to try another firm before that. After searching and searching for a new firm, closer to home, that took on the types of projects I’m interested in, I went on a good amount of interviews. The potential employers loved my portfolio, liked my wardrobe style, but they did not give me a chance. After a while, I said to myself, “That’s okay. I’m giving me a chance. They don’t have to believe in me, I believe in me.”
So here I am.
I run my own interior design business. I meet with clients, handle the design work, presentations, administration, shopping, billing, and all that. I learned a lot from my previous employers, school, co-workers and I’m learning a lot more on my own now. I’m in a much better mood, day-to-day. I celebrate tiny victories, I love getting complimented on my work, and how my clients genuinely appreciate my efforts and solutions to their projects. I’m in charge. It’s only up from here.
When my family found out I was serious about being my own boss, they thought I was joking. Then my sister told me, “Well...you know what you gotta do. You just gotta do it.”
I spent the next few years working in fast-food as an assistant manager. It got to point when every day around mid-shift, I would say to myself, “Should I quit today?”.
I don’t remember when, but I did try to attend Community College of Philadelphia. All I remember was that the staff was not very nice, or helpful. It was stressful trying to get in, and start classes because they tried to run me all around a campus I had no idea about. I decided that was not the school for me quick.
At a later date, I felt the need to go to a different college and try again. This time a school for artists. I sat down at a computer at a library in West Philly, and was going to check out either University of Arts or The Art Institute. I decided to type in The Art Institute whatever reason, and after that everything went cool for me. The staff who were in the admissions department were really friendly, welcoming and helpful. Basically they held my hand through the application process and showed me around. I’ll never forget the first women who was so nice and supportive, named Carla Blue (obviously that’s a very memorable name :).
I never gave up.
I’m not going to go into too much detail in this section of the blog. It was stressful, it was rewarding, challenging and I enjoyed the overall fulfillment of growing through the levels of obtaining my bachelor’s degree. That was the first college I had given a chance, so it was really all I knew. Other students would complain about this and that, but I had nothing to compare it to, so I had very little say-so.
There were some good instructors and some really mean ones. One time, an instructor that I considered to be sooo mean gave me a failing grade on my assignment. I was so frustrated and didn’t understand why she gave me a failing grade knowing how much effort I put into the project. I was a single mother by then, just trying to make it through the days of school. The instructor asked me to come into the hallway, and into the empty classroom next door. There, she explained why she treated me the way she did. This is basically how she said it....
Katrina, you have soooo much talent. I know you can do better than that. Any other student in there can stop now, and get their associate’s degree. But I am NOT going to let you do that. You need to get your bachelors, and you can do it. You have what it takes!
It was tough love. I was so grateful for her letting me know that, and getting that off her chest.
Finally Graduating.
Man, that took forever. I don’t know if my colleagues felt as relieved and accomplished as I did when I walked across that stage in my cap and gown to receive my degree. The fact that it took me so long going part-time, having a baby, and that I would be the first one in my family to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree. I wasn’t a type A kind of student, but I was extremely ambitious and passionate about my profession.
Anyway I had all these plans for when I did graduate. Move to Los Angeles, get a loft condominium, get a brand new Range, and buy a pair of black Louboutin pumps, are just some things I had written down. Clearly I hadn’t calculated the actual starting salaries for interior designers. Society made it sound like getting a degree would automatically kick your income up to the upper middle class.
I imagined of working in an office now that I was done school, rather than the retail or restaurants I had worked in previously. I had determined I wouldn’t have to go backwards, and that I would get paid. I had my resume, business cards, and portfolio all ready to present to employers on interviews. The professors always told us that most of us were going to work years as CAD monkeys at first anyway, so us anticipating working on dreamy projects, to them it seemed far fetched.
Career-Driven
For months I searched and applied to design jobs at firms, and showrooms. I had an offer from a new firm but they offered a number so low, I had to turn it down. I’m not the average college grad who still lived at home with their parent(s). I was not 22 years old, I had a child, and definitely had bills. I ended up getting hired at a showroom that I just adored the furniture style and space. BoConcept. I passed by it on Chestnut, downtown for years. I tried to get in as an intern over the summer before I finished school. It’s very eye-catching. The Danish style was much more sophisticated and luxurious than what I was used to at IKEA. Still loved IKEA, but this was obviously next level and ready for me to experience.
My Turning Point
I was looking and applying to firms that I could practice my craft and utilize my technical design skills that I had learned in school. At Bo, there was no Autodesk, or even sketching or drafting. It was a very simple software to give a basic idea quickly to show customers the potential design of their space. I barely got to use that, because that tool was only for people who requested design services prior to purchasing any furniture. I wanted bigger projects.
Trying again for local firms, I didn’t have any luck for whatever reason. I got hired at a firm in Ambler, PA. 22 miles from West Philly. There, I worked on lots of YMCA renovations, luxury senior living facilities, medical suites and affordable multi-family housing. I made the most and greatly appreciated the projects I worked on for 4 years. The drive was a lot for me. After a while, I started feeling that it wasn’t worthy of how many hours I was missing out on for myself. Then, there was heavy micromanaging, which was...annoying. My actual supervisor, the design director, was great. But micromanaging, I was done with. Also, there were many projects that simply did not come my way and I felt that there was either favoritism, or subconscious profiling. Overall, I had to make another big decision for myself. I listed down the pros and cons.
The main reason the cons won, though, was the fact that my daughter’s health is a priority. Twice I had to rush and leave work to get to her ASAP and pick her up from the nurse’s office in school. ASAP coming from Ambler meant 45 minutes minimum. That is not enough time to get to your baby when she is sick and needs your care. So I knew that being closer to home was a goal. Being in charge of what projects I get to work on was a goal. BEING HAPPY WAS A GOAL.
As a designer, I often met reps and got updates on the latest new patterns of wallcovering and fabrics and tons of materials. Materials that the projects I was used to at the Ambler firm did not have the budget or interest of the owners. My co’s would laugh and say, “Ha! We’ll never get to use that!”. They accepted it and moved on to the basic affordable finishes. I love to design hotels, boutiques, beauty salons, restaurants, cafes, spas, and those types of categories. Luxury interior design is my thing. People always asked me if I wanted to work on my own. I always replied, eventually yes. Although, I didn’t know exactly when I would be ready to do it. I could definitely see myself handling my own company, my own team and the projects. Meanwhile, I figured it was time to try another firm before that. After searching and searching for a new firm, closer to home, that took on the types of projects I’m interested in, I went on a good amount of interviews. The potential employers loved my portfolio, liked my wardrobe style, but they did not give me a chance. After a while, I said to myself, “That’s okay. I’m giving me a chance. They don’t have to believe in me, I believe in me.”
So here I am.
I run my own interior design business. I meet with clients, handle the design work, presentations, administration, shopping, billing, and all that. I learned a lot from my previous employers, school, co-workers and I’m learning a lot more on my own now. I’m in a much better mood, day-to-day. I celebrate tiny victories, I love getting complimented on my work, and how my clients genuinely appreciate my efforts and solutions to their projects. I’m in charge. It’s only up from here.
When my family found out I was serious about being my own boss, they thought I was joking. Then my sister told me, “Well...you know what you gotta do. You just gotta do it.”
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