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As a busy entrepreneur or employee working on your side hustle, your time is limited. It’s hard enough to find enough hours in the way to get your regular work done, let alone deal with matters related to running your business or personal and professional development.
Ultimately, you need to think carefully about how you’re going to spend your time and make sure that it’s put toward what matters most: creating beautiful spaces for your clients.
However, as any successful business owner will tell you, enhancing your skillset and pursuing the right professional development activities can help you take your career and passion to the next level. This is especially true for the interior design industry, which allows those who have a passion for design to learn at a self-guided pace and increase their capabilities as your business grows.
Not all interior designers have completed a degree program, and many are self-taught. Thankfully, there are thousands of online interior design courses that can help entrepreneurs work on specific skills and hone their craft.
Not all online interior design modules are created equal. We’re here to help you decide which kind of online classes are best for you, and provide a list of the 12 top programs to consider. For each recommendation (where possible) we’ve provided key information about the program’s ratings, cost, duration, and areas of focus.
After reading, we hope you feel better prepared for taking the next step in your career with interior design online education.
Read also – How To Get The Interior Design Certification?
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Why Should Interior Designers Consider eLearning Courses?
Self-development and professional development are critically important for advancing your career. Although professional development can take many different forms, including career coaching, additional educational opportunities are a great way to offer more value to your clients or employer by learning new skills and gaining new experiences.
If you choose to attend an eLearning program that exposes you to new concepts and helps you practice new techniques, your clients will directly benefit from your improved capabilities. Plus, your newfound skills will likely help you take more pride in your work and gain confidence in your ability to help clients problem solve and deliver the results that they want.
With increased value comes increased hourly or project rates. That’s right! Education and career training are some of the quickest paths to making more money. This is true whether you own your own company or if you’re an employee.
If you’re a manager of employees at a business or at your own company, you should know that a lack of training or professional development is one of the top reasons that people leave organizations.
In fact, 84% of millennials want training opportunities and 94% of employees say that they would stay longer if there were more potential for learning in their current role. So, it’s important to note that providing training and educational opportunities is important for you, your business, AND employees.
Read also – 8 Best Interior Design Colleges and Institutes
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How to Pick the Right eLearning Course for You?
Once you’ve decided to pursue some form of continuing education, the next step is to figure out which course provider and material are best for you. Here are some basic questions that might help you narrow down your selection and further define your priorities:
1. What are your professional goals? Do you want a full degree or just a specialty certification? Many eLearning programs offer students the ability to work at their own pace, and courses span a wide range of length and difficulty – from a few hours to full undergraduate or graduate degrees. If you know what you’re looking for, you’ll be able to find a program with the right criteria.
2. Ensure that it’s the right skill set – some interior design classes will emphasize softer skills like interior decoration, while others will teach real interior design skills and fundamentals. There’s no right or wrong answer to which is best, it’s simply whichever option helps you meet your development goals.
3. If you’re hoping to earn an accreditation, make sure that the program offers a certificate or badge that you can display or promote. Additional certifications show clients and employers that you take continuing education seriously and have grown your capabilities.
4. Set a realistic time frame for completion. How much time do you actually have on a daily or weekly basis to watch course material, participate in online study groups, complete projects, and tackle homework? If you’re currently a working professional, then your total free time may only be 5-10 hours a week. Are you going to be a part-time student? Many programs are designed to accommodate this type of schedule, but you might feel discouraged if your expectations are out of alignment before starting the course. Pick a manageable program, stick to the schedule, and you’ll be done in no time – ready for the next challenge.
5. Determine your budget. There are many low-cost interior design courses that start at only several hundred dollars, and platforms like YouTube are a great place to find free courses on home decor, lighting design, or other aspects of interior design. But, more significant programs that go beyond the basics or just one type of skill will cost you upwards of several thousand dollars. Sometimes employers will offer to reimburse employees for professional development courses if they meet a certain grade level or can prove that they completed the program. This might be a great way to help you cover the cost of your interior design eLearning course.
Read also – How To Become An Interior Designer?
