Certification and Career Opportunities


stager386
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I use CA Premier and I have been thinking for a long time about getting certified. I already have an established Interior Design business, and offer CAD services. I am revamping my marketing strategies and hope that a certification will help.  I am assuming that I know a fraction of what CA can do. And I know I've used many workarounds for a long time. So I'd like to know if anyone who has taken the test recently has any advice on how to best prepare.  

Thank you!

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Having a CA certificate is certainly an accomplishment, but that certification is not a requirement for anything in the construction or architectural markets.  It would help if you were teaching CA to others, that is for sure.  

 

I just can't see how that would help you in marketing your business.

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Kate, as an interior designer, have you considered taking the Chief Architect Kitchen, Bath & Interiors course?  It’s available on-line beginning Oct. 26 or on demand at any time.  It may be a good starting point.  The certification exam is all encompassing – framing, foundations, roofs, site plans, interiors.  Some of those categories may or may not be relevant to an interior designer.  The Kitchen & Bath course will give you best practices and productivity tips.  Afterward, you can then consider if the certification exam is right for you.

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On 8/29/2022 at 9:24 AM, stager386 said:

I use CA Premier and I have been thinking for a long time about getting certified. I already have an established Interior Design business, and offer CAD services. I am revamping my marketing strategies and hope that a certification will help.  I am assuming that I know a fraction of what CA can do. And I know I've used many workarounds for a long time. So I'd like to know if anyone who has taken the test recently has any advice on how to best prepare.  

Thank you!


Hi @stager386

You and I are living similar lives.  I had the same though and recently took the CA certification.  If you have your SSA it's really not that expensive, and you get a retake if you 'fail'.  The 'exam' was relatively straight forward too, but they need an update in my opinion.  I took my exam a few months ago with X13, but I'm fairly certain the plan I needed to duplicate were from X5 or older.

Either way - it can't hurt.

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On 8/29/2022 at 3:29 PM, Gawdzira said:

I think the advanced training may help you. Having a certificate for a drafting program would mean nothing to my clients. Having a well designed website or IG, TikTok or Facebook marketing strategy would.

 

I am actually revamping my website as we speak.

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11 hours ago, DeLayDesign said:


Hi @stager386

You and I are living similar lives.  I had the same though and recently took the CA certification.  If you have your SSA it's really not that expensive, and you get a retake if you 'fail'.  The 'exam' was relatively straight forward too, but they need an update in my opinion.  I took my exam a few months ago with X13, but I'm fairly certain the plan I needed to duplicate were from X5 or older.

Either way - it can't hurt.

Oh wow, why would they be using such an old plan?  My only hesitation to taking the exam is that I have been using CA for so long that I've developed a bunch of workarounds....bad habits I know.  I've used the personal training services and always come away with "wow, I should have been doing it like that all this time".  So I question whether or not I'm even close to being prepared to pass it.  I have Premier X14 and as it gets better, I am not so sure I've kept up with it.  Any tips as to how to best prepare for it?  Thank you!

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19 hours ago, scottharris said:

Kate, as an interior designer, have you considered taking the Chief Architect Kitchen, Bath & Interiors course?  It’s available on-line beginning Oct. 26 or on demand at any time.  It may be a good starting point.  The certification exam is all encompassing – framing, foundations, roofs, site plans, interiors.  Some of those categories may or may not be relevant to an interior designer.  The Kitchen & Bath course will give you best practices and productivity tips.  Afterward, you can then consider if the certification exam is right for you.

Excellent suggestion. Wish there was a certification specifically for Kitchen and Bath and Interiors.  I believe that designation visible on my website does impact my credibility. Regardless, that course would make me better at what I do.  I actually do need to know more about framing/foundations/roofs for work on renovations and additions. Thanks for the feedback!!

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sprinkle the words "software by Chief Architect" around on your website and other online marketing materials

 

legally you can't advertise that you are an architect unless you are licensed

 

yet, having those words will get notice by the google search engines etc :)

 

I made it very clear that I was NOT an architect but a designer 

but those words are very helpful anyways :)

 

Lew

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1 minute ago, lbuttery said:

sprinkle the words "software by Chief Architect" around on your website and other online marketing materials

 

legally you can't advertise that you are an architect unless you are licensed

 

yet, having those words will get notice by the google search engines etc :)

 

I made it very clear that I was NOT an architect but a designer 

but those words are very helpful anyways :)

 

Lew

Non-design people don't know what Chief Architect is, as a brand.  But I do state in all my 3d designs that these are "design plans" for visual purposes only, and they are not construction documents.

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6 hours ago, stager386 said:

Oh wow, why would they be using such an old plan?  My only hesitation to taking the exam is that I have been using CA for so long that I've developed a bunch of workarounds....bad habits I know.  I've used the personal training services and always come away with "wow, I should have been doing it like that all this time".  So I question whether or not I'm even close to being prepared to pass it.  I have Premier X14 and as it gets better, I am not so sure I've kept up with it.  Any tips as to how to best prepare for it?  Thank you!

If you've used every avenue of the software for at least a few years, You probably don't need to do much studying.

They did throw something at me that I don't often use which is plat line specifications.  Normally I import a PDF of the Plat, scale it, then trace the perimeter... so I had to teach my self pretty quickly how it's done while nearing the end of my 4 hours they give you for the exam.

Overall.  It wasn't too difficult, but be sure to read and reread what they are asking you for.  Some of it wasn't written very clearly.

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Non-design people don't know what Chief Architect is, as a brand.

 

using the words "software by Chief Architect" is not for the public

as you stated they don't care

 

sprinkling it around on the website is for the google SEO (search engine optimization) to find

so when a client searches for an architect or designer they will find your website

 

as I stated make it clear that you are a designer and not an architect

I have referred clients to architects if that is what they really need

many  times all they need is a designer

 

Lew

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On 8/31/2022 at 4:06 PM, DeLayDesign said:

If you've used every avenue of the software for at least a few years, You probably don't need to do much studying.

They did throw something at me that I don't often use which is plat line specifications.  Normally I import a PDF of the Plat, scale it, then trace the perimeter... so I had to teach my self pretty quickly how it's done while nearing the end of my 4 hours they give you for the exam.

Overall.  It wasn't too difficult, but be sure to read and reread what they are asking you for.  Some of it wasn't written very clearly.

Thank you!!

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