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A Career as a Professional Organizer
It is a rare, if not an all together non-existent occasion, for
clutter victims to invite people into their homes. However, some
are now opening their doors to professional organizers.
For many people like this, clutter becomes a way of living - or
living around. The habit of saving everything, of spending on
frivolous items or buying an over-abundance of unnecessary
items, and of hoarding belongings they no longer need, all lead
to too many possessions and not enough space.
Once an area gets out of control, some people seem to look the
other way. They even get to the point of actually not seeing
what's in front of them, becoming unaware that there's a clutter
problem.
Professional organizers were spawned from the growing demand
that people had too much and needed to make changes, but
couldn't do it on their own. Many individuals just don't know
how to start such a quest.
In the early days for the industry of professional organizers,
magazines and newspapers would sporadically publish articles
about getting organized. As time went on, more attention was
brought to the subject, and studies were done.
It wasn't that long ago that television recognized the trend and
began airing shows like Clean Sweep, Queer Eye for a Straight
Guy, and Mission Organization. These programs feature clutter
victims and professional organizers getting them organized,
launching a nationwide awareness to people suffering with
clutter.
For professional organizers who had already found their niche,
business became quite prosperous. For those well-organized
individuals wanting to shift careers, this newly discovered
profession seemed right up their alley.
A lot more organizers who came to join the profession came from
secretarial jobs and such. They had basic organizing skills, but
they didn't have any knowledge of running a business or working
with clients. Training to help individuals wanting to become
professional organizers became very necessary.
The HG Training Academy, established in 1996, is one such
company that became the first to offer a training program for
professional organizers. At that time, the only other way people
could get educated in this field was from books, attending the
National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) annual
conferences, and going to local NAPO Chapter meetings.
With hundreds of student graduates coming out of the HG Training
Academy's program, it set off a wave of confident and skilled
practitioners that contributed to helping the industry grow
stronger.
The professional organizing industry is well recognized, and
people are willing to pay $50-$100+ per hour for their services
to help them get organized.
It's just a matter of time before the industry becomes an
accredited one. NAPO, celebrating 20 years as The Organizing
Authority, currently has certification for professional
organizers under development, and offers continuous training
events.
For more information, visit the NAPO web site at
http://www.napo.net or check out the HG Training Academy's
program at http://www.professional-organizers.com
About the author:
"Organizer to the Stars" Cyndi Seidler is an author, syndicated
columnist and professional organizer. Her company's training
program for professional organizers, The HG Training Academy,
was established in 1996 to deliver an online training venue for
individuals interested in starting a career as a professional
organizer. http://www.professional-organizers.com