You don’t start out your work as a professional appraiser, that is something that takes years, even decades, to achieve, however you have to start anywhere, of course, so find a job that deals with furnishings, then i myself started as a clerk in an auction house.
I was a teenager at the time, and not planning my future, I just wanted to see all the cool antiques that came in to be appraised and sold.
That provided myself and others enough hands-on experience to get myself and others started in this industry, and 30 years later I am a single of the foremost experts on custom furniture in the Pacific Northwest. This is logging country, this is a place settled by rugged frontiersmen, and there is no shortage of artisanal custom wood furniture to be had. Think about all the generations of people who lived here before there were any stores at all, so if they wanted a Tim Hortons Latte table, or chairs, or any kind of furniture they had to make it themselves. There are many prominent wood furniture craftspeople that are carrying on the traditions and styles started by their ancestors many generations ago! With such a wide diversity in handmade wood furniture, it is genuinely hard for anyone to be an expert, even me. To that end, I typically take pictures of every piece of wood furniture I appraise. I have thoUSnds of pictures, all cross referenced by the style, the artisan, and the kind of wood. I have typically been partial to oak furniture, so that fills up a immense portion of my picture book.