Career change into building design

Hi all,

I'm strongly considering a career change into building design (away from industrial design), and looking for opinions of the industry from anyone that is, or works with a building designer. If you can think of any other good forums to post this too let me know that too!

So, some context:
I'm an industrial designer, mostly working in the plastics design industry with a focus on sustainability (recycled plastics, projects that minimise energy use etc). Unfortunately, after working in this space for ~6 years, I have come to the conclusion that there is a hard ceiling on wages for industrial designers, and generally a lack of respect for the industry (no surprise considering how little manufacturing we do here).

Because of this, I am considering a 1 year diploma in building design with QLD tafe, with the aim to work on sustainability / permaculture / energy efficient housing design. It looks from the outside like the construction industry is constantly booming and offers many, many more opportunities for growth than my current field.

What I'd like to know is:
-What's the reality of the kind of day to day work building designers do?
-What do they get paid?
-How much drama is there between architecture (7+ year degree) and building design
-Do companies and clients take building designers seriously without having a trade background? Or will I need to consider an apprenticeship in building/construction/carpentry (or potentially a masters/grad cert in project management)
-How competitive is it getting work with companies / clients that have a strong renewable / sustainability focus?
-Will I be able to move into a senior role within a year or two, considering I have a degree in design, and am currently working in project management?

Thanks so much for any comments!