Can someone give me a professional overview, based on experience, for a “Interior Design” degree?

Question

What sort of career prospects will i have? What else can you do besides becoming an Interior Designer or Decorator? How can you gain experience while still in Uni?

Answer 1

Be a visual merchandiser at a department store!

Answer 2

Interior design is different from interior decorating. Interior design you will need a 4 years degree and in 18 state you will need to pass the NCIDQ to be called an interior designer. If you do major in interior design you can work in hospitality which is restaurants, night clubs and hotels, residential, commercial which is offices, historical preservation, retail, sales...Within those groups you can be picking out materials, drafter, lighting person and a few other things. If you want to gain experience try to get an internship during the summer. Firms usually hire people during the summer.

Answer 3

i havent got experience but i did work at a sematic (kitchen specialists) showroom. they prefered that a person knew how to have taste, calculate precisely the kitchens, and have an experienced designing knowledge. so im guessing getting a degree will help.

the problem you will have is finding work, theres a HUGE influx of designers out there, so its dog eat dog, and the people we make it are the ones who have experience. so its best to take a sandwitch course and work at a designers after your second year of the degree.. then go back to uni after a year of working. that way... you have experience, you got your degree.. and you can go back to the same job you had or get a new one. but its very random, you have to be different from the rest, show the employeer that YOU are different and that you are what they need. and they most likely need proof of that.

i know of one guy, who has no degree, but started of designing at the age of 20... and got his first proper job at 30... and he's earning 40k+ for designing kitchens, but thats after 10 years of learning without a degree. so i recommend the degree, it'll get you your mental skills, physical aspects will come with experience..

hope that helped.. good luck.. ;)