Career Profile: Interior Designer

Interior designers plan and design spaces, as well as furnish interiors.  They work in many types of settings, including private homes, public buildings, and commercial buildings, but some even design the interiors of boats and airplanes!  Interior designers work meet with clients to learn about what they want for the space and what their budget and style is.  They need to be knowledgeable about building codes when planning for additions, remodels, and redesigns.  Interior designers draw sketches, use computers to design spaces, and create detailed plans with an estimate of costs and materials.

Helpful high school courses for a career in interior design include:

• Art
• Computer-aided design (CAD)
• Drawing or painting
• Interior design

Because many interior designers are self-employed, you may also want to take accounting, entrepreneurship, or introduction to business while in high school as well.  It also is a great idea to get a feel for what the job actually entails, so you may want to consider doing an internship or mentorship in interior design too!

Interior design might be the field for you if...

• You are artistic and are drawn to patterns, colors, designs, and like to use art as a form of self-expression
• You like starting up and carrying out projects and making decisions
• You like to see the results of your work
• You enjoy working independently
• You like building relationships with others, as developing a relationship with your clients is a key element to being an interior designer
• You like to find the solutions to different problems.

Information gathered from www.mncis.intocareers.org.