What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

How accurate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics about Interior Designers?

My 11 year old daughter has expressed interest in being an Interior Designer when she grows up. While I realize that her profession of choice may change a lot before she actually begins a career - and maybe even after - it was enough to get the gears going in my head, plus she asked to do some research on it.

Going through the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, we found some interesting facts. Employment in the Interior Design field is expected to grow 19% between now and 2016. The bureau points out that "Keen competition is expected for jobs because many talented individuals are attracted to this occupation", as well as "About 26 percent are self-employed". Reading through some of the educational requirements and needed knowledge of building codes, CAD, blueprint reading, as well as having to discuss budgets and such, made my daughter's eyes start rolling in her head. She remembers me prepping for the NCIDQ test years ago, and asks if it was difficult - I almost didn't want to tell her how many times I had to re-take the lighting part. It was a challenge, I explained, but I was happy to have gone through it.

Then she asked "How much do interior designers make?" According to the bureau, the current median income for an interior designer is $44,950. There is obviously a great dependence on the economic environment, as the bureau points out hiring an interior designer is considered a luxury.

She asked if all of this "work" was worth it. I explained to her that any career is going to require some specialized education. Any career worth having is going to make you work hard for it, but as long as it's something you enjoy, it will be worth it.

But I'll leave it up to you. A quick survey for those of you who are Interior Designers, leave your comments below : Do you feel the Bureau of Labor Statistics' description is accurate (see link below)? Would you recommend Interior Design as a career for your child?

Citation: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Interior designers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos293.htm (visited May 04, 2009).

This post by Israel Retana. Israel is the founder of C.H.I.P.s and 2nd generation craftsman at Retana Cabinet Works , where they've been specializing in custom cabinetry and antique furniture restoration for nearly 30 years. He can be followed on twitter (iretana), friended on FaceBook , connected with on Linkedin, or contacted at israel@retanacabinetworks.com