Hi! I'm a junior in high school looking to major in Interior Design. At first I wanted to go into Architecture, but after a lot of research I came to the conclusion that the workload would have been a little too much considering I would love to join a sorority and get involved in campus life. I've been research the Interior Design major, but haven't been finding much so I was someone on here could give me some information!
Schools I'm thinking about if that helps: Auburn Kentucky and Mizzou
On Friday 18 January 2013 10:30 jhonnilot wrote in alt.home.repair:
Being a Brit I have no idea how your Uni/college courses work - though I do know about the British side because I work at one.
So in general terms I would say:
1) Do you have any natural design aptitude? Have you ever chosen a paint colour scheme, actually done it and had people agree that it looked good (and "everything white" does not count!)? Or designed a room layout, even in your own house? I doubt if that ability could readily be taught. Enhanced perhaps with a toolset of skills, but not if there's nothing there to begin with. You could be taught technical skills with oil painting, but that will not automatically make you Rembrandt.
1a) Related point - can you visualise 3D in your head? Are you good with spacial distances? If I showed you a picture of a sofa and a picture of a room, would you know exactly how the sofa would look in the room without resorting to CAD? Some people are naturally good at this, some people are completely hopeless. I do not think it is an absolute problem, but it is significant.
2) Is an Architecture course so much harder that you really don't think you could manage it or afford it? If you can become an accredited architect (certified, however that works where you are) I suspect you will always find work. Doesn't have to be the Empire State Building - plenty of "ordinary" work doing homes and apartments too.
3) Do you really need a course for Interior Design (cf point 1 above) - perhaps taking an internship with a respectable design company could teach you a lot more. Might take longer, but you'll have the exposure to practical skills that universities do not always teach. If you show aptitude, at least you are likely to walk straight into a job with them - or another company they recommend you to.
Choosing how to spend a few years in a life affecting way is always a hard choice - worth spending some time.
What you should be able to do is visit some of those colleges (etc) that you are thinking of, ask some questions - one of which should be "what percentage of your alumni get jobs in the field of Interior Design?".
College is four years, what you learn in college is forever.
If you plan to have a life long career after graduating, go for the architecture.
If you plan to have an occasional or part time career, a college degree isn't needed for interior design. That is not to say that courses in design would not be useful, merely that no degree or licensing is needed for interior design.
Since party time is a higher priority than your chosen career, I'd suggest taking art or basket weaving. It would be much less stress on your brain when you are hung over.
Clearly someone who has a skewed opinion about what time at a college is about
1) education
2) join a sorority and have a "campus life"..
You can party much cheaper and even be paid for it, by going as a ski patroller on a big hill.
If you go to school, do it for the most education you can get. "Campus life" should ONLY be a sideline activity that you fit in around your studies. If you go out and get a degree in architecture, you have a good chance of doing FAR BETTER for the rest of your life. It also means that you will have a shot at a much better social life FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE..
My biggest discoveries in college was during frosh week. While other guy was busy getting drunk, their dates were not Since they were limiting their consumption, , they were more than happy to hang out with a guy who also limited his consumption. In many instances, I was the one who walked them home or to their dorms I never had a problem getting a date. And I was always a popular partner to events whenever a girl needed an escort. Consequently, being the early 70s, at the height of the "sexual revolution", my odds of not sleeping in my bed that night were more than excellent.
I'll admit with hindsight, that a lot of it may have been "vengeance sex" But I had no problems with that.
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