As an interior designer, you may plan, design, and furnish interiors of residential, commercial, or industrial buildings. You may formulate designs which are practical, aesthetic, and conducive to intended purposes, such as raising productivity, selling merchandise, or improving life styles. Interior designers often specialize in a particular field, style, or phase of interior design.  Personality characteristics associated with the field include: imaginative, enterprising, intuitive, creative, detail oriented, organized, flexible, problem solver, critical thinker, mathematically inclined.

A bachelor's degree in interior design can lead to careers in the building and home furnishings industries.

Here are just a few:

• Interior Designer
• Space Planner
• Project Manager
  (interior design)
• Architectural Renderer
• Freelance Designer

Understanding the Profession
If you are thinking about working toward a career in interior design, you’ll want to be informed every step of the way. You will want to start by understanding what interior design is—and what it isn’t.  For example, interior design is not the same as interior decorating.  They are different fields and require different educational preparation. 

To understand more about the profession of interior design, take a good look at the Web sites of these professional interior design organizations: American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) at www.asid.org, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) at www.iida.org, and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) at www.nkba.org.

You may especially want to note the ASID site http: www.asid.org/asid2/int/planning.asp for a detailed description of the profession.  These sites can give you information on colleges offering interior design degrees, planning a course of study, careers in the field, and areas of specializations. 

Job Market for Interior Designers
After researching the interior design profession and understanding some of the job responsibilities, you will also want to know about the job market for interior designers.  Throughout your education, you will be preparing yourself to land a job.  It’s important to follow job trends and understand where the jobs are located geographically and how much you can expect to earn.  You will want to become familiar with the United States Department of Labor’s  Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site to give detailed information about job markets in the United States. You’ll find this Web site at www.bls.gov.

Also, look for information on the job market for the field of interior design through professional organizations like American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) at www.asid.org, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) at www.iida.org,and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) at www.nkba.org. These organizations are there to help you.  Don’t be afraid to call them and ask for information about the job market or any aspects of the field.

Remember that East Carolina University’s Center for Student Professional Development offers a Web site with many links to help you follow job trends.  Visit that site at www.ecu.edu./careers. 

Student Professional Development
True or False? The best time for college students to begin seeking employment in their field is early in the senior year.  If you said “true,” listen up.  You can begin the process of marketing yourself for your chosen career as a freshman.  ECU’s Student Professional Development Center can help you.

ECU’s Center for Professional Development is located on campus. With the help of electronic assessments, the Center’s staff can assist you in making informed career choices suited to your personality and aptitude. The Center can also assist you in acquiring opportunities for internships, volunteerism, service learning, and cooperative education—experiences that help you build your résumé and mix practical experience with classroom learning from freshman to senior year. 

As you reach your educational goal, the Center can help you feel prepared to seek and secure employment by assisting you with résumé writing, etiquette, interview techniques, dressing for success, and much more.  Center staff works hard to build opportunities for you to network and interview with employers.  Get to know the friendly people and important services at the Center for Professional Development as early as you can and market yourself for success!  Visit the Center for Professional Development at www.ecu.edu/careers.  Professional interior design association Web sites contain job banks and resources to help with your search for the right job when you’re ready.  Visit the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) at www.asid.org, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) at www.iida.org, and the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) at www.nkba.org.