How to Become an Interior Designer, Part 4

The traditional route to become an Interior Designer is to attend University.  If you want to work in the commercial field and/or live in a state that requires licensure to call yourself an Interior Designer, this may be the easiest way.

 

 

The first step is to determine what Universities have Interior Design programs.  Verify that these programs are acceptable to the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ) if you intend to become licensed in your state or want to take the NCIDQ exam.  The school’s reputation should be positive as well.  You don’t want to attend a school where the local Design community refuses to hire their graduates.

 

Next review the courses and the description of the courses to determine what they will be covering and at what depth they go in to.  An intro to drawing is completely different than rendering techniques.  The first would be introducing you HOW to draw, and rendering would be building upon your already developed drawing skills.  Usually the course description gives you an idea of what the course is about and gives you details on what the class covers.

 

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Another great way of gaining valuable insight would be to interview current students.  They can give you feedback on the quality of the program, professors and any potential problems with the program or instructors.  If they love their school and the education they are receiving, you will get to hear about everything they love…which can be beneficial as well!

 

I would also talk to people who successfully completed the program.  A graduate can share their experience with the course load, what areas of design the school focused on, and if the school helped with internship and job placement.

 

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It is important to talk to the professors and the director, if possible, as well.  My feeling is you get a more accurate representation of the school and program by talking to the educators and the students. Speaking with the professors beforehand, gives you an introduction of what working with the instructors might be like.  After all, one of these instructors will most likely be your advisor.  They can help you decide what part of Interior Design you want to focus on and may have industry contacts for future job possibilities.

 

While you are searching out schools, look at the extra curricular activities.  Do they have opportunities to practice design while serving the community?  I have seen Universities pair with Habitat for Humanity.  I think this is a great opportunity for potential Interior Designers, because you get a chance to actually gain first hand experience on how things are built, AND benefit a family as well.  It makes it so much easier when you go to draw up a detail, if you know how things are built.

 

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How involved is the school in other organizations, such as American Society for Interior Designers (ASID)?  When I was a student, I joined as a student member and attended the monthly meetings.  It is a great way to gain more education outside of your schooling, as well as a huge opportunity to network.  This is a great benefit when you go searching for a job!  It has been my experience that most Interior Designers are aware of who is hiring-sometimes even before a job is listed.  So establishing relationships prior to graduation can be a plus!

 

Remember, you want to get the best education you can get/afford, that sets you up for success in your career, in the least amount of time, thus saving you educational dollars and gets you working in your desired specialty.

 

A lot of the same things apply that I mentioned in Part three in regards to researching information on Community Colleges.  You just want to make sure you are gaining an education that will prepare you for entering the Interior Design field, whatever route you decide to take!

 

What has been your experience when looking into Universities and your desired program?  Did I miss anything?