Is Right Now a Good Time to Start an Interior Design Career?

Are you a wizard with color palettes? Do you keep up with all of the latest interior design trends and innovations? Do your friends rely on your interior decorating ideas to enliven their drab dining rooms? If so, you might have the creative talent for an interior decorating career. But is right now a good time to get started in interior design?

Interior Decorating Career Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlook is good for interior decorating careers, provided you have the proper training. Careers in interior design are projected to grow about as fast as average through 2014. Interior design specialties such as ergonomic design and green design, however, should grow faster.

New Options for Interior Designers

Most people do not know a lot about ergonomic and green design. Ergonomic design takes into account people's relationship to their environment. Ergonomic designers might design company workspaces to ensure that employees stay comfortable and healthy. Green designers try to avoid using non-renewable resources or chemically treated materials in their designs. These two new interior design specialties have great growth potential, so if either one sound interesting to you, now is a great time to get started.

Training for Designers

Today, most successful designers earn their bachelor's degrees in interior design or architecture. Some associate's degree programs and master's degree programs are available, too. In an interior design degree program, you will learn how to create spaces that address your clients' needs and how to create a pleasing scheme of colors, textures, and materials in the spaces.

After completing your bachelor's degree, you probably will want to enter an apprenticeship program with an experienced designer. In your apprenticeship, which might last from one to three years, you will gain practical experience in the profession that will prepare you for your own interior design career.