If you are wondering what design programs to take at a college, what you need to look for is where the program is going to lead and what do you really want to do in life.

As a format interior decorating student, I can tell you that this program is an incomplete program in terms of career opportunities.

If you are looking for some career in the field, it would be better to take interior design.

The differences between interior decorating and interior design are that for instance, some technical thing can be done by an interior designer, like putting a new wall.

An interior decorator is really for the decoration of the inside of the house as it is.

Therefore, it can be done by anybody who has some sense of decoration.

An interior decorator would draw space to give a client an idea, may be able to have some trade relation for material suppliers to get some discount are the differences between interior decorators and someone who loves the decoration on their own.

When the economy is good, there might be more opportunities for those interior decorators for staging.  But these jobs are done by a real estate agent today, which oftentimes they just buy cheap IKEA furniture and do open houses.

The budget speaks louder than designs…

When an open house is done, they just return the furniture they purchased. Today’s economy is at this level sad to say therefore, these staging jobs are not available for decorators.

The only jobs for surely available are working in retail stores related to interior decor items: furniture, lighting, carpets, floor and window coverings etc.

I was working at a custom blinds company as a design consultant right after college.

I graduated from the interior decorating program with 90 students and I remember only a few students started their decorating business.

Some started working at retail stores and others going back to school and take interior design program.

Where is the career opportunities???

In my opinion, this program should not be in the education system that doesn’t lead anywhere but retail jobs.

This is a program for the college and instructors to make money by selling hope for us.

Most of my instructors were elderly people whose time working as an interior designer was better (in ’80s).

It was a good course for some entrepreneur minded people who want to create interior spaces nice but not really for making a living unless you have some connection like Sarah Richardson.

She is a Canadian designer, who claims herself, self-taught designer, she became famous and TV personality is because she has a connection from her parents.

She may have had to work hard because she has that connection though, the point is she has a place to start with some support that we don’t have.

Unless the interior decorating course focuses on making us like an entrepreneur who can sell ourselves to clients by ourselves, it is kind of an incomplete program.

Today, many interior decorating graduates become a Youtuber or a blogger. Or people who are good at drawing, they remain as an artist who draws.  For those people like me who like making something should focus on the creation.

To conclude, if you want to have a career in interior decor, it would be better you take interior design program not interior decorating.

And it would be a must to have or build a connection in the field otherwise it would be a real challenge.

If you are an artist type, it would be better to remain as an artist and enhance the skill.

Making a living by doing something you like to do is tough as long as you are doing so for your own benefit.