Well, my cousin is highly intelligent and went to Purdue to study interior design. She specializes in corporate design designs office spaces that are good to work in and attractive to the eye, for high-level executives and corporations. She does just fine. Just imagine how many offices are always moving, and every time, they need design. Not to mention medical facilities, hospitals, universities, there is always something going on. My goodness, our local hospitals have ongoing construction.

She should learn useful skills, and study what she is interested in, and her calling will come.

She's 8. Don't push towards any degree.

most decorators that make big money are artistic first, have a business background, and lots of support that help their business grow.

I think you should encourage your son to let his daughter pursue a career that will make her happy.

My mother studied interior design and she was a natural on top of that. She was not a good salesperson and had limited patience for endless fruitless discussions, like when a client wanted to turn her ranch house into a copy of the Heast estate, so ID was not a good career for her.

As for guiding children toward a profession, that is a whole huge topic in and of itself. In short, I am for providing a good deal of exposure and guidance about various professions. Parents are in a unique position to understand their children's strengths and weaknesses and the economic landscape they inhabit. That doesn't mean I think parents should prescribe a course of action, but guide and ensure many good options are thoroughly explored and considered and help eliminate clear dead-ends.

A licensed interior designer who works with the corporate world can make a very nice living, as BPathome said. I agree with BPathome, also, that having many skills is useful no matter what career you ultimately choose. It is a rare individual that knows at a young age exactly what they want as a career. Every child should be encouraged to try out as many skills and fields as possible.

I think you all misunderstood me. I'm not pushing or guiding any career on her or my son. My comment was in jest but DS commented on it anyway which got the conversation going. Right now she's into Breyer horse's and tumbling. Far too young to talk about careers, she needs to be a child.

When I teach her about colors or decorating her room, it's just to show her how to make things more pleasing to the eye. Nothing more. Not once have I mentioned being an interior decorator or anything.

Her late grandmother, my mom, was born with the decorating eye. I didn't inherit that gene so I'll be curious to see if DGD has it. However, I wish my mom had taught me what she knew.

I learned my lesson years ago not to talk to little one's about going to college. When DS1 was about 6 we drove through the college campus where DH and I met, and I told DS he'll be going there too! The next morning I found him sleeping on the floor next to our bed and when I asked him why he slept there he said, "I don't want to go to college." lol

LOL, I remember when my DD2 was 8. She wanted to be "a horseback rider". This spurred a discussion about the difference between activities that cost money and that earn money.

I was struck by your phrase "Good money to live independently?"

I think that is the point really, is what careers allow people to do that. I think it is a shame and rather disconcerting how many young people are not able to. Minimum wages have not kept up, and the lack of unions is also a factor. Not to get too political, but I think it is 1) a shame and 2) unsustainable. At some point those underpaid people are going to get really fed up and storm the Bastille.

I think we should encourage young people to learn as much as they can about anything and everything, and to follow and develop interests. Learning and applying yourself is good no matter what. I do also think,that kids need to understand basic finances and which choices in life give them the most future freedom/flexibility.

And pick the right place to live and work ... you can be a young Doctor in LA or NYC and not earn enough to afford a house in those markets.

A house a few blocks away from me sold recently. A father bought it for his child, a doctor. The house is very small and sold for seven figures.

Minimum wage is a disgrace when you consider those jobs are physically and emotionally taxing on people. It's not even a living wage for one person! Is it any wonder our nursing homes are shameful? They don't pay their workers enough for them to want to give it their all.

It's a bit early yet for DGD to be interested in anything career wise, but as long as I'm living I'll try to teach her different interests.

Growing up, and still is, college is a huge deal in my family and I don't want her to depend on anyone for money. Even if she wants to be a SAHM, she still needs a career to fall back on.

Money can be made in any profession. Lots of money, and by doing the most obscure and mundane things. Likewise, many in those same professions will work hard and still lead a life of near poverty. It does not matter if you are talking about an interior designer, doctor, plumber, inventor, whoever. IMO the key is teaching kids to think outside the box and not inhibit them from following their passions. The problem is our society is not set up for that. I think as a society we unwittingly discourage creativity and encourage following the herd. When I worked I belonged to a coaching organization specific to my profession and I also had my own professional coach. My coach taught that for many complicated reasons, the people most likely to discourage us from pursuing our passions and limiting our success are our MFTP's. Mothers, fathers, teachers, preachers.

Sometimes its hard to wrap your head around how some people make money. Have you heard of a 7yo named Ryan of Ryans Toys? He makes $11M per year reviewing toys on Youtube. He started his career at 4yo. I wonder if your son would have a shift in perspective if your 8yo granddaughter decided that she wanted to create a Youtube channel dedicated to naming paint colors and it turned out like Ryans.

My grandson (8) LOVES Ryan's Toys. And he's impressed that he's already a millionaire.

All I can add is that I'm happy that you moved that rug. It would have driven me crazy!

LOL, Terezosa! IlikeFriday, he wouldn't care as long as she had a "real" job while building her youtube channel.

We're taking DGD's future too far, I made a comment in jest as a possible career for her, DS would rather she did something else so she'd be financially secure. That's as far as the conversation went which is why I asked here if there was money in interior decorating/design in case she does show an interest and also has the talent for it.

Anything done well and passionately will usually result in demand. There are many interior designers who earn a fortune just plying their trade, no side deals. And then there are the interior designers who once they enjoy any modicum of success, know how to branch out and can market goods themselves, vastly expanding their ability to earn income.

Passion about career/job is often talked about. It is a key driver of successful people because it allows them to suffer through all the hardship required in order to master their metier in order to achieve success.

At Pixar, one of the questions they used to ask young people a great deal about was what had they mastered. It didn't matter what the subject was, what mattered was knowing what mastery was and how hard it was to achieve. That understanding, the folks at Pixar thought, could be translated to any subject.

Oakley, please forgive me for going OT for a moment.

Friday, you are so incredibly right about the things that can hold people back! Conformity is a huge thing, much bigger than I had ever thought (and it's not that I had never thought it wasn't a problem- I just had no idea of how far and deep people's need to conform and have others conform was- and to the craziest most trivial standards.) I would love to start a thread on this topic and will think about how to phrase it. If you beat me to it, I would not hold a grudge ;-)

I have a degree in Interior Design, but most of my career has been as a furniture designer. It does not pay as much as computer programming, which I have also done, but it is my passion, and it is what makes me happy. My first degree was a double major German/English, and I did not know what to do with that. After some experience on my own, I discovered that I wanted to be a designer, and so I went back and got another degree. I don't regret the first degree I got, but I probably should have majored in architecture, since that was one of the options at the university where I got my first degree.

To be a successful interior designer, you have to have a good business sense, and that is something I do not have. Running one's own business means that one has to be a good business person, and so I ended up choosing to work for a company instead. You can always have a business partner to handle the business end, if you are not good at that part, however, but that is tricky. I hate creating invoices, sending out bills, etc. and demanding money from clients.

Rita - [Here you go[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/can-we-discuss-passion-and-conformity-dsvw-vd~5488935). I hope my question makes since and does not sound like a bunch of babble. I am curious to discover everyones thoughts on the topic.

There are many interior designers who earn a fortune just plying their trade, no side deals.

Umm, not really. I doubt there are "many", in percentage terms. In any endeavor, there are stars. But the fact is that a low % of interior designers are financially successful in their field. The barrier to entry is too low. Plenty of people do it with no formal training. Don't believe me, ask the people who post here. It's like being a real estate agent. There are a few stars, but there are also a ton of people who try it and cannot make a living.

Oakley, I think your answer is yes, a good ID can certainly make a good income in today’s world. As bpathome pointed out, it's not just the home decorating business that is thriving, it is office interior design and furnishings that have been booming. A good friend of mine is just retiring from this business. She is very good at her profession. Her home also looks magazine worthy. Bonus is she gets to go to all the furniture shows and gets discounts for her own merchandise.

So yes, take every opportunity to teach your DGD about new things. Doesn’t mean she will have a career in that thing, but at least she will be familiar enough with terms she has learned and where to find information.

One of my friends works for Starbucks as an interior designer and has had opportunities to travel the world for her work. And she makes a good salary, plus a pound of coffee free every week!

We have an interior designer on campus, so colleges and universities are also employers. She's helping us design our new lab space with cabinetry and furnishings.

Oakley,

Sometimes I go read about decorating stuff here on Houzz and check out Decorating Dilemmas. They I read questions and advice from some of the Pros.

Some of them it seems to me are there in order to get their hooks in a tender squab looking for guidance and get what they can. Others have no clue. Still others think they are God's gift (and they aren't).

The cream that rises to the top, decorators who have an eye, who are kind and cheerful, I think they can make a good living. For every one of them there are a hundred others who would love advice. Arranging the golden moment where someone wants advice, willingly pays for it, and wants to meet just the right provider, that's a different skill, a business skill.

Oakley you have a lot of perspective and common sense, so anything you run by your DGD will be fine.

Someone mentioned that one can make good money in just about any profession, and I agree with that statement. It would depend on what the job is, where you're located, and market demand. Obviously an ID would do better in a larger city near suburbs than one out in the middle of nowhere in a rural area. But the competition would be much more fierce in a higher demand area, so it's a 6 of one situation.

My son, being a chef, has found that it's incredibly difficult to be a star. He doesn't want to be a star, he just wants to make enough money to pay his bills and time off to enjoy what he does outside of work. He loves being a chef but says that where he's currently located (Portland) every person who can cook thinks they're the next Gordon Ramsey and wants to be treated as a Diva Rockstar. So competition is fierce for the good jobs. He's recently found a spot at a famous bar, he says it's not his dream job-he cooks from the limited/fixed menu, but it affords him the time to do what he loves. He's saving his $ to open his own place one day.

Anectodal evidence aside, the US Board of Labor Statistics provides the following data on the field of ID:

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/mobile/interior-designers.htm

Is it enough to live an independent life? That answer will vary depending on COL.

At $51.9, that is below the average for workers with bachelor’s degrees ($59,124 per year). I would venture to say the ID are not distributed evenly across the US, but disproportionately located in higher cost of living areas where their services are more likely to be in demand.

The State and Area Data section is useful for searching specific areas. For example, Boston is at the high end of the pay scale at 97,500.

Outside, I hooked up with my high school best friend a few years ago and spent a few days at her house. We hadn't talked in years. She's an interior decorator, has her own booth at an upscale antique market and of course goes to the market in Dallas at least once a year.

Now this is when I turned green but in a good way. She built her house like a french chateau with the interior decorating from furniture to accessories in all french. That's the style I've always wanted. When she wasn't looking I took pictures and soon realized I'd have to be a billionaire to decorate that way. And THEN I found out she's close to being a billionaire. lol She sure has the eye for decorating though. Charles Faudree would have been proud!

This ended up being a fascinating topic.