For those of you who didn’t know, my major is interior design. For the most part, this has been a choice I have been proud of. While interior design may seem like a fun or an easy major, it’s definitely a lot more challenging than you might assume. So here’s what it’s really like:

1. No, I am not an architect.

Too often, interior designers are seen as a step down from architects. The job of the interior designer is just as important though.

2. Also, no, I am not a decorator.

The job of an interior designer is more than picking out pillows and curtains. So stop minimizing our abilities.

3. Studying interior design and watching HGTV are two totally different things.

One is relaxing, and the other is incredibly stressful. You figure out which one is which.

4. Chip and Joanna make their jobs look too easy.

But we’re never going to stop trying to follow in their footsteps. Seriously, I need to figure out how they keep it all together.

5. Fabrics and paints are fun, but crazy overwhelming.

It usually feels like that scene in the Great Gatsby when Gatsby throws all the shirts at Daisy. We usually end up in tears just like Daisy as well.

6. Additionally, making material boards is really overwhelming.

Gluing a piece of fabric onto a board takes more skill than you might think.

7. The workload never seems to stop.

This is probably true of most college students though, so this fact shouldn’t be surprising

8. Sleep is hard to come by, especially around finals week.

But again, this is a normal college student problem to run into.

9. Accidental injuries occur all the time in our studio.

Usually they come in the form of cuts from X-acto knifes or burns from hot glue.

10. The jargon of the profession can often sound like a foreign language.

Most of the time, I have no idea what I’m actually doing.

11. Sometimes we’re not sure what we’re doing is worth it.

As people put a greater emphasis on architects than on interior designers, sometimes we’re unsure if successful careers are really going to be possible for us someday. We do our best to think otherwise.