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Hands-On Learning Puts College Design Hopefuls Ahead
Interior design interns get broad range of experience at Directions in Design
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 14, 2007 – Today’s college graduates are finding, more and more, that companies require internship experience before they are willing to hire a candidate, a trend that spans a broad range of professions.
College students looking to become interior designers have found an ideal option for gaining valuable experience in the field. Directions in Design’s internship, now in its
24th year, offers students the chance to play an integrated role in the day-to-day operations of the St. Louis design firm. Interns who stand out during their term may even find themselves being offered a full-time position with the company.
The internship term can last up to six months, and the company hosts anywhere from one to four interns at any given time. Kari Scull, DID’s internship coordinator, says the students are given a view into a variety of design areas.
“Our diversity of clients sets our internship apart from other programs,” said Scull. “Our interns get the chance to work with designers in all of our practice areas, so they touch on everything from hospitality to marine to residential design. They leave here with a better understanding of what area they may want to pursue following graduation.”
Scull and her team select their interns based upon their resume, year in school and personality in their interview. Those selected must balance the challenges of the design world with any requirements they may have for school, as the internship typically counts for class credit. So far, the company has seen interns from many of the region’s largest universities including Southeast Missouri State University, Missouri State University, University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Columbia, Central Missouri Sate University and Maryville University. There is a preference for junior or senior year students, who tend to have a more defined sense of
their career goals than first or second-year students.
“We find that junior and senior design students often come to the program with prior knowledge, which minimizes the amount of initial training and orientation needed,” Scull stated. “While we do accept younger students, they may not understand some of the fundamentals of the industry, so their training is a bit more extensive.”
To date, the program has received a large pool of applicants each term who hear about the opportunity through word-of-mouth.
Once on board, the students are expected to help maintain the firm’s library, attend vendor presentations, assist with client projects and support the designers wherever help is needed. They often work long hours to complete the 200-hour requirement most schools require. Many school programs also require students to keep a journal of their experience and complete special projects along the way. The internship hours are flexible to allow for the students to meet these requirements.
Students leave the program with knowledge and experience in the field, exposure to clients and the credits necessary to complete their university programs. DID’s executives like to interview former interns when job openings arise, and many of the students keep in touch with the company following graduation. Scull regularly receives correspondence from past interns updating her on their progress in the industry. As the company grows, she hopes to see more and more of these candidates walking DID’s halls as full-time employees.
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