To think dh should tell dd age 11, interior design is not a proper job

[Lardlizard]

It quite rude really

My best friend is one and is excellent ... point is?

Whether an 11 year old wants to be an astronaut, an accountant or a juggler, why wouldn’t you just encourage them? How many of us pursue the idea we had when we were 11 anyway? There is plenty of time for life to rain on her parade - and plenty of other people to do it too. It’s not as though she’s about to make a crucial decision about exams or university is it?

My DD is 12 and she has said she wants to be an interior designer, I tell my children they can do whatever they like if it makes them happy (and as long as it doesn't end them up in prison or on J. Kyle) I am not expecting her to have her life planned out at this stage, so the above is exactly how I feel.

A friend of mine has a degree in interior design/architecture. He is earning a fortune compared to me (and I earn an above average salary). Who says it's not a "proper" job?

Look up Sophie Paterson, she seems to be doing very well out of it!

@Brizzlemint do you not think museums and hospitals make a difference?

A family friend's a designer. Used to design interiors for shops and restaurants, and then moved into museum design. Won awards for designing various exhibitions as a freelancer at places like the British Museum and V&A. His skill set didn't seem any different to an architect's, to me. He did a lot of technical drawing and complex calculations. He made spaces look beautiful, and function better. That's what a good interior designer does.

Teachers and doctors and nurses benefit from good interior design all the time. And suffer, as well, for lack of it. And unless you've never enjoyed a meal out, stayed in a hotel, used an airport, or museum, or bought anything in a shop, you can't really say you've never benefited from their skills there, either.