Alumni Student Panel

This week's design seminar gave students the opportunity to hear first-hand about post-graduate experiences from three industry professionals who previously attended BYU-Idaho's Interior Design program. Students were also given the chance to ask the panel questions about living life with commercial interior design. The panel was comprised of Cherie Terry of Kimball Systems Furniture, Justin Morris of FFKR, and Keri Wood who worked with Tanporan, GRAD, Gensler, and SNS.

Top 10 Words of Advice from the Panel:

• "Experts don't compete. They redefine the rules."
• Get involved. Do service. Interior design is about making sure everyone's needs are taken care of, not just the high-end clients.
• Do all you can to learn and prepare now. There is never time to re-do a half-done job.
• Have confidence. You have been given the tools to do a good job.
• Design is important, but there's more to life than design. Keep priorities straight. Be well-rounded and remember family first.
• Always do things for the right reason: the Lord is the perfect designer.
• Explore all the options and keep an open mind. Evaluate the work environment before taking a job.
• Don't just "get through" a project; attack it head on!
• It's all about attitude. If you want to stay around, you have to take initiative, manage yourself, volunteer to help others, be a teamplayer, and be proficient at what you do.
• If you want the job, do all you can to get an insider's name, research the firm, contact them, send your resume, and be confident and persistent with a followup.