If your parents are good at good at what they do (which is to say, parenting) they will inform you frequently that you can do anything you set your mind to (although they will likely temper this declaration with a healthy dose of reality).
Of course, they're not wrong.
If you've ever seen the Sistine Chapel, the Empire State Building, or the Watts Towers you know that people can overcome amazing setbacks in order to reach their goals.
And beyond that we have a keen ability to dream big and bring our ideas to fruition.
So when you graduate from high school and discover that your parents can only afford to send you to community college, you might think that skipping the collegiate path and striking out on your own is a better option.
After all, you can get some entry-level job with an interior design firm, work your way up, and be well ahead of your peers by the time they get a degree and start seeking jobs. Right?
In truth, a flair for arranging furniture and refurbishing home goods is a good place to start; you need to have some talent and a passion for your craft if you want to make it in a creative industry.
But without an education you're going to have a much harder time moving up the ladder.
And there are a couple of ways that attending community college can help you to prepare for a career in interior design.
First and foremost, your time spent in school will give you a little lesson in personal responsibility.
Sure your parents made you go to class when you were in high school, but this is the big leagues.
Your teachers aren't reporting your absences and there are no truant officers looking to drag you to class.
Whether or not you attend or do your homework is all on you.
You're going to sink or swim on your own here, much like in the working world.
If you're going to learn a hard lesson about what happens when you sleep through your alarm one too many times, better to learn it in school than at a job.
But of course, community college can help you to prepare in other ways, as well.
Aside from the general education courses you need for transfer to Ivy League you can elect to take art and design classes that will get you ready for your major, or business classes that will give you an idea of whether or not you might like to start your own company one day.
You might even be able to find courses that qualify as prerequisites (depending on the school you're attending) so that you can get a jump on your units.
And no matter what classes you take during your time in community college, you'll increase your knowledge base, which will better prepare you to handle whatever comes your way, whether it's penning a floor plan and selecting water features for clients or managing your own firm.
In short, you have a lot to gain by attending community college before you tackle an interior design career.