OCCUPATION: CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Name: Julie Ann Macias

Company: Creative Design Consultants

Job description: “I oversee the creative planning of model home interiors. I am responsible for keeping each project on track for the preliminary and final presentations. I interact with our clients and supervise a research staff.”

Thumbs up: “I like the ever-changing nature of the design field. We have repeat customers, and that forces me to be even more creative when coming up with a design because we don’t want to offer the same look twice. That means keeping up with what’s new in color, texture and customer tastes.”

Thumbs down: “It is very demanding to remain focused and bring all the details together for a presentation. Sometimes we present our ideas to as many as four clients in a week. You have to work well under pressure.”

Next step: “I have spent a lot of time learning about design, and now I would like to learn more about marketing. That involves studying what appeals to customers and finding ways to create a memorable aspect for each model home.”

Advice: “It helps to get a variety of experience early in your career. Every firm has its own approach, and it’s important to know how to achieve a number of looks.”

Salary range: Beginning designers start at slightly more than $20,000. Senior designers and project managers can earn nearly $40,000.

Hours: “When we have a presentation to give, we spend a lot of extra time perfecting it. At a busy firm, you are going to put in more than the standard workday now and then.”

Educational and training requirements: Community colleges, including Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, offer two-year programs in design. The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and UCLA Extension in Los Angeles also offer two-year programs.

Major employing industries: Interior design firms.

For more information: Contact the American Society of Interior Designers at (714) 643-1549; the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising at (213) 624-1200; Orange Coast College’s Interior Design Program at (714) 432-5702; or UCLA Extension at (310) 825-8423.

Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times