These days, you need a college degree to open the doors for most professional careers. The days when you could move to upper level positions without a degree are coming to an end. Not all degrees, and certainly not all colleges, are created equal. To guarantee your future you have to select carefully.

Knowing the college major you want takes some thoughtful consideration. Once you make that decision, you can take advantage of the list of options below for the best schools offering each program.

Best Business Program for Undergraduates

The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School might be the most highly regarded program of its kind in the United States. Among other programs, it stands out at the top and is the only one meriting Ivy League status. Many of the people who graduate from this program go on to be become CEOs, top bankers, or influential consultants who shape the economy.

Interior Designer or Interior Decorator?

People often romanticize the work of an interior designer with the misleading notion that the work consists solely of picking out colors and fabrics for a room. These duties are a bit closer to interior decorating. But an interior designer has an array of responsibilities that include both those of an interior decorator as well as more complex jobs. They include light management, space planning, color coordination, providing estimates that fit a budget, and subcontracting the fabrication and installation of flooring, light fixtures, draperies, paint and wall coverings, furniture, and so on.

Interior design is an extremely important element of decorating any home. Those with an eye for style and a good use of space can often help people to make their home look interesting and inviting. When considering a career as an interior designer, there are several different schools which offer good degree programs in the field.

The Art Institutes offer over 45 campuses across the United States, along with the opportunity for online education at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh-Online. Their Bachelor's Degree program helps students to become skilled in the use of technical problems in their field. They will learn the most important elements of interior design, like perspective and proportion to architecture and renovation. Graduates will be prepared to land entry-level positions in their field, such as space planner and interior designer or decorator.

So you're interested in interior design distance education. You're probably the kind of person who automatically notices the interior features of buildings as soon as you enter them. You think about how things could be arranged differently to make the space work better, and you imagine how you would design, arrange and decorate the space if it was yours to play with. You're not just thinking about how it looks; you're thinking about how it works.

You're a natural interior designer - all you need to build a solid foundation for a career doing something you love is credentials from one of the best interior design programs. Look forward to learning how to read blueprints and work cooperatively with electricians, plumbers, architects, and other construction specialists to perfect the design of buildings. Look forward to designing spaces that work well for people. You'll soon be automatically thinking about access for the physically challenged, features that attract clients or customers, and features that increase the comfort and productivity of employees. It's a package of skills that a good interior design distance education program can deliver.

Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing the interior design portfolio of students here in San Diego. It was refreshing to see the talent coming from school but I will be honest and pass on the following tips to these graduates and the others throughout the United States.

    If an Interior Designer talks to you and is interested in your portfolio, have the courtesy of sending them a handwritten thank you note for looking at your work. That handwritten note will put you at the top of the pile. Do not forget to hand write the address! Otherwise, the possible employer might think its junk mail!