West Virginia Universitys interior design faculty have authored a textbook that offers students valuable advice in career development.

Cindy Beacham, Barbara McFall and former faculty colleague Shari Park-Gates have collaborated to authorDesigning YOUR Future: An Introduction to Career Preparation and Professional Practices in Interior Design,published by Pearson Prentice Hall.

Offering a unique combination of professional practice and career development, the book includes self-assessments, personal resource management techniques, and career strategies specific to the interior design profession.

It takes a personal approach to the career search by first focusing on self-discovery and then showing how to identify (and ultimately land) design jobs that fit ones own interests and abilities,said McFall, an assistant professor of interior design in the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences.

McFall is also interim director of the Davis Colleges Division of Design&Merchandising. Dr. Beacham serves as program chair for interior design. Park-Gates is on the interior design faculty at Auburn University.

The book covers professional practices in a broad sense and uses professional profiles to help readers learn about various jobs in the field. Emphasizing individuality throughout, readers learn how to plan their career based on their own strengths and successfully design their own future.

The book shows readers how to find good jobs that match their distinctive interests, strengths, and personal requirements,Beacham said.It shows how to effectively target employment opportunities, develop personal marketing tools, and prepare for and navigate the interview process.

Another goal of the text is to help readers understand some of the initial responsibilities and situations they may encounter during their first job. It encourages readers to think about long-term career strategies.

WVU offers the only interior design program in West Virginia to be accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).

WVU s program is known for the hands-on experiences made available to our majors. The student professional organization, the American Society of Interior Designers, is active on campus and sponsors various tours and trips to enhance the learning experience.

Study abroad is required of all interior design majors the spring or summer semester of their junior year. Programs like Design in Italy (Designo Italia), overseen by WVU s Office of International Programs, offer new perspectives on diverse design cultures and provide an introduction to global markets. Seniors in the program often intern in a professional environment. Student design competitions are another source of professional experience for interior design majors.