Blocking economic empowerment: It takes 6 years to get an Interior Design license from some states

When one thinks of occupational licensing boards, a number of images may come to mind: white coated medical students working long intern hours, over-taxed law students hunched over bar prep books in the wee hours of the morning and of course, the grueling six year certification process of interior designers.

Oh, you hadn’t heard about that last one?

As ridiculous as it may seem, in three states (Nevada, Louisiana, and Florida) and two territories (District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,) this is the reality that aspiring entrepreneurs face when trying to enter the seemingly inoffensive market of interior design.

According to the Institute for Justice, interior design, where it is regulated by licensing boards, has the highest education burden of lower-income occupations to enter, requiring a staggering 2,190 days of education on average. In addition, these states also require a test known as “the NCIDQ” (National Council for Interior Design Qualification,) which is notoriously difficult and also cost-prohibitive, costing as much as $675 to apply and register for the test.

Read the article in full from Tom McLaughlin via Red Alert Politics.