If you have ever thought of one day becoming an interior designer, you need to move the hell away from Florida.
Florida is one of three states that requires you to obtain a license to give interior design consulting and advice.
This is not a joke. If you want to help people figure out which colors best accentuate their new bedroom set, you have to go through a long and arduous process to give this advice for a living.
According to the National Law Journal, to obtain an interior design license in Florida, "an applicant must first complete a combined six years of post-secondary education and apprenticeship under a state-licensed interior designer and pass a state-mandated exam administered by a private testing body."
If someone practices as an interior designer without going through this process, he or she could be punished with a first-degree misdemeanor, up to a year in jail and about $1,000 in fines.
Occupational licensing for careers in interior design, hairstyling or ballroom dance studio operating (no, that's not a joke) is clearly an absurd use of government power.
Not using a licensed interior designer might not make your home look like something off of HGTV, but there can't seriously be a concern for public safety, can there?
The other 47 states run wild with unlicensed interior designers and, much to the chagrin of Florida lawmakers, things seem to be going just fine.
So what is the real reason for these absurd occupational licensing requirements?
The simple answer is that professionals already established in the industry want to prevent competition from entering the market.
Clark Neily, an attorney at the Institute for Justice, called the push for occupational licenses a "virulent cartelization effort."
It is no coincidence that licensing boards are generally made up of people already in the industry. The less competition, the more business current interior designers can receive.
But your right to suggest the proper length of drapes is not the biggest issue. Of even greater importance is the fact that various industries are using the government to prevent you from doing what you want to do.
If people are voluntarily paying you for your decorating advice, what business is it of the state that you are "properly" trained? With the Internet and various websites like Angie's List, which rate the quality of various service providers, why do we turn to the government to "protect" us?
By keeping out competition with occupational licensing laws, consumers end up being hurt the most, facing higher prices and fewer choices.
