look alive, sunshine!

My name is Meggie. I'm a 23 year old graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. I grew up in the food service industry; my mother owned a bakery before I was born and later, throughout most of my childhood and into my teens, a catering and specialty cake company. Before culinary school, I worked in restaurants. After graduation, I returned to the restaurant where I'd done my externship the summer before. This past January, I started working at the bakery/cafe owned by the same chef, learning pastry. (I currently... specialise... in granola and gelato.)
But I'm a bit tired of the restaurant industry. It's the lifestyle mainly. During the busier months, I work six-day, 60+ hour weeks. I work on Thanksgiving and Christmas and my Grandfather's 87th birthday. I don't see my family, despite the fact that I live only miles away from most of my relatives. And I feel like an old lady; I'm always tired and sore. (I feel bad complaining. My boyfriend is the sous chef at the restaurant where I externed. His hours make mine look like nothing.) And quite honestly, I just don't enjoy it as much any more.
I'm ready to move on. Unfortunately, however, I really only have one polished skill: working in professional kitchens. I've never had a job that wasn't in a restaurant. Unless you count babysitting when I was 14 and 15. So I've got to learn a new skill.
I've always been interested in interior design. I was fortunate to grow up in a family with, if I say so myself, very good taste. All of my relative's homes are very nicely decorated. And after a trip to the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, I fell in love with Dorothy Draper's bold, eclectic style. Since moving in to my apartment August last, I've been planning the interior. (With so little time off, however, I've not down very much. Most of the rooms are painted...)
When he started to notice my disenchantment with my current profession, my boyfriend suggested I get a new job. "What though?" I asked. "I don't know anything else."
"Something you like."
Well, no interior design firm wants an unqualified hobbyist as their newest employee.
So I'm planning to return to school to study interior design. In the meantime, now that my hours at the bakery are slowing down, I'm going to finish what I've started: my apartment. And I'm working on a portfolio to submit with my college applications.
This is my journey...