How I Completed My Interior Design Degree- Without getting into debt!

I did it. I completed my degree this year! I have mentioned this before, but I never really went into detail, so here goes...

I had been working in various bar and office jobs (in-between travelling- my true passion), and after my last big trip I decided that I really wanted a career that I loved. I had two choices in my mind. The first was to be a special effects make up artist, which would have been amazing, as I love creating gruesome horror movie effects! My other dream job was to be an interior designer. I remember telling people in my art class when I was 16 that I would be an Interior Designer one day, so that worked out pretty well! So, I had to choose between these two great careers, and after about a week of research, I decided that being an Interior Designer was definitely the right choice for me. I also heard that professional make up artists have REALLY early starts and long days, so that helped swing it a bit.

The next step was choosing the right design school for me. There were loads to choose from, but KLC, Inchbald and National Design Academy were my top three choices, and in the end I chose the National Design Academy. The courses all looked great, but the reasons I opted for the NDA over the others were:

1. I could pay my fees in monthly instalments, meaning I didn't have to get a student loan.
2. I could study from home in my own time, which was really important to me as it meant I could keep my job to pay my fees.
3. The degree was flexible, so if I needed to take longer to finish, or wanted to finish it sooner, then I could.

It took me about four years in total, which is a little longer than the average (3 years) but it was definitely worth it for me to take a little longer, purely for the fact that I could keep working the whole time. I was quite lucky because I worked in hospitality, and they were flexible with me- allowing me to take the odd holiday day if I was struggling to meet a deadline. There may have been a few late nights and tears before my deadlines... But now I have a degree, which is something I never thought I would have, and I feel really proud!

In short, I would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking of doing a course in Interior Design, particularly if you are worried about how you will manage with a job!
Please let me know if you have any questions at all- I would love to help if anyone else is thinking of doing the same!