Jamie Cromar is a QC Design School Student Ambassador and the founder of Leigh Allan Design. She is currently enrolled in QC’s Interior Decorating and Staging for Designers courses. Today, she discusses why she chose to learn interior decorating online, and how her experience as a QC student is going so far!
Do you daydream about turning your hobby into a new and exciting business? Do you think about pursuing your passion, and taking the next step towards your perfect career? I did, too, for to long. That is, until I took the leap and started to learn interior decorating online. In this article, I will tell you a bit about my journey, and how learning at QC Design School has changed my life.
I have always wanted to be an interior decorator, for as long as I can remember. The way a space can affect a person’s mood and overall personality has always fascinated me. I’ve always played around with designs. My interest began back in my childhood bedroom. As I got older, it extended to my apartments, and then to my current home.
I never tire of learning, changing, trying, DIYing, and experimenting with all of my spaces. I’ve always wanted to create spaces that felt like home. It’s important that one’s living environment evokes feelings of comfort, coziness, love, openness, relaxation, and peace. I want my designs to make my clients feel like their home is an extension of who they are.
Changing Paths: My Journey into Interior Decorating
I spent years working all sorts of other jobs, but they never felt like the right fit for me. After a while, I started thinking more about pursuing a career in interior decorating. After all, I lived, breathed, and dreamed about all things design!
I felt myself thinking more about that than my day-to-day job. I would find it hard to get up in the morning and feel motivated for the day ahead. I was never energized. At the time, it was easy to blame this on other factors in my life. But one day, I decided to shake up my life and finally make a change. I decided I would switch from having just a “job” to having a full-fledged career.
Becoming an interior decorator was my dream. Once I realized that, I was suddenly excited again to get out of bed in the morning. The problem, though, was that I didn’t know where to start. Where was I supposed to begin? How could I gain knowledge and experience? What would I need in order to launch my own design business?
Importantly, I knew I didn’t want to enter the field without an education behind me. I’m the type of person that needs to be overly prepared – always. So, if I was going to be starting in a new industry, I wanted to have as much knowledge as I could.
Logically, the next step was to find a school. Getting a proper design education was the smartest way to go. There was only one problem: I didn’t know how I could possibly fit a school schedule in my already busy day-to-day life.
Finding the Right School to Learn Interior Decorating Online
I knew that in-person courses weren’t an option, as my personal schedule wouldn’t allow it. But I was determined to make this dream of mine a reality. I quickly realized that there was another option at my disposal: online courses. With that, I began to do my research!
I would scroll through all kinds of online schools, for hours at a time. Pretty soon, I noticed that a lot of online schools posed the same limitations I was trying to avoid with brick-and-mortar institutions. There were many schools with four-year programs, very expensive tuition, and in-person learning – all of which I was unable to do.
Then one day, during one of my many online searches, I found QC Design School. I refer to this as my “lightbulb moment”. QC’s flexible learning environment provided me a way to learn interior decorating online, without interfering with my existing responsibilities!
On top of this, QC’s tuition is very affordable. The course is self-paced, is less than 40 hours long, and you have up to two years to complete it. QC Design School is backed with an A+ ranking by the Better Business Bureau and their design courses are valid not only in Canada, but internationally as well. I was impressed by their great reviews, and found the course outlines offered on their website to be incredibly interesting.
It’s funny how life works out. You see, while I was falling in love with everything this school had to offer, I also found out that I was expecting my second child. By discovering QC Design School at that critical time, I knew I could learn interior decorating online while still handling everything else in my life. I didn’t have to give up my dream. I had found my school!
Enrolling in QC’s Interior Decorating Course
Taking the leap, however, can sometimes be challenging. I had a huge fear of the unknown and of failure. So, making such a life-changing commitment was the hardest part for me. Luckily, I had support from my husband. He encouraged me to do something for myself in a field that I loved.
So, I signed up. Once I made the decision to learn interior decorating online at QC Design School, I became less and less afraid. I was acquiring information that took away that fear of the unknown. I was learning things I needed to know in order to be successful in the industry. The courses, as well as the help and guidance from my fantastic tutor, really prepared me for the career I wanted. The more I was learning, the quicker my fears were going away!
My Experience So Far
For starters, the assignments have been SO informative and practical. Even though I haven’t completed my courses yet, I’ve already gained the skills and confidence to begin working with real-life clients. I can tell you, I have used every single skill acquired from QC Design School, and have been able to utilize my knowledge about:
- Design history;
- Redesign;
- Creating mood boards;
- Developing floorplans;
- Running a successful business;
- Becoming an entrepreneur;
- And so, so much more!
Learning interior decorating online has been remarkably life-changing for me. When I signed up, I never would have guessed that the world would change so drastically and in such a short time. In retrospect, in light of the global pandemic, choosing QC Design School really was the smartest choice. I can continue with my schooling from the comfort (and safety) of my own home. Online learning has become THE way to learn!
After years of wishing that my dream career could be my real career, I am so proud that I did my homework and found a school that ticked all the boxes. QC is genuinely there for me; teaching me what I need to know to live my dream. I’m finally on the path I have always wanted to be on. Each morning, I’m now fully energized and happy to do what I love everyday.
If you want to learn interior decorating online, or you’re interested in learning more about my journey, feel free to contact me on the QC Design School’s Virtual Classroom on Facebook. You can also check out QC’s website to learn more about the school, their courses, and their professional certifications.
I promise you: it’s sure to change your life, like it has changed mine.
