This recent iscd grad now runs her own design business

Sponsored by iscd (International School of Colour and Design)

Melbourne’s Jessica Farfan ran her own hair and beauty salon for 15 years before pursuing an interior design career at the age of 38, kickstarting it with a course at iscd while caring for her young family. “It was an unnerving decision to make, but it was worth taking the leap and I’m now reaping the rewards of my new career. I encourage anyone who is thinking of a career change at any age, to make the decision, take that step and follow your passion. It’s never too late,” says Jessica who completed a Diploma in Interior Design and Decoration (MSF50213) at iscd while managing the demands of family life.

“I studied on campus full-time from Tuesday to Friday. This timetable suited me well and was another reason why I chose to study with iscd,” says Jessica.

“The structure of the course was excellent. The course is quite intense and fast paced and it did require many extra hours to complete assignments. I had to put in about 40 hours a week for homework on top of the campus hours,” says Jessica who felt well equipped for a career in design upon graduation. “The educators at iscd are current industry-based designers which helps students receive up to date information on interior design and decoration. The excursions to stores and designers were extremely valuable in creating network connections and also in building rapport with suppliers.”

And all that hard work certainly paid off with Jessica working on a variety of projects, before graduation. “Whilst I was studying I was blessed to pick up a few projects such as a bathroom renovation, a beach shack renovation and a baby nursery decoration project. I also worked on a cottage renovation through my husband’s business – he has a building company called La Casa Constructions,” says Jessica who set up her own interior design studio, La Casa Interiors, soon after graduating. “At first I thought I may want to obtain more experience working for a firm or another interior designer but the projects seemingly fell in my lap! It can be difficult and tiring to run an owner operated interior design business, as it requires many hours beyond the standard 9-to-5 job. But being able to create new spaces from concept to completion, for amazing clients, far outweighs the cons,” says Jessica.

And as for a typical working day, it’s a mixed bag of emails, scheduling, mood boards and more. “My work day often begins by answering client, trade and supplier emails, calls and texts messages. Then I work on research, design concepts, mood boards, schedules and preparing documents, depending on which stage of the design process each project is at. Interior design involves about 80 percent research, paperwork, design and concept drawing with about 20 percent of my time spent on site at meetings or making purchases. A lot of the time is spent in front of a computer, frequently into the night! As with any job, you must love what you do, to spend so much time on it and I love been an interior designer!”

You can study the iscd Diploma of Interior Design and Decoration (MSF50213) in 12 months on campus (Sydney or Melbourne) or over 24 months from anywhere, online. The next iscd online intake is scheduled for February while the on campus options begin in March this year. If you’re interested in finding out more about the course, the school has open days coming up soon in Sydney (Saturday 2 February at 10am) and Melbourne (Tuesday 5 February at 6pm). For more.

*The iscd courses are delivered on behalf of Academy of Information Technology ABN 35 094 133 641; RTO 90511; CRICOS 02155J; iscd RTO91439.