Mature South & City College Birmingham student Christina Bray is currently studying Level 2 in Interior Design at Bordesley Green campus.
46 years young, Christina was looking for options to change her career. Having suffered a serious illness, once she recovered, she was not able to return to her previous job which was as a teacher of cookery to 14-16-year-olds. That left her needing to think about what other career options were available.
During the first lockdown in 2020, when a great many people found themselves with more free time to fill, Christina started renovating and upcycling furniture and found there was a market to sell these via Instagram.
As a self-confessed lover of interior design and the accompanying TV shows for many years, it made sense for Christina to investigate the route to study the subject more formally. With the subject decided she narrowed the search to a few colleges that offered a course in interior design. After attending an Open Day, Christina found the South & City College course best suited her needs. Other courses spent more time teaching about the history of interior design, whereas she was more interested in the course being current, modern and more practical.
“I’m several months in now and I’m really loving the course and the whole experience.” Christina said, adding “I’m loving the practical elements, the drawing, being in the painting and decorating workshop and working with client briefs”.
“Despite being at least twice the age of the majority on the course, I find the college a very inclusive place. I was a bit worried when I signed up, but everyone is really welcoming, both my fellow students and staff”.
Already Christina is thinking about enrolling for another course next year and at the top of her list is painting and decorating.
When asked what her ultimate career would be, she said she would love to become a successful self-employed interior designer.