Jessica Burton

Jessica's story

BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design

I’ve always had a passion for art and wanted to pursue a degree so that I could translate what I love into a practical career. Interior Architecture allows you to be creative and hands-on with materials, whilst developing the knowledge to become a purposeful designer.

I chose to study at the University of Portsmouth because of the quality of the course and the opportunity to do a placement year. I engaged really well with the lecturers when I visited the School of Architecture on the Open Day and I left feeling excited and driven to study.

While my time at university has been full of personal challenges, my passion for my course subject has kept me driven and excited about design. The University has provided me with support throughout, and there have been many great opportunities, including a field trip to Venice and working with the Creative Careers team. 

Ideally, I’d like to jump straight back into a design career, as my placement gave me a flavour of a real industry environment, which I loved. Given the current circumstances, I’ll still do my best to secure a job as soon as possible and, in the meantime, will be pursuing my professional development and networking online. I’ll also take this opportunity, between my graduation and starting employment, to fill my spare time with creating pieces of art and upcycled furniture, as I love being hands-on with my work.