Joanna Gaines Got Lucky With Fixer Upper: She Doesn't Even Have A Design Degree
Highlights
- Joanna Gaines, of Fixer Upper fame, doesn't have a degree or certificate in design, but her hands-on experience and passion make up for it.
- While interior designers typically require a degree or certification, there's no hard requirement for design services, allowing Joanna to excel without formal education.
- Despite not having a fancy degree or title, Joanna's reputation as an entrepreneur and decorator precedes her, and her perfectionism and passion drive her success.
By the time Fixer Upper debuted, Joanna Gaines already had a self-made career and was making waves in her local industry. When she and her husband Chip Gaines launched their Magnolia brand, which later spawned everything from a real estate agency to a group of shops to a restaurant and even a TV network, people were in awe of the couple's hard work and creativity.
Unlike many reality TV personalities, Chip and Joanna were very clearly self-made, but viewers probably didn't realize the extent at first. After all, who knew that Joanna Gaines had zero education related to her current industry?
Joanna Gaines Doesn't Have Degrees (Or Certificates) In Design
Both Chip and Joanna attended college—the same one—and their love story centers around their meeting a few years after they both graduated (Chip is three years older than his wife). Chip attended business school, and he later attended university to get a marketing degree.
Yet neither of them attended college for what they currently do, and Joanna Gaines never had any formal education in design. Joanna herself admitted this in her books, that her design inspiration comes from hands-on experience rather than something she saw in a textbook or certification course.
There are a variety of specific jobs and qualifications within the design industry, and technically, an interior designer by name should have a degree or certificate in interior design. In fact, interior designers in Texas must take an exam through the Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) to become registered Interior Designers.
But unlike jobs such as a doctor or nurse or even a commercial driver, there's no hard requirement for anyone to have a design degree to offer design services. And, interior decorating doesn't come with a particular credential.
Plus, Joanna Gaines doesn't seem to label herself as an interior designer, and she has never claimed to have a degree or letters behind her name. In her memoir The Stories We Tell, Joanna wrote about her "titles."
Wife, child, mom, designer, cook, friend, sister, laundry folder, sure – but also TBD
And her online bios call Joanna an entrepreneur and "decorator," which is technically accurate. At this point, Joanna's reputation precedes her, even if a fancy degree or title doesn't. Plus, the self-proclaimed perfectionist wasn't about to slap things together without thinking about it.
Though she explained that her perfectionism stemmed from childhood issues centered around not fitting in thanks to her heritage, in terms of Joanna's work, her passion and perfectionism were largely positive things.
She also noted that people tended to see her as just one thing; "The boss, the designer, the lady on TV, the decision maker," while she hoped to be more real and show more of herself, not only the perfectly curated sides.
What Is Joanna Gaines' Education?
Joanna Gaines has a bachelor's degree from a Waco-area university, Baylor University. Her degree is in communications, and she's said to have taken an internship in media during her senior year.
Brittanica notes that Joanna Gaines was an intern for 48 Hours, the Dan Rather-anchored NYC TV show.
Joanna later graduated from a four-year program and seemingly never looked back, jumping right into working out of college. Yet she didn't pursue a career in communications or media, at least not right away. Her life before Fixer Upper wasn't unremarkable, but it wasn't full of brushes with celebrities or millions in earnings either.
After she married Chip, Joanna started working on decorating the homes her husband flipped. Over time, their business grew, and they flipped many homes in Waco, Texas.
They also opened their store, Magnolia Market, back in 2003. Eventually, thanks to Joanna's blog, HGTV noticed the couple. After that, Fixer Upper was born, and what was already Joanna Gaines' signature style become ubiquitous among viewers.
"Modern farmhouse" took over everything and even became a meme after it saturated the renovation industry.
Chip And Joanna Gaines Are Worth Millions Today
The business landscape is surely different now than it was when Chip and Joanna launched their renovation services out of Waco, Texas. But they worked through some tough (and financially tricky) times before finding success with Fixer Upper and beyond.
Sure, some of Fixer Upper might have been fake, but the couple's hard work led to a blossoming empire (Magnolia) and tons of money. The self-made renovation experts are worth millions today; Joanna is worth $10 million alone, and the two are said to have amassed a combined $50 million net worth through all their ventures.
Niche degree or not, Chip and Joanna figured out how to make their business model work, and took over an entire industry.
By now, even her biggest fans might not be thrilled with Joanna's modern farmhouse designs (the shiplap has been derided by many Fixer Upper viewers), but they can't argue she isn't good at what she does—and Joanna is a great inspiration for others who have no choice other than to become self-made.
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