The 5 Things I’d Tell You If You Want to Start an Interior Design Career

Starting an interior design career can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time. There are so many directions you can go, so many skills to learn, and so many opinions about what the “right” path looks like. Instead of trying to do everything at once, I always suggest narrowing your focus and building intentionally.

If you approach this career step-by-step, you’ll move forward with much more clarity and confidence.

1. Understand the Different Niches Within Interior Design

Interior design is not one single job. There are multiple niches, scopes, and roles within the industry, and not all of them will align with your personality, strengths, or long-term goals. Some designers thrive in residential spaces, others in commercial or healthcare environments. Some love the technical side, while others prefer styling and visual presentation.

Before investing time and energy into learning programs or building a portfolio, it’s important to understand where you naturally fit. That’s exactly why I created the free Interior Design DNA Personality Quiz. It helps you identify which direction may be best suited for you so you’re not forcing yourself into a path that doesn’t actually match your working style.

Clarity at the beginning saves you a lot of frustration later.

2. Choose One Program and Master It

Once you’ve narrowed down your niche, you need to select one core program and become highly proficient in it. Not average. Not familiar. Proficient.

The specific software will depend on the direction you’re pursuing, but I often recommend SketchUp as a starting point because it’s accessible and has a free version online. The key isn’t collecting multiple programs on your résumé. It’s being excellent in one, so you can move efficiently and confidently.

Technical skill builds credibility. When you can clearly communicate your ideas through drawings or models, you separate yourself quickly from other beginners.

3. Build Your Portfolio and Digital Presence Early

Even if you plan to work for another firm, your digital footprint matters. Employers today look beyond a résumé. They review social media, portfolios, and online presence to understand your design thinking, artistic style, and professionalism.

If you don’t have client projects yet, you can still build a strong portfolio. Conceptual projects, redesigning existing spaces, and documenting your process all count. What matters is showing how you think through space, not just posting finished inspiration images.

Inside the Degree-less Design Crash Course, I go deeper into how to structure your first portfolio pieces from scratch and how to present them in a way that demonstrates real skill. It’s one thing to create a mood board. It’s another to show that you understand layout, scale, budgeting, and execution.

4. Take Advantage of Free Education

There is a significant amount of free education available to you. I’ve created over 300 videos covering technical skills, train-your-eye exercises, and answers to common industry questions. If you are serious about pursuing this career, start there. Apply what you learn instead of just consuming it passively.

I also recently broke down these same five steps in a short TikTok for those of you who prefer watching rather than reading. Sometimes, hearing the information explained verbally helps it click differently.

Use what’s available to you before assuming you need something more complicated.

5. Get Real Project Experience as Soon as Possible

The final and most important step is practical experience. Whether you want to work for yourself or for a firm, you need to understand how a project actually moves from concept to completion. That means working through budgeting, communication, documentation, and decision-making in real time.

These are skills you cannot fully learn in theory. Even if you pursue a degree, you’ll still need hands-on application to truly understand project flow.

If you’re unsure how to structure your first independent project, the Pre-Designer Checklist Template in the Tools section outlines what you should be thinking about before starting. It helps ensure you’re approaching your work professionally from the beginning.

And if you’re ready for a structured, start-to-finish roadmap, the Degree-less Design Crash Course walks through both the technical and business foundations you need to build real confidence in this field.

Interior design is not about collecting credentials. It’s about developing skills, understanding processes, and applying what you learn consistently.

If you’re ready to take the next step, you can use code DESIGNER for 15% off the Degree-less Design Crash Course. Consider it a small push to start building intentionally.

XO

Shira