<p>Ok, some may think I'm absolutely insane, but here goes: I just got accepted into Northwestern ED, and had planned on majoring in Materials Science and Engineering. I also got a more than generous financial aid package covering nearly all of the cost of attendance. My parents are happy for me (as they both have less than desirable jobs), my grandparents are really proud of me, blah, blah, blah... However, I started thinking about it, and I realized that the only reason why I'm in engineering is because I'm good at math and science. I don't really enjoy them, and there's a huge pressure on me to succeed and make a lot of money. But I REALLY like Fashion Design and I secretly dream of being a fashion designer in Hollywood or something (lol). My whole family would be disappointed in me (I think) if I were to go somewhere else and major in fasion design, but at least I think I would be happy... anyone wanna give me advice, slap me upside the head, or tell me to follow my dreams... anyone???</p>
<p>man things move fast on this board... bumpity bump.... anyone????</p>
<p>Its your decision, but I would be kind of disappointed if my kid was a fashion major. Are you sure your desire in fashion isnt just a phase? I would go with engineering.</p>
<p>i guess i'm in a similar situation, a bit. i'm majoring engineering, mainly because i'm good at math and science, and my parents have wanted me to be an engineer since i was probably three years old. however, i've also considered being a history or classics major. I took european history and latin and i loved both classes. However, my math and science classes, they're easy so i don't find particular enjoyment out of them at all. i guess once i get to challenging stuff i'd like it, but i don't know. i think that i'd enjoy majoring in history or classics, especially classics, but i've chosen engineering because my strengths certainly are in the engineering area, whereas i love history and latin, but it doesn't come naturally to me like math and science. i figure that i should go with my strengths. that's just what i did.</p>
<p>learn what you want to learn- but i'd try to get a well rounded liberal arts education. then go into fashion. as long as you're happy, i'd go for it.</p>
<p>hmmm... well, it could be a phase, but i donno. it's not like im a ditzy fashion-crazed bimbo; in fact, i personally am more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt, but i LOVE designing/sewing dresses and such... i don't think i'll grow out of that one. i had also thought about majoring in music (which is another passions of mine). but like ck61188 said, i have enormous pressure to be an engineer or scientist... i guess in the long run, i will be set financially w/engineering... i know the decision is up to me, but any other opinions?</p>
<p>hey, if you're worried about being financially set... become a banker. if you LOVE fashion, go for it.. you know, you live life once. if it's just a fad, you can always change careers.</p>
<p>You shouldn't go into Engineering just because you're good at math and science and it pays well. It is tons of work and you have to be interested in it to stick through it. Nationally, only about a third to half of all Engineering freshmen eventually graduate in that major.</p>
<p>whatever u choose, i think that u should love it AND make it beneficial to your future career plans, etc. example: (no offense 2 anyone who loves music--just an example that happens to be true) When I was little, i played in the school band. my music teacher was really talented and nice and stuff, but he was really poor (because of his job) and he said so himself. he reallllllly loved music. so in college, he loved it so much that he even got a master's in it. now he's talented--he's not dumb or anything...he tried to get all these music gigs in bands and stuff. he did get them, but the people usually broke apart and moved on. so finally at like 40something, he was not qualified to hav any other job besides band instructor. he told me and my bandmates that he should have studied physics or something in college--something INTERESTING basically that u could make a living of. so he started taking math courses @ the local community college and now he's married and works with computers and is better able to support himself.</p>
<p>my $.02...</p>
<p>Well, if you have the talent, you can surely do fashion design. But the thing is that field is very competitive. I wonder if fashion designers live kinda like actors/actresses--either you have a nice breakthrough and earn good money or you are constantly broke. Do you see yourself having that kind of talent? Are you pretty creative/artistic? Do you draw well? Do you have good taste in clothes? </p>
<p>As far as engineering/science go, you said you don't really enjoy it? Hmm...that may be enough for you to rethink your major.</p>
<p>Can you major in Engineering and minor in Fashion Design or Design in Northwestern? You really don't need a Fashion Design degree to get into fashion industry. If you get a very generous financial package, you should go there and try to minor in Designing. Put it this way, if you don't make it into Hollywood, you still have a job as Engineer.</p>
<p>well, there's no such luck as a design much less a fashion design minor at northwestern... and i have talent in design, but not enough to set me apart from every other wannabe designer in the country. and i do kinda like engineering, so just when i was about to stick w/it, i looked at collegeboard.com at average salaries. the average salary for a materials engineer was $64000, but then the average for a fasion designer was the exact same!! maybe that takes into account the people who make millions, but i don't think so... im totally torn!!! my parents and family would be sooo disappointed in me if i dropped engineering!</p>
<p>go with the fashion design, you can move onto so many other jobs within the industry and believe it is not a boring job. My aunt got her degree at FIT and she's not a designer but she works with the technical parts of clothing like the certain colors and texture and now she report directly to those that report directly to Ralph Lauren. It's a pretty lucrative career if you play it right, you get TONS OF free clothes and it's just really interesting and you get to travel and meet with different people from all over the world. It's definatly not throwing away your future. I highly recommend it!</p>
<p>I don't understand why people tend to think a fashion degree doesn't hold any water b/c my aunt makes like over 250,000 every year and she's only been in the business for around 14 years.</p>
<p>FIT is an excellent school! Two girls in my school went there last year for jewelery design, and art. If you want to do fashion make sure you go to the best school for it so they can help you find a job as it is competitive.</p>
<p>While there are some fashion designers who are making 250,000 or more, but there are more unemployed designers. It is like for every baseball players who are making million dollars, there will be 100 more minor league players who are making 10,000 per year.</p>
<p>I think that if nufrosh09 is really committed to the designing, then he will go for it. Otherwise, he can always try to get a job once he finishes his education. I dont think that anyone really needs a degree to become a fashion designer. What happens if nufrosh09 gives up his scholarship, registers for other school and decides that he doesnt like designing after all? How he is going to finish his college education?</p>
<p>true that... i dont think im gonna risk taking the chance of not having a job. at least w/engineering i'll have a job, and a pretty good one at that... oh, btw, im a girl, lol</p>
<p>Oh, sorry, MS. NUFROSH09. Good luck in your decision!</p>
<p>lol, thanx i appreciate ur opinion!</p>
<p>you can always major in fashion designs and not just strictly design. THere are many different levels to creating clothes and fashion and you might start out designing then go on to other things. The only exposure in my family with fashion is with my aunt so to me I always felt a career in fashion is a win/win thing because you can make tons of money and get free clothes and freebies and know the 'in' styles before everyone else, but I guess there's also the other part to fashion too. Most fashion designers don't stay designers, they move to other fields in fashion and only a select few ever make it to have their own brand and be famous enough to be well known in HOllywood. However with that said, from what you told me it seems a fashion career would make you feel much happier than being an engineer to please your family. I say go for YOUR dream b/c eventually there comes a point where you realize you can't always go on living your life to suit the needs of others. you might realize that too late and you can't go back and do what you really desire. I say go for the fashion thing. In the end, it's better that you just try it and maybe find that it's not for you and do something else than to do engineering to please your parents and always live your life thinking "what if I had.....". </p>
<p>It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.</p>