<p>I'm in high school and take summer classes at FIT and from what I've talked to professors and such its a difficult industry and usually your start out with low pay but there is a lot of room for advancement and you can land a lot of money in that field. really, its not about what you major in or anything (though something business related would help) but definitely more of who you know, networking, internships, resume building, etc. If you can begin working and getting internships since freshman year, you'll have already gotten yourself into the industry and can begin making a name for yourself early on.
the advantage of going to a school reputable in the fashion world (i.e. parsons, FIT, etc.) would be that they have great relationships with leading design companies and a good alumni basis that would make it easier to land internships and jobs.</p>
<p>I am a college student at a traditional, public state university that offers a degree in fashion merchandising. I have had several friends graduate already with that degree (I am 25) and have gone on to get jobs completely unrelated to that field. I think that if your daughter wants a career in the fashion industry in any capacity other than working retail at the mall, she will have to step outside the box and put in a little extra effort to find a job.</p>
<p>The most important thing I have found is internships/shadowing. The more experience you have the better becuase the industry can be pretty competitive. </p>
<p>She also needs to consider where she wants to live after college...we are in kentucky so there really isnt alot of opportunity unless you want to work at the mall. This can also make the internship factor difficult unless she is willing to spend a semester/summer in new york or another big city that has corporate offices there.</p>
<p>I also want to say that this major is extremely popular at our school, but is also considered kind of a joke. I have taken some of the classes and they dont really teach you all that much...cutting pictures out of magazines to make mock retail stores and stuff. I did get A's in all the merchandising classes so it may be worth taking a couple just to raise her gpa if she ever needs it.</p>
<p>You may want to also consider the fact that she will probably change her major once she gets there anyway, I could count on one hand the number of friends/sorority sisters of mine that actually got a degree in the major they picked when they were freshman.</p>
<p>I was a recent design student at one of the top schools for fashion design and from my very limited experience in the fashion industry I can tell you the one thing that matters the most is EXPERIENCE and landing your first jobs/internships/connections is crucial to a future career. Your school will matter in opening doors, but not completely necessary. Being proactive is a must. I was attending one of the top schools for design, and it was dissapointing to see how so many of the girls just expected to be handed things just because they reached a certain "status" by attending a top school. When the reality of it is that the fashion industry isnt like any other industry.
Merchandising is a huge, very huge field. There are many positions that one will come across in a career everything from merchandising in design, visual merchandising in retail, buying, management, marketing, sales-wholesale & retail, pr, etc. As such my recommendation is that you tell your daughter to invest in a real education-liberal arts one, that will hopefully help her realize the value in simply being educated, as opposed to learning to do a job(which in reality can be learned on the job, and will be required to be learned on the job-by training and internships during the first years). It's not as glamorous or easy as she might think it is as often portrayed by such reality TV shows such as "the hills". it'll be very hard work and very long hours for many years to come at very low wages. By low wages I'm seriously talking about entry level wages straight out of high school with no experience.</p>
<p>If she doesn't want a liberal arts education, I would advice her to pursue either Business/Marketing/Communications as a major, as they will allow her more career flexibility in the future. Attending well known large schools like a USC, or NYU, will provide immense resources in her career field. These companies are often recruited by large fashion companies, and local designers. The opportunity to be in large cities, will also benefit her in building up a resume by taking up internships in merchandising or taking up a part time retail job at any number of boutiques/stores, while in school.</p>
<p>I cannot emphasize how much EXPERIENCE will matter in any fashion related job/career. The one area of merchandising that can have immediate financial rewards for one is in the Wholesale side of sales. Usually one works either straight of commission or base plus commission, but of course that can mean road travel, long hours, and a dissatisfaction in personal life.</p>
<p>Hi, I am a freshman in college currently and am considering a career in fashion design. At the moment, I am not at a school that offers majors or minors in fashion; I am on the path to becoming a guidance counselor or photographer (major in communications and minors in psychology and photography). I believe that I will be happy either as a guidance counselor, photographer OR a fashion designer, (or some combination with fashion and photography). I have begun to think about completeing my schooling in the path that I’m in, and then getting a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design (and Merchandising).</p>
<p>You seem to know what you’re talking about… do you think that this would be a good idea, and would I be able to become sucessfull in the fashion world if I enter it that late? You talked about how you have to start out right away in a noteworthy school (FIT), and then work your way up. Could I do this later on, and still become successful?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>So wild to see my thread from '08 topped. What a lot of water has traveled under the bridge. (Little Miss Woods Comma Elle is a business major.)</p>
<p>more information on careers in fashion</p>
<p>[Careers</a> in Fashion](<a href=“http://www.careersinfashion.net%5DCareers”>http://www.careersinfashion.net)</p>
<p>hi is there any way i can talk to your cousin for tips or something if she has time im truly desperate…help me plllease and thank you if you still even come on here jilliebean</p>
<p>Hello, I’m currently an undergrad pursuing an Apparel Merchandising & Textiles degree from a state university. First off, the fashion industry is a billion dollar industry with a multitude of opportunities. Lot’s of people assume that by getting a fashion degree automatically means that you want to be the next Coco Chanel or Louis Vuitton or any huge designer name. That isn’t the case for everyone.</p>
<p>My school has a really good fashion program and at least how my program is, we don’t just sit around reading magazines. Aside from actual fashion courses we take sketching class, sewing class, history classes, graphic design classes, and lets not forget the nine consecutive business classes we’re supposed to take. </p>
<p>A fashion degree is like any other degree out there. Just because you major in the typical business, biology, political science, or whatever degrees doesn’t mean you’re automatically getting a job right out of college earning a six-figure salary. However, if you have a legit plan of action you will be able to make a lot of money doing anything. Besides, graduate degrees are the new undergraduate degrees anyway because now-a-days just having an undergraduate degree in something will not guarantee a job anymore.</p>
<p>Internships are very important. The more internships the better. You don’t necessarily have to go to FIT, FIDM, or Parsons to become successful because if you don’t work hard in this industry you’re not going to get anything. Finding internships on your own if you live in cities other than New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Miami is extremely important and many times you have to work your way up but that’s with any job. Maybe after undergraduate school go to Parsons, FIDM, or FIT if you feel that will help. But remember hard work and experience is key, you don’t automatically start off as a partner for a law firm if you just graduated from law school!! </p>
<p>Aside from my mini rant the most important thing is to major in what makes you happy. I started off with the trying to be a lawyer route, the curriculum was depressing and the thought of going to my classes were sad. I never wanted to be a model or a fashion designer (those were the only “fashion careers” I thought of as a child) and I thought that it was a chance career and that being a lawyer was the “safe” route. I don’t think I would be a happy lawyer at all, I also don’t think I’d be a happy doctor even though the earning potential is greater for lawyers and doctors but those have really big catches. My plan of action is to obtain my degree, job hunt/work a couple of years and if I decide I want to boost my earning potential I’ll enroll in an MBA program or get a graduate degree in fashion. JUST HAVE A PLAN!</p>
<p>I don’t think Fashion Merchandising guarantees a low paying career,I love fashion design,I am a Hairstylist.This is very interesting.</p>
<p>Please use old threads for informational purposes only</p>