Posted by Brian McCullough
This is from an Ask Brian Question.
Send in your own Ask Brian Question here.
My name is XXXX, and Im 24 years old. Ever since last year i have been applying for different jobs in the field of fashion, I used to work and still do as a Fashion Stylist, which means I do a lot of shoots for tv and print ads etc. I finished my diploma course in Fashion Design last year and i thought i should leave the world of fashion styling behind because it was very difficult to find shoots on your own if you did not know the right people. But i found some young entrepreneurs like me and although work is slow I do have faith it will happen and also i have been very interested in Fashion design which goes hand in hand with styling. ok so here is my question,
A month back I had gone for an interview for the position of Junior Merchandiser, this has nothing to do with designing or creativity, it just a “cut-copy-paste” kind of job. I was very interested because i was desperate to find something to do. anything. but then i started my own label in the desperation and my clothes actually got a decent response. i.e from my friends i havent yet gone out into the market. so should i take a 9 to 7 job, which will barely pay my bills, cuz what i will make ina month is how much i make on a shoot in one day, but this job is now and i have just started networking, or should i have faith in myself and continue with fashion design and styling. please help. very confused.
Short answer for your specific situation:
You say you’ve gotten a response from your friends (great) but nothing yet from the market. Well, give it a go in the market. If you get a response there, then it might be worth going for your dream.
I always think you should go for your dream when you’re young, cause you have plenty of time later to fix mistakes and make up for lost time in the “real world” of 9 to 7 jobs.
But I also think: what is stopping you from doing both? Why not take this barely-pays-your-bills job now, and work on your dream around the edges? TONS of people take lesser jobs as they work on their dreams. Your lesser job is at least in the same field! You’re not, for example, waiting tables while you wait to “make it” on Broadway.
I have much more on this topic of choosing between job offers here.
And if you need a Fashion Industry resume, you know where to go.
Related posts:
