Deciding on a major can be a very tricky thing. I mean how are you meant to know what you want to do for the rest of your life at 18 years old? I’m pretty certain as a kid everyone goes through many different ideas of what they would potentially like to be when they grow up. For me, there was a princess, ballerina, vet, pediatrician, architect, etc. It wasn’t until around my freshman year of high school that I even discovered that having a job in the fashion industry was a possibility. I don’t entirely remember how I came across it, but I think I was just researching different potential jobs and majors when I saw fashion merchandising. I remember sitting in the back of one of my classes in high school when I should have been paying attention, but instead, I was just researching all things fashion.When I think back on it, it makes a lot of sense that having a job in the fashion industry would pique my interest. Growing up my mom owned a children’s clothing store in my hometown. Since I am the youngest of three, when my two older sisters were off at school, I would often spend my days at the shop with my mom. I was her little model for trying on clothes, I would give her my opinion on what I liked and didn’t like and even went on buying trips with her from time to time. Being at the store and seeing my mom put her heart and soul into it is something that really shaped my childhood and influenced a lot of how I am today. I have always been a girly-girl (apart from a short period of time in elementary school when I tried to go through a tomboy phase… it didn’t work out), wanting to play dress up and caring far too much about my outfits from a young age. So, coming back to freshman year when I discovered I could actually make a living out of one of my passions, I ran with it. I have read every blog, done all my research, and now that I am actually in fashion school, I am more in love with it than I ever thought I would be. However, not everything has been sunshine and rainbows. Anyone who has a major in the arts probably knows that it can tend to come with some doubts from other people. In high school, I was in a lot of honors and AP classes and when asking people what they planned on majoring in I constantly heard things like pre-med, pre-law, business, etc., and I always felt a little odd saying fashion merchandising. There is such a stigma around people who major in the arts or in a more creative field are not going to get jobs after college. It was really hard for me to hear people say that or see the doubt on their faces when I tell them my major, but through that, I have grown even more determined to prove those people wrong, and it has fueled my desire for success even further. Sure, I could have gone on to pursue a more traditional field, however, I wanted to make sure that whatever I chose to do for the rest of my life was something I loved and was passionate about. I want to wake up every day not dreading going to work, but instead being excited to immerse myself in a passion of mine each and every day. I cannot thank my parents enough for supporting me and believing in my dreams. If it wasn’t for their support, I probably wouldn’t be doing this.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Kent State chapter.