I always had a feeling that I would want to pursue more than just a bachelor’s degree. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with stopping school once you obtain a Bachelor’s. In fact, I told myself that if I were offered a job post-graduation, I would hold off on continuing my education and going for my Master’s. I am a firm believer in the quote “Everything happens for a reason”. Life post-graduation is no walk in the park, so I was confident in my decision to apply to grad schools and mentally prepare myself for it, especially after realizing that getting a job is harder than I ever thought. When I took a fashion journalism course last semester, I KNEW I found my niche. It came natural to me and after speaking to my professor who was a great supporter of my writing, I KNEW I wanted to pursue a career in fashion media. Starting my blog in 2015 and falling in love with the process and seeing blogging transform from a hobby to a passion were my main sources of motivation. I KNEW that I somehow had to make a transition from fashion design to a specialty that was more media-oriented.
I am ALWAYS thinking about branding and developing. My brand is barely a brand, but I treat it like it is a well-known one and I take it very seriously. When I figured out my brand name (which took multiple attempts), I said “That’s it”. I bought my own domain and changed my Instagram name. I then made my Instagram a business account. Soon I will get it trademarked. A lightbulb went off and I realized how much I have been impacted by social media from my personal life to my career choices. I am never not thinking about branding myself.
I am on Instagram more than any other app on my phone. I interact more with people on Instagram than I do in real life. More importantly, I became obsessed with Instagram once I saw the networking and potential earning opportunity it gives you. I’ve seen people build a following from nothing and turn their social media into a business. I’ve had people come to me for advice on how to brand themselves and they’ve turned out to be more successful at it than me. The key to social media is knowing how to use it to properly make an image for yourself and your reputation. I changed the entire aesthetic of my Instagram page and became very specific about the quality and quantity of images I posted. My following started to increase drastically, and I saw the art of branding unfold right before my eyes. Living in the age of social media taught me how to become a strategic thinker, finding out what works and what doesn’t work by catching on trends. I combined everything I loved: fashion, blogging, and social media. I put them altogether and the end result was fashion marketing. It all started from an obsession with social media.
Choosing a career path can be extremely overwhelming. We often wonder “what’s next” or “what do I do now that I have a degree”. My advice is to take a deep breath. Take time to think to yourself. Dig deep and find what it is that you could do every day for the rest of your life and be content, while knowing you can stay inspired doing whatever that is. Also, keep only yourself in mind. It is okay to be selfish in this case. It easy to be influenced by the opinions of others, but the truth is, this is your life and you’re in control. You only have one and it is too short to do anything but what you love. Stay encouraged.
XO,
