NEW YORK CITY BLONDE

If you've ever watched The Hills, which I'm sure you have if you have a second X chromosome, then you probably have some ridiculous idea that the fashion industry is all glitter, glamour and celebrity photo shoots.
The truth is that aside from being cut-throat, for which it's notorious, it's also primarily business driven. You can gawk over the McQueen disco lobster shoes and try to add them to your Amazon wish-list but on what planet could you ever afford them? And where exactly would you wear them? While fashion may seem like a creative and artistic field, it is driven the same way all other businesses are, by the money! And the money in fashion lies in things that actual people will actually wear.
I've received a number of emails asking me to elaborate on my job, college major and experience as a young professional from a few fashion hopefuls.
I'll skip the life story. In my junior year I finally realized that my ambitions were far too big for any other city but the big apple. So I transfered and spent the remainder of my college experience consumed with seven course loads, interning twice a week and working at a boutique four days a week. When people hear "fashion school" they think that you spend your days designing and sewing chic dresses. At least that's what my parents thought for a long time. But I studied "product development" under the Fashion Merchandising Management umbrella. If you don't understand what product development is, don't worry no one does. But that's what I spend my days doing now.

Other popular fashion-related jobs include buying, planning and retail operations. Some are more creative and hands-on than others but know that whatever you do, you'll be spending a lot of time on Excel.
I encourage anyone interested in the field to apply to any sort of internship program so you can gain experience, get an idea of what you enjoy and figure out what sort of company culture suits you. But remember that interning does not involve a lot of clubbing, expensive designer clothing, and hair twirling like the media might have you believe.
Try more than one if you have the opportunity! I've had internships in planning, product development, and marketing which all helped me narrow my focus while searching for jobs after graduation. Don't be fooled though because a lot of smaller companies will hire you as an intern under the pretense that a position might open up for you. It won't. They won't. Small companies mean smaller budgets so that's why they have interns to work for free. And make sure to intern at a place where you'll gain exposure to real industry work rather than fetching coffee.
So what if you don't have the luxury to live in a city where you can intern at a fashion company? Retail! It's definitely a difficult job and I'm not talking about standing around at Abercrombie with your shirt off. Working at a boutique on Madison Ave. throughout college allowed me to perfect my "people skills"and get exposure to the other side of the industry. Sure, sometimes I helped a celebrity client who just threw money around but most of the time it's a real song and dance. Overall it's a great opportunity to network, learn about garment construction, margins, brand operations and how to convince a woman to spend her entire paycheck on a purse.