There’s a quote I live by that goes like “you are here because of choices you’ve made five years ago.” The way I see it, it’s about making the most of your time right now and doing good by others today because your present will affect your future. About five years ago, I was in senior year of high school being told that I have to decide what I wanted to do with my life. It was a lot of pressure for a 17-year old.
Ultimately, I decided to follow my heart and study fashion. When I was in university, I never once questioned my choice. But back then, I didn’t completely grasp the concept of money. My family did go through the “immigrant struggle”, but we got to the point where I didn’t have to worry about choosing a career just to make money (which I am truly grateful for).
On the other hand, though, I am the first person in my family to go into a creative field. This is not a field where we can make a lot of money right off the bat. And we’re not the type of family with connections everywhere. I had to build myself up from scratch. I interned like hell for one summer, fell off track, lost all passion for my field, regained the passion, and got back on track. I fell out of love, and tried to fall in love, and truly fell in love but with two different people, and fell out of love again. Along the way, I’ve met mentors to learn from, people who took advantage of me, people I could truly count on, and people I thought I could.
(Brownie points if you meme)
But enough about where I’ve been, I’ll tell you about what I’ve learned and where I’m going. If you clicked on this post for some insight, I won’t blame you for skipping my cheesy life story (hey, the human attention span is short) just remember this:
The career world is especially tough for us 20-somethings. It’s okay to be discouraged or feel like a failure. Define what your goals are, work towards them, and don’t let anybody tell you what you can or cannot do.
(That was me on my graduation day, btw) Am I the best person to take career advice from? Probably not, because I can start a bingo card with all the bad choices I’ve made. But if you’re also young and dependent on your family while trying to get to the point where you can comfortably support yourself, I’m in the same boat. If you stay away from LinkedIn because you don’t want to feel bad about your achievements in comparison with other people’s….that’s me as well!
I’m working two jobs this holiday season (Trade Secrets and Nordstrom) while trying to get out of customer service. My best friend and I have started our own beauty line. I sing and I hope to make a name for myself in that area too. Am I where I want to be? Nope. But every day, I try my best to stay positive and give my all.
Life’s not easy, but we can take it by storm if we stay focused.
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Life Outside of Design Studio 