So, you want to be a fashion designer! This is an ambitious and exciting career field that comes with very steep competition. You can take a variety of different career paths after attending a fashion design program, but you have to start with the proper education. The following steps will walk you through the process of finding local fashion design programs and getting your career started.
1. What is your ideal or required location?
If there is one state or even city that you cannot leave due to other obligations, you will have to start searching for a fashion design program within that area. Ideally, you should try to open yourself up to a wider geographical area so you have more design programs to select from.
Sit down and make a list of any and all geographical locations in which you could possibly study. Then, start researching online and in phone books for all fashion design programs available in those areas. Start listing all of your options as you find them so you can go back later and do more thorough research based on the questions listed below.
You should contact all community colleges, universities, and smaller local learning programs available in your chosen destinations. Do searches online to find additional programs which may be independent from any schools. Finally, search for online design programs that you may be able to join and complete from the comfort of your own home.
Even if you prefer not to study with an online program, you may find that a great online study course is more in line with your needs or budget right now. Don’t rule them out, just add them to the list and see how it plays out.
2. What are your options?
Your list of potential fashion design programs available in your chosen destination is basically a list of options. You should take some time adding to this list, not leaving any opportunity out no matter how ambitious or small it may seem at first. There is a lot to be considered here from expenses to where you will live and how long you will have to study, so your final program of choice may surprise you.
3. What are your financial options?
You should start narrowing down those options by ruling out any schools or programs that you simply cannot afford to complete. Find out what your options are for financial aid for every opportunity on your list and write down what it will cost to attend. Your goal is to actually complete the program and move on to a fashion career, so make sure you don’t cling to any options that you simply cannot afford to carry through to the end.
4. How much time do you have to devote to your studies?
Finally, you can rule out many school and program opportunities if they require more or less time than you have to give. Do you want a two year program or are you interested only in four year college programs? What degree would you like to have in the end?
You can find information about most fashion design programs in various areas of the world just by logging onto the Internet. Keep that list going and keep eliminating as you go. You will eventually narrow it down to the perfect program.
