Are you looking to major in fashion but having trouble convincing those who care about you that it’s a smart choice in the long-run?

It’s true the industry is tough to crack, but earning a degree in fashion opens up many career options. You aren’t limited to design or working as a buyer. Those may have prestige, but there are plenty of other options available. It’s is a huge industry, and there are many different paths you can take. If it is your dream, you can make the choice work.

Earn Your Degree

To give yourself the best chance of success, you can start with your degree. A fashion degree provides many opportunities. In addition to the education you receive, attending a college with a fashion program gives you the opportunity to intern in the industry. By interning, you start building relationships and a network that will help you land a job after graduation. Don’t let the cost of college hold you back. Taking out student loans through a private lender gives you the money you need to finance your education.

Once you graduate and land a job, the repayment process is affordable, and if interest rates drop? Refinancing allows you to take advantage of that as well. If you are still worried that this degree will make it hard to find a job, consider minoring in something more practical. Many different minors pair well with this major. Talk to the admissions counselors at the schools you are considering. They can let you know the job placement rates for their graduates, both overall and in their degree field. Once you have these numbers, you will feel better prepared to make a decision.

Explore Many Options

A career in the field may mean design, merchandising, or another job you traditionally think of when considering the industry. However, you can work as a journalist, marketer, public relations specialist, or production specialist. What does this mean? If you love fashion, but creativity isn’t a strength, there is still a place for you in the industry. This is another way in which having internships throughout the college experience is helpful. At this point, you don’t even know the various career options available. Internships allow you to explore different options and get a feel for what the day-to-day experience of these different choices is like.

Make Yourself an Attractive Candidate

There are a few things you can do to boost your chances of finding employment in the field. The smartest thing you can do is to make yourself a double-threat. There may be more graduates of each school’s fashion program than there are available jobs, so make yourself stand out by adding to your skill-set.

Study programming and find a job in fashion technology. Strengthen your writing skills to work in marketing, PR, or journalism. Take business classes to work in production or management. One skill that is never wasted? Working in retail. Working retail not only helps pay your bills, but also gives you hands-on fashion, communication, and customer service skills.