{"id":6338,"date":"2024-02-27T14:02:50","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T13:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.justshareforyou.store\/?p=6338"},"modified":"2024-02-27T14:02:50","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T13:02:50","slug":"what-is-your-dream-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.justshareforyou.store\/index.php\/2024\/02\/27\/what-is-your-dream-career\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Your Dream Career?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n I talk about my career as a merchandiser A LOT around here, and it\u2019s easily one of my favorite things to talk about.
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\n Since I DO talk about it so much, I spend a lot of time reflecting on my career. And it always comes back to the same realization: I FREAKIN\u2019 HAVE MY DREAM JOB. I know I\u2019m absolutely one of the lucky ones. I do love talking about how much I love my job in hopes that I can connect and chat with people who may be looking at Merchandising as a career. I talk about my career A LOT on It\u2019s Casual, but today I want to talk a little more about my journey, and why I consider Merchandising a DREAM career.\n <\/p>\n

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\n how the dream started
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\n Let\u2019s be honest: I\u2019m a SUPER indecisive person. I also tend to be a follower, not a leader. Specifically when it comes to BIG decisions. Luckily, my sister is six and a half years older than me. She can 1000% take credit for the reason why I\u2019m in the fashion industry. Once she began working in the industry after college, I knew there was nothing else I wanted to do. Well I mean, I actually didn\u2019t know what I wanted to do. I just knew it HAD to be in fashion.\n <\/p>\n

\n Remember when I said I was a follower? Yeah, SOOOOO instead of making the *smart* decision of going to the Fashion Institute of Technology, I followed my high school boyfriend down to the DC area where I went to school at Marymount University. They had a fashion program there, so I figured it was a great idea (spoiler alert: We broke up the first week of college LOL). I stuck it out \u2014 but ended up changing my major to Communications with a minor in Fashion Merchandising.\n <\/p>\n

\n I switched my major because I was having doubts about becoming a buyer because I was HORRIBLE with numbers and I really was intimidated by them. I figured because I loved writing and speaking so much, I could always do something in fashion PR or journalism. PS: While you don\u2019t need to have a degree in Merchandising to get a job as a merchandiser, I definitely recommend having relevant courses under your belt (economics courses, retail math, etc.).\n <\/p>\n

\n During my senior year of college, I realized that being a merchandiser was the ONLY thing I wanted to do. And then for WHATEVER reason, I was inspired by menswear. So I wanted to become a merchandiser for a menswear company.\n <\/p>\n

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\n my career path
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\n ANOTHER SPOILER ALERT: I landed a job as an Assistant Merchandiser for Perry Ellis \u2014 one of the first American menswear brands. It was then and there I realized just how much I would love being a merchandiser. I had amazing bosses who took me under their wings. I love my designers. I loved my cross-functional teams. I loved watching our product come to life. I learned how the design process worked, how to use their inspirations to create a compelling assortment, I learned how teams negotiated costs and how planners bought units.\n <\/p>\n

\n Then, I hit a wall.\n <\/p>\n

\n I didn\u2019t hate my job. I never did. I always loved it. But there was a point that I just felt super stagnant. I wanted to work for a company I could WEAR. A company I could relate to. Long story short: I ended up at Free People.\n <\/p>\n

\n While I won\u2019t go into specifics: It wasn\u2019t the best job.
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\n It was almost the opposite of what I wanted to do
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\n (even though I was a \u201cmerchandiser\u201d, I was really more of a wholesale buyer who mainly kept track of inventory). I didn\u2019t love the way the wholesale company was run, and I just couldn\u2019t handle it anymore. I will say, it was a good experience to see the buying side of things\u2026and probably lead me to where I truly believed I belong.\n <\/p>\n

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\n In February 2020, I started my job at Lou & Grey.
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\n And honestly\u2026it\u2019s been a dream. A saving grace during the pandemic.\n <\/p>\n

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\n Lou & Grey
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\n is everything I\u2019ve ever wanted in a company. The brand itself is basically everything I love about fashion and clothing: Comfortable, effortless, easy head-to-toe dressing, fabric driven, trendy yet classic, versatile clothing. I\u2019ve been wearing the brand for years, and to be able to now work for the company? A literal DREAM. But let me tell you why merchandising is the best.\n <\/p>\n

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\n why merchandising?
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\n I get asked what exactly goes into being a merchandiser. And the answer is: There\u2019s no simple answer because SO much goes into it. Merchandisers truly see EVERY aspect of the business. So much of being a merchandiser is going with your gut, and I really love that. I also am really learning a lot of the business side of things \u2014 which is a HUGE goal of mine. I want to be able to not only put together an amazing assortment, but also have the numbers to prove what we did worked. And I really, really have a hard time with numbers, so this is a good challenge for me to get to the next level of my career.\n <\/p>\n

\n While every company operates slightly differently\u2026one thing is pretty consistent: Merchandisers are involved in A LOT. We see everything from the ground up:\n <\/p>\n