OK now you have chosen to have a career in fashion or maybe you are just thinking about it. No matter where you are in your life it is important that you define what your values are first before you decide on your career. Believe me any job you take you will not be happy with unless it aligns with your core values.
When I first started working full time I was not sure what I wanted to do. So, I took the first job I could find. Now the job I took was as a bookkeeper in a small stock brokerage house. This was probably the most boring job in the world (at least for me), up there with being a toll taker. My job consisted of taking the orders customers placed and typing it onto a ledger card. This is before computers (yes, there was a time before computers). I worked on a 100 year old manual typewriter (not electric and we did have electricity back then). I only had enough work for half a day so that the balance of the day I spent reading books and conversing with woman who were 30 years older than me and in a whole different place than I was. I stayed at the job for 9 months and I was miserable the whole 9 months. Now for some people this job would be ideal. The hours were set, the work wasn’t hard, they get to socialize and you never had to worry about bringing work or the stress of work home. You did your job and it was done. For me the job was terrible because it didn’t align with my core values, which were and are achievement, challenges, individual growth, advancement, and the ability to make lots of money. The next job I had were much was much more in alignment.
I love working in the fashion business. I have been in the business for many years and it is still fun. I still have a passion for it is because it fulfills my key values. My job is great because it is creative, interesting, and challenging. I am building a business. Building a business for me is the most interesting and fun. Monday mornings are not hard for me because I have something to look forward to when I get back to work after the weekend. I have balance in my life since every day of my life is worthwhile and not just the weekends. I can’t image just living for the weekends. That would mean most of my days sucked. That is no way to live.
Values are defined Beliefs of a person in which he or she has an emotional investment (either for or against something). Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a core set of personal values. Values can range from the commonplace, such as the belief in hard work and punctuality, to the more psychological, such as independence, self-reliance, and personal growth. Think about what your personal values are. How do they equate to what you want to do in the fashion world. If being artistic is important than you will probably be well served being a designer or stylist. Or maybe being a writer is what you like and you want to put together your values of being artistic and expressing your artistic side though writing. Wouldn’t being a fashion editor be a good path for you? Writing down your beliefs is a perfect way to explore where in the fashion world you would like to go. It also is helpful when choosing a job. If it meets your main core values than you know it is the right path.
Here is a partial list of values to get you started in the right direction:
Beauty
Challenge
Community
Discipline
Freedom
Excellence
Fairness
Family
Global Responsibly
Love
Loyalty
Meaning
Money
Openness
Personal Growth
Responsibility
Security
Safety
Skill
Stability
Status
Teamwork
Trust
Truth
Variety
Wisdom
There are many more. But this will start you on the road.
Remember identifying your values will help you discover the right job for you.
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