Monday, June 29, 2009

Fashion Design Jobs & Careers

Career Center - by Get Degrees Staff

Recommended Fashion Design Degrees

	The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division Develop your creative potential through The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division where we give you the freedom to decide when and where to attend class. Because you're always on the go, we offer education to go wherever you connect to the Internet. While we meet the demands of your busy lifestyle, our online degree and diploma programs go even further by embracing the standards of excellence long held by The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and The Art Institutes system of schools backed by an over 85-year commitment to academic excellence. Learn from the leader in online creative arts education.
	Harrison College Get started on your career with an education from Harrison College. We offer more than 30 degree, certificate, and diploma programs in the fields of health sciences, veterinary technology, information technology, criminal justice, and business, in addition to our culinary arts academy. We have 13 campuses in Indiana and Ohio, and, depending on the field of study, some or all classes may be taken online. We develop our programs based on ongoing input from business leaders and research of industry growth trends to ensure that they offer strong career potential. At Harrison, we work with you one on one to help you reach your goals, from choosing a field of study to finding a job.
	International Academy of Design & Technology Online Since 1984, the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa has been a creative haven for students wishing to pursue career-focused degree programs in a broad range of fields, including Fashion Design and Marketing, Fashion Merchandising, Interior Design, Digital Photography, Digital Production, Computer Animation, Recording Arts, and many others. The Academy has experienced rapid growth and in 2005 moved its primary facility to a sleekly modern, technologically advanced campus.

Fashion design degree programs train you for an exciting career in the clothing design, entertaiment, and retail trades. Find out more about all of the potential career paths availble to holders of a fashion design degree and what the day-to-day entails. Find the perfect fashion design career, and start your degree today!

Fashion Jobs & Careers

Are you a fashionista? Do you follow the latest trends, the glamour models of the trade, the emerging styles from New York, Europe, and California? Whether you dream of opening up your own boutique, designing your own clothing line, or working for a major player in the fashion retail trade, earning a fashion design degree can set you on your way. Learn about textiles and trends, how to design and market clothing and accessories, or how to best plan a sale or runway show.

Consider the wide range of career options open to graduates of contemporary fashion design degree programs:

• Accessory Designer
• Boutique Owner
• Clothing Pattern Maker
• Costume Designer
• Fashion Designer
• Fashion Merchandiser
• Fashion Sales Representative
• Fashion Coordinator
• Fashion Model
• Fashion Stylist
• Fashion PR/Marketing Specialist
• Fashion Writer/Editor
• Fashion Illustrator
• Fashion Photographer
• Fashion Buyer
• Graphic Designer
• Pattern Grader
• Personal Stylist
• Product Manager
• Retail Merchandiser
• Retail Store Manager
• Showroom Sales Representative
• Showroom Window Dresser
• Visual Merchandiser

Designing Your Career

No matter your dream career path, you’ll profit by beginning with the basics of apparel design, production, marketing, and sales. A comprehensive fashion design degree program introduces you to fabrics, colors, and fashion history, as well as the wide range of specialties, including:

• Footwear
• Maternity
• Outerwear
• Jewelry
• Women’s
• Men’s
• Children’s

Learn about sportswear and accessories like belts, scarves, hosiery, and handbags.

If marketing is your thing, consider coursework in evaluating consumer psychology, buying patterns, imports and exports, emerging design trends and retailing strategies. Take courses in buying, retailing, and wholesaling. Alternatively, you might focus on public relations, fashion marketing, design, or promotions for broadcast, print, and digital media. Learn fashion campaign strategy, design, and implementation from the bottom up.

For those who tirelessly follow fashion, consider a fashion design degree program with an emphasis on culture, history, and writing. Track trends through print and online media, tracking marketplace and model trends in magazines. Learn the ins and outs of writing, photography, blogging, and more.

Fashion Design Degrees Go Digital

Your coursework may also include the theory and use of the latest fashion design software as well as computer programs that help with marketing, customer relationship tracking, budgeting, and merchandising. Become familiar with fashion design programs, vendor management and tracking software, and store planning software.

Ancillary coursework in make-up, lighting, music, staging, and promotions can help students who hope to work in the presentation field–including fashion shows, corporate events, or in the film and television industries–as a fashion consultant, designer, or make-up artist.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, nearly one fourth of all fashion designers are self employed, with the highest concentrations of professionals located in New York and California. Many graduates launch their careers as interns through their fashion design school programs, others make lifelong career contacts through their schools and network their way toward their dream jobs.

Opportunities are wide and exciting. You can find careers with wholesalers, retail stores, major fashion chain retailers, specialized boutiques, fashion media organizations, performing arts companies, and specialized design firms. Some designers prefer to work as free-lance professionals, building their own clientele. Whatever your aim in the fashion field, getting a degree in design is a great first step. Start today!

Woodrow Aames
Woodrow Aames has written articles and profiles for Yahoo, Microsoft Network, Microsoft Encarta, and other websites and print magazines around the world. He holds an MFA degree and has taught English abroad.