By Donald Pang

Is getting an Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design enough? You might argue that it does not take long to get the mechanics right. One or two years in fashion school is more than enough to learn how to stitch an outfit together. In that time, you could also learn how to sketch gorgeous pieces. You may also be one of the lucky few who can conceptualize genius pieces at the drop of a hat.

In today’s day and age, designers of all fields have to be IT savvy. And top design schools offer modules to teach various Adobe and Gerber software. If you are familiar with all the basics mentioned already, congratulations! You are ready to work as an entry-level fashion designer.

Some graduates might think:

‘If I can be a fashion designer with just my advanced diploma, why should I waste time and money to pursue a bachelor’s degree?’

If you are Coco Chanel or Christian Dior, you could go right ahead without your bachelor’s. Coco had rich suitors which gave her access to dress his rich and influential friends. On the other hand, Dior was born in a rich family and had high levels of creative vision.

For regular designers without such privileges, here are 3 reasons to further your education. You might have to take a bank loan or work for a couple of years before you enroll into your bachelor’s degree year. But your efforts will be well worth it!

Having a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design will allow you to:

1) Command an average of $500 more for your monthly salary

Sometimes, job postings on the net offer a salary range. Employers usually offer the least possible salary for fresh diploma graduates. Regardless of your capability and work quality, not having a degree is a classic excuse for employers not to give you your rightful salary amount.

Fresh fashion design graduates can expect a salary of around $1800 a month to $2500. When the economy is bad, the job market can start posting jobs that pay only $1400. The best way to make sure that your income is at the higher percentile is to be qualified for it. And this means getting your bachelor’s degree.

2) Start work in a non entry-level position

Many companies will insist on hiring fresh graduates only if they take entry-level positions. Their standpoint being that someone on their first job needs a lot of guidance and has inferior work quality. They have a point. Everyone needs to start from somewhere. But in most cases, they have little to no intentions of raising your salary anytime soon.

As an intern or a junior fashion designer, you will often have mentors or seniors to ‘learn’ from. Fashion is a fast-paced industry. And most of the time, candidates have to be resourceful enough to learn on their feet. One common method of training an intern is to assign professional jobs, give three lines or so of instructions or tips, and a deadline. A junior can openly ask for guidance from a senior. But will often end up taking over some of the senior’s work as ‘training’. Most interns and juniors leave after a year to search for other jobs once they have built a strong portfolio.

And studying for your bachelor’s degree after your advanced diploma takes an additional year too.

Starting work in a non entry-level position allows you to start earning a decent salary. And also take on a workload that is reasonable. Even at a regular fashion designer’s position, you are still entitled to ask for guidance. So if you ever get offered a job at this position, go for it!

3) Position yourself for future promotions

It is possible to be a fashion designer with just a diploma. But if you really love fashion and want to further your career, it is best to apply for your bachelor’s degree. When fashion companies think of promoting internally, they look for two things – job experience and education. Because these are two major factors needed to lead staff.

Ample work experience shows that you can lead by example. Having high paper qualifications lets others respect you for being smart and having earned your dues. Staff might be resentful to a superior with qualifications lower than theirs. So managements always do their best to make sure their senior staffs are qualified.

There are many other benefits in store when you pursue your bachelor’s degree in fashion design. Mainly:

– You get professional guidance from lecturers. – You can build your portfolio in school. – You can sign up for fashion or design internships during your breaks. – You build up your industry contacts and make friends with like-minded fashion designers.

About the Author: Do you want to study fashion design degree in Asia Pacific? Raffles Education Corporation operates 38 design schools in 14 countries such as Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia, Singapore, Sydney – Australia, India, China, Bangkok – Thailand, Manila – Philippines and Vietnam, etc

Source: isnare.com

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