The D&M One-Two Punch

The Design and Merchandising program teaches students the building blocks of design, strategic planning, organization and fundamentals of business. The curriculum touches upon multiple facets of creative and business industries, which is one of the reasons why the program is so great. Not every D&M dreams of being a stylist or working with clothing directly. The number of directions that are possible after graduation are endless.

The beauty of our program is that it offers a one-two punch of sorts. We have the opportunity to experience all different areas of creative and business through a wide variety of courses. We are then allowed to go out into the real world for six months and apply of our lessons from school.

Interning during my junior year is the best experience I could have asked for. After being in class for two and a half years I was able to acquire the tools that would allow me to strive at my internship. I had taken a wide variety of courses and my skill set was where it needed to be. After five months of interning I have to say I have learned much more than I ever expected to. Being thrown into such a fast passed industry can be quite a shock to the system. While I do love working in creative services and being involved in the projects the people around me are working on, I know that I don’t necessary love working for such a massive corporation. These types of realizations don’t come from textbooks or quizzes, but experiencing the environment first hand.

Interning, no matter what company you work for, is a hugely rewarding experience. Not only have I learned more about the fashion industry, but I’ve learned so much more about myself and what I want out of a career.