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Name:
Melissa Rose McMillan
Age: 20
Current Profession: Student
Desired Profession: Fashion Magazine Editor
City/State of Residence: Lubbock, TX |
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| Melissa's
Question:
I'm currently working on a bachelor's degree in both fashion
merchandising and journalism, with a minor in apparel design
and manufacturing. I'm planning on continuing my education with
a master's degree to set myself apart, in light of the fact
that a bachelor's degree is so common these days. Is that necessary?
Would you advise continuing on this route, or would you suggest
something else? Is a degree in both fashion and journalism what
you would recommend for preparing to work at a fashion magazine?
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| About
Bronmin Shumway: Bronmin Shumway is Editor-in-Chief
of HereThere Magazine and host of the online show,
"Poet's Kitchen." She has worked for various
media outlets, and currently freelances for a variety
of clients and publications. Her poetry has appeared in
After Hours, X Magazine, VOX,
The Green Muse, The Aurora Review, LanguageandCulture.net,
Illya's Honey, in addition to other literary magazines
and journals. Her articles have appeared in both national
and trade magazines. |
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Bronmin's
Answer: I have worked for magazines with a fashion
or design bent, and can tell you that while a degree can
certainly help you get your foot in the door, your clips
are likely to mean a whole lot more.
My initial thought is that you probably don't need a master's
degree to land the job of your dreams. You're more likely
to find that in addition to excellent writing skills and
a solid book of clips, a working knowledge of the fashion
industry, experience in publishing, and the relationships
you build along the way will ultimately be more valuable
to you career-wise. If you are not doing so already, I
would suggest that you write and submit articles to fashion
magazines now, while you are still working on your bachelor's
degree. Be sure to follow submission guidelines to the
letter. If no submission or editorial guidelines are readily
available, a well-written query letter or e-mail sent
to the managing editor should result in a response that
will help you to understand the types of articles the
publication is seeking. Be sure to familiarize yourself
with a magazine before sending even a query letter. Editors
don't usually tolerate poorly written query letters that
don't express a genuine interest in their magazine. Keep
your query letters relatively brief, and be careful not
to be too personal. That said, it is okay to let them
know that you are still in college. It may even be to
your benefit! You may find that an editor becomes interested
in you, and even invites you to apply for an internship
or beginning editorial position.
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