One of the most desirable jobs in the fashion industry is in merchandising. This is because there are far more of these jobs available than there are for designers. However merchandisers still get to user their artistic skills and their flair for design in their jobs. In order to break into this field you will likely need to have an associate's degree in fashion merchandising.
Fashion merchandising is one of the most highly sought after jobs in the fashion industry. This is because it is a job that allows you to use your design skills and allows you to be creative. Most fashion merchandising jobs are with the stores. The job normally entails creating the displays that they use to show case their merchandise. This is not as simple as it sounds and it takes a real flair for design. It also requires a good understanding of marketing. People who can do this well are in huge demand since they can dramatically affect sales.
The basic entry requirement for a career in fashion merchandising is an associate's degree. There are lots of places that you can earn a degree but for the most part it will be at a design school. Most of the regular colleges don't offer programs in this field. If you are going to attend a private design school, or any school for that matter you are going to want to make sure that they are properly accredited. There is nothing worse than putting in the time and money to earn a degree only to find out it was from a school that didn't have proper accreditation.
While and associate's degree in fashion merchandising is the entry level requirement you will likely find that to get the better jobs you will probably need a bachelors degree. This doesn't mean that you need to dive right into a bachelor's degree program. You may want to start off with an associate's degree just so you can see if the field is for you. However you are going to want to make sure that the credits you earn towards you associate's degree can be transferred into a bachelors degree program in case you decide that you want to upgrade down the road.
One option that is becoming increasingly popular is to pursue your associate's degree in fashion merchandising online. While this isn't as popular as it is in other fields it is starting to become more and more popular. This is especially true if you already work in the fashion industry. It is a great way to get your foot in the door to work at one of the less popular jobs and then transfer to merchandising. Getting a degree online can be a good way to help you do this. However you do have to be careful, online learning isn't for everybody. You need to realistically assess your skills to determine your chances of being successful.