I'm 50 years old. Graduated from high school on a Friday in June 1987, and went to work for a tech company on Monday. 20 years later I got an AA degree in Fashion Design in 18-months, because hiring managers needed to be able to mark the box "College Degree?" with a "Yes", when I was applying for jobs. I never got to experience college. Intense learning environments. Honing your mind and skills against instructors and classmates. Doing the hard work of finals and timeline management and learning hard shit. And then fully letting go, with fellow classmates, in a bacchanalian release. Feeling pride for my mascot/team/school (because of Stockholm Syndrome) and having that connection with people for the rest of my life, because of our shared experience with that school/team/mascot. My life is amazing. My skills are at the top of my game, and I get paid handsomely for it. But that doesn't mean that I don't miss what you are about to experience... I'm having some major twinges of jealously...
I'm going to try and enjoy it as much as I can. A year ago I probably would have said that the social side of uni "wasn't for me" but now I have the mindset of trying to experience it and make the most of these 3-5 years. Also, if I may ask, why did you chose fashion design specifically? It seems like it wouldn't have any overlap with what you actually do for a living?
Two reasons: 1. I had always had a knack for dressing women. Even when I was super young - junior high school - I used to help friends, my mom, my sister, with style questions. "Does this coat look good?" "Do these earrings work with this top?" The advice I gave was generally not what they were expecting, but it turned out they loved it. Often, when shopping with female friends, I'd suggest they try something on... they'd look at me weird, and grudgingly say, "Uh... ok." and try it on... and it would become their FAVORITE item in their whole wardrobe. So it seemed I had a talent/eye for women's styling. I wondered if that talent carried over into design, as well... and... 2. I needed a job desperately, and because I didn't have a college degree, I couldn't even get my foot in the door anywhere. When I looked at my finances and realized that in a short 18 months of intense school schedule I could get that check mark AND find out if I was a good clothing designer, well... it seemed like the right idea at the time. It led to a VERY interesting 5-7 year phase of my life. Here's a photo of me being interviewed by Hip Bop Battle magazine/podcast, at the MAGIC Menswear Tradeshow in Las Vegas in 2007, for example.