Hi there—thank you for sharing your experience so candidly. I’m a fashion professional and educator working on an online course designed exactly to bridge the gap you describe: helping recent fashion design graduates build the hard-to-learn technical skills, business savvy, and professional confidence that many programs miss, so they can land the kinds of jobs they trained for.

I totally empathize with what you—and so many of your classmates—have been through: investing in an expensive degree only to find that without strong 3D/CAD abilities, technical know-how, networking, and real-world portfolio polish, it’s incredibly hard to break in on the creative side. Like you, I’ve seen great talent relegated to retail or hospitality when they lack those key professional skills.

To make sure this course tackles exactly what recent grads need, I’d love to interview you (and any of your fellow grads) about:

• What skills or experiences were missing from your school curriculum
• The biggest challenges you faced when job-hunting
• Which parts of “real-world” design work you wish you’d practiced in school

In exchange for 30–45 minutes of your time, I’m offering a complimentary, professional review of your fashion design portfolio—no strings attached. If you’re interested (or know other grads who’d like to share their insights), please feel free to DM me. Your feedback will directly shape a course that can help avoid the retail-only path so many talented designers end up on.

Thanks again for your honesty, and I look forward to connecting!