This is sort of a weird path.

First off I had a full-ride scholarship to fashion school overseas, I dropped out of university to accept it. But lest I give the impression I'm some kind of Proenza Schouler-esque design prodigy, I most certainly am not, I quickly realized I was totally outclassed design-wise by some of my classmates. But rather than have an existential crisis over it I figured I could put it to use somehow. Ended up going back to university, switching my major to international studies/business, figured I could at least work in the industry.

Ended up as a translator, I originally specialized in work for fashion think-tanks. I liked it for, um, two months. That was when I was told I was 'too good' to work on fashion, I got put on the government beat instead, and my life became hell for the next two years. I only realized much later that my workplace was a textbook case of emotional abuse. By the end of it my confidence was shattered, I felt like I was worthless, that I had no skills to offer anywhere, and that I'd be stuck in that job forever.

I somehow cobbled together a resume and slapped it online in a kind of hail Mary pass, and three days later I got a call from what's now my current workplace. It's an HR job, which I hadn't really thought about too much before, but I've come to really like the position. They trained me, brought me up to speed, and I was handling major tasks within my first couple months on the job. When you work overseas 'international studies' is kinda applicable anywhere you go, but I find it especially relevant to my work these days.