3 steps to choosing your career path

Introducing our newest #DebutDoll, Molly Tullis from Chicago, Illinois! Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the second print issue of Debut Magazine to hear more about Molly but, in the meantime, she’s offering some advice on finding the right career for you. 

If you’ve found yourself reading this article – then odds are, you and I have a couple of things in common. You’re probably into fashion. You’re most likely to have a couple of career goals and without a doubt, you believe in girl power.

My name is Molly Tullis and I’m so happy to be making my debut at Debut as one of their #DebutDolls. For my first foray as a doll, I wanted to give a little background about myself and my story to give some precedence to the rest of my stories to come! First things first: I’m based in Chicago, Illinois in the grand ol’ U.S. of A. I spent some time working in London, however, and I’ve missed it ever since I’ve come back!

I majored in public relations and advertising at college, and minored in marketing. I also got a Certificate of Fashion Marketing from Central Saint Martins and a Certificate of Fashion Essentials from Parsons New School. During all of my time at school (which is four years in the states), I kept myself busy interning. I’ve done internships in fashion, public relations, and advertising; specifically, with The Communications Store in London, Karla Otto in New York, and Cosmopolitan magazine in Chicago. At the end of day, my favorite job is running my blog, Haute Tempered.

Currently, I’m working at a major luxury publishing house in Chicago in public relations and advertising. I’ve been around the block when it comes to internships and working in all sorts of fashion and media jobs. But how did I even get there in the first place? If you’re deciding where you want to go in your career, it feels overwhelming. Especially when many of these fields are connected and similar.

There are three things to ask yourself when it comes to figuring out which fashion or media job is for you.

What is my end goal?
The first question you want to ask yourself when setting out on your career search is where you want to be at the end of the day. If you want to be a Creative Director, then maybe you should start looking at polishing your portfolio. If you love multi-tasking and producing, then maybe you should look at being an event planner or runway show coordinator. The best way to figure out where to start is to envision yourself at the end (of course, it’s a journey – it never really ends!).

Who do I look up to?
I’ve interned in a myriad of different positions. Once I graduated and started my career, then it came time to make a decision. Luckily, positions in fashion media oftentimes are similar enough that you can switch between the two. But you can’t do this forever, especially as you climb the ranks (which you will!). One way to identify where you want to end up is to pick out women that you admire. Do you love Eva Chen? Maybe a job in social media and fashion is for you. If you love Anna Wintour, maybe sign up for an editorial internship. This is a fool proof trick for me and I think about new role models every few months.

What am I good at?
I majored in public relations and advertising when I went to school. But before I picked my major, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew a few of my strengths: writing, public speaking, and multi-tasking. I set out to discover how those traits could help me in a career. More specifically, what career required those traits? I knew that public speaking is the number one phobia in people, so that was something I should capitalize on. Figure out what makes you tick and turn it into a skillset!

There’s no magic formula to figure out your career path – some of it comes with experience. You have to get your hands dirty and discover what you love. But the best place to start is asking yourself those three questions. You’ll have a better idea of where you are and who you want to be – and that’s the best place to start!

Words: Molly Tullis
Tweet Molly @MollyTullis