... have their heads on straight.
I attended fashion design school in NYC in 1966-68. After graduation, I tried to find a job in the field, but - as you say - the competition is fierce. I started school with the idea of being a designer, but later decided to be a pattern-maker. It was not a "glamourous" job by any means, but it was a skill I'd discovered I had an aptitude for, and found quite interesting.
After graduation, I met with several employment agencies that placed people in the industry, but was met with "if you work as a receptionist for six-to-ten years at a fashion house, you might get a shot at a job in the pattern-making department."
Being young and impatient, I realized that this was NOT how I wanted to break into the industry. I just didn't want it "that bad" - which meant I wasn't right for it. You have to really "want it" to work your way up. So kudos to your daughter who stuck it out, despite the competitive market.
I wound up starting my own small business designing and making stage clothes for bands in the late 60s/early 70s, when musicians wanted to out-do each other with unique outfits. From there, I started designing album covers and band logos - which is how I met my first husband, who was a well-known record producer who had seen my work, and hired me to do some album covers for his own label.
From there, my fashion career turned into a career in the music biz, and eventually as a writer for a music business magazine. Eventually, I started a music consulting firm with an entertainment lawyer - and realized that the law was much more fascinating to me than the music biz. So I wound up becoming a court reporter.
Funny how life can lead us to where we were meant to be - whether it was our original ambition or not.
Making less-than-great money doing what you WANT to do while living in the most exciting city in the world? It's not for everyone - but it sounds good to me.
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