From Law to Fashion
In early 2020 I was faced with a difficult question that would completely change the direction of my life. In 2019, I enrolled in Law school after having graduated High School. I had always had a significant interest in Law; from watching Suits to being a major crime junkie fan, I even attended a summer course at the University of Cambridge. I convinced myself that my life path was going to be Law. After a few months of being at Law school, I realized how much I disliked it. I felt stressed all the time and had no time to spend with friends because I was constantly studying and worrying. When sitting through my lectures, I felt like they were speaking an entirely different language. It was almost painful even to try to grasp the concepts being taught. On a grim afternoon started thinking to myself, “maybe this isn’t for me?”. A daunting thought that I didn’t even want to entertain. Regardless of all of it, I pushed myself to try as hard as I could. Then, in January, I got my grades back from the first semester and found out that I had failed all my exams. I felt embarrassed, lost, and confused; I couldn’t understand where I had gone so wrong. Once I realized this was my reality, I started thinking about if Law was the right path for me. A month later, I packed up my things, got on a plane, and flew back to Dubai, where I had lived for the past eight years.
I had no plan, not even a sliver of an idea of what I should do with myself. I decided to sign up for a career coaching program with a wonderful woman who had coached many people like me. Through the sessions I did with her, I realized for myself the options I had and that I have A LOT of hobbies. So I did what any regular person does: google. When googling online, I knew my search criteria were limited; I knew I wanted to stay in Dubai, I knew I wanted to go into the direction of Marketing. I stumbled across an undergraduate program, “Fashion Marketing and Retailing” I thought to myself… “this sounds really cool.” So what did I do? I enrolled! Once I received my acceptance letter, I was beyond thrilled. I felt motivated, excited. I finally felt like I was going in the right direction.
Looking back at that version of myself a year later, I truly understand the meaning of Failure being the true key to success. As I passed all of my first-year classes, I received an award for academic excellence. On top of that, I have been an Intern at Christian Dior since April 2021, working in the Product Department, a dream come true. In less than 12 months, I learned that growth doesn’t happen overnight. Failure is the most crucial lesson in life to propel you to the next version of your higher self.
By Marie-Julie Van Der Klauw