choosing sociology or changing to fashion business/Media communications?

Hey I was in your position. I got into a Russel Group to do sociology at uni of Sheffield I’m from Manchester too so going elsewhere always felt a bit of a downgrade to me because I like the bustle of Manchester. I did a gap year because I just wanted to asses my options.

I found over the year I wanted to go into business maybe a fashion buying role and would naturally gravitate towards jobs that were like analyst or buying roles within businesses but retained an element of creativity. So I decided to do business with law to keep my options open but I didn’t feel it was creative enough so I transferred to fashion business. I really enjoy the course and I find it gives me motivation because I genuinely enjoy it and you find because it’s so specific it really helps to work towards a career and keeps you driven. I do plan on doing a masters in sociology however just for my own personal development because I still feel it’s important to me to explore that field and have a well rounded education in something more broad.

I think you have to remember that this subject you choose is what you’ll be expected to be a mini expert in once it’s completed so I would do the thing that you want to go into a role in and are passionate about. It’s really vital that you actually enjoy what you study and you’re interested in it because if not you’re going to dread university and stop engaging and feel like the whole experience is not for you. It’s a really big grounding technique when other things aren’t going your way if at the core of it you enjoy your subject you feel like you are the right path it suddenly feels better.

With sociology you can most definitely go into marketing but you just have to remember the people that have studied that directly and can prove they have the best understanding and passion for the area will most likely be the best candidates naturally.

Are you working in the fashion industry in Manchester now, or anywhere in the UK? If yes, what role/ positions are you working as? is it really hard to find fashion jobs and internships in Manchester, especially when I just have sociology bachelor degree? I discovered that the fashion internships in Manchester are jut a few and I won't find fashion jobs in London because it is too far away from my home. I would like to work at luxury brand Chanel/Dior/ Prada or Boohoo, PrettyLittleThings.

I don't know if it is too difficult to find fashion jobs and internships in Manchester without a fashion degree ( if I just have a sociology bachelor degree), because all of the universities in Manchester provide fashion business courses and the students can gain some practical skills that are especially for fashion business. Therefore, employees may tend to hire students who already acquired fashion skills and experience on fashion , rather than students with sociology’s transferable skills. But I will try to do some extra works and put them onto my CV such as attending short online fashion courses, Excel courses, learning Adobe illustrator or any software for fashion. I am not sure if this will be much useful for me to apply to fashion jobs in Manchester.

I want to transfer to study fashion business Yr 1 at Manchester Metropolitan University but I am afraid that I won't be accepted as I only have sociology background. I am an international student who studied social sciecnes international foundation and sociology year one at Sussex Uni . So, I don't have any business background . As far as I known, MMU is a relatively lenient university for international students. But I don't know if they will still accept students with no business background to enroll in their fashion business courses e.g fashion business management, fashion marketing, fashion buying and merchandising. From your reply, I saw you mentioned you chose to change from sociology to business with law and then transferred to fashion business at the end. Therefore,in the UK, it is possible for business subjects in the universities to accept students with non-business background to enroll in business courses? even though the students have never studied modules that learn about business?

Many Thank!

Hey I still study at MMU, although finding experience can be hard with fashion business I could essentially work for any retailer or business based job. It’s essentially a business degree with also a fashion degree.
You can most certainly study fashion business at undergrad with your sociology background. Your first year wouldn’t really count as experience in your desired degree so don’t worry a lot of us in the UK don’t have direct experience in our pre degree qualifications. I entered with applied business, photography and sociology ALevels. I did enter with business with law and change but I could have entered with English and switched a lot of subjects you can do that and also go onto study at higher level without background experience it’s just more competitive and “cleaver” degrees where background knowledge is essential like sciences, health and veterinary.

With sociology you could most definitely get on with business studies graduate schemes a lot of English literature and language graduates end up in general business graduate degrees. A common graduate career for sociology students is literally marketing and also research based roles.
What I would advise for you is continue your sociology and then do your post grad in something more specific like fashion business.

Working for Chanel, Dior, Vouge etc back of house is the dream but a lot of the time youd probably be looking at a job working for next, dunelm, george, JD, River Island etc than high fashion it’s probably a better work culture too.