When people think about entering the fashion industry, there's one career path they always seem to look at: fashion design. But there are actually plenty of other jobs and professions in fashion that are as involved and important as designing clothing. Take, for example, fashion merchandising. Although this career path doesn't get a lot of attention, it's a vital part of the industry helping to get designs off of the runway and into stores.

If you want to get into this career you'll first have to get the right education and training with help from a fashion merchandising college. You'll learn the ins and outs of the industry as you gain practical experience and make the connections necessary for entering the field.

Depending on the fashion merchandising college you attend, you may be able to pursue anything from a two-year Associate in Art degree or a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in the field. You may also want to couple this education with classes or even a major or minor in a related field like fashion design or fashion marketing.

Particular courses in your degree course will likely vary depending upon the fashion merchandising college you choose. You'll like take a wide range of courses that include subjects like business law, fashion sketching, publicity and promotions, merchandising math, accounting principles, trend-spotting, merchandising, fashion development, salesmanship, and the history of fashion.

Once you land a job in fashion merchandising, you'll find that your days are spent attending fashion shows, speaking with designers, buying clothing and designs, overseeing advertising and marketing campaigns that deal with your store and its products, and managing the stores within your business network. You'll also find yourself negotiating business deals with manufacturers and suppliers, and possibly arranging store displays depending on the size of the business you work for and the level of hands-on work expected of you.

The most important thing you'll do in your fashion merchandising career, is perfect your ability to pick out the next big thing in fashion before anyone else does. This ability will be grounded in your new knowledge of past fashions and trends - something you will gain by attending a fashion merchandising college -- and will hopefully be further bolstered by your own good taste in clothing.

As you can see, a fashion merchandising career puts you in touch with many different facets of the fashion industry. So if you're looking for something that's more than just designing clothes or attending fashion shoots, fashion merchandising may be just the ticket. Just don't forget to choose wisely when it comes to the fashion merchandising college you want to attend; do your research early and often, and always check whether the school or program you're looking for is properly accredited.