“This is a man’s world, but it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing with out a woman or a girl.” While we can save the debate of sexes for another time, for Christine Flammia, James Brown’s lyrics are actually quite literally true.
Christine has landed post-grad at Men’s Health as Assistant Fashion Editor. But before entering “the real world,” this former Style Guru made a big impression on us during her time at CollegeFashionista. From representing two different schools during her Style Guru days, being a rockstar editor and participating in many brand features, we knew early on Christine was destined to make waves in the journalism field.
We caught up with Christine has she reflects and shares the five things she has learned (and continues to learn) along her journey in the industry.
1. Talk to EVERYONE. I’m a firm believer that everyone can teach you something—whether it’s about the world or about yourself. Talking to other people that you relate with is great, but sometimes it’s even better to talk to people you have seemingly nothing in common with. If you’re in fashion, talk to engineers. If you love New York, talk to people who live in the mountains.
2. Be curious. About both your world and the one far beyond. Ask questions, read books, explore new places while you can.
3. Find mentors. Find people who do things you’re interested in. Ask them how they got to where they are, where they find inspiration. They can help guide you to your next career move and provide specific insight you might otherwise never know.
4. If you’re not happy, change it. Transferring colleges was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made—more difficult than choosing my first college was. I could have gotten through the first school just fine, but I just knew it wasn’t what I needed at the time—kind of like a burnt out relationship. Changing my surroundings put everything into a new perspective and gave me the shock I needed to be happy.
5. If you want something, want it the hardest. You don’t need to be the most talented or most social or most connected to get what you want. You just have to want it, through and through—and not stop at anything until you get there. This is the one time in your life where you can completely focus on what you want for you. And if it doesn’t work out, at least you can know that you tried.
