I want to first define “working in fashion.” It is such a vast term that I don’t think people fully understand how many different types of work actually exist. Of course, fashion companies need people in sales and finance just like any other businesses. If you go to the Careers section on Business of Fashion, there are over a thousand job listings categorised in nearly 30 different functions. However, the glamorous version of working in fashion involves dressing up flamboyantly in the latest collections, attending shows and fashion events. This is the world that people see through social media, and naturally people want to be a part of exactly that. This, however, isn’t the reality of working in fashion – but only a tiny part of it.

A job in fashion, like any other job, means you serve some sort of function in a company such as a magazine, brand, creative agency, etc. You can also be a creative whom clients pay because you have a certain set of skills combined with your own unique sense of aesthetics that they want. This encompasses entrepreneurs, photographers, stylists, creative and art directors, graphic designers, videographers and many more. Like any other field, fashion jobs require either experience, skills, talent or all of the above.

I had a business degree, and always thought I would end up working in finance for some big bank. My “passion for fashion” was never more than showcasing my sense of aesthetics and personal style on Instagram. I was in my first semester in Masters in Finance when I attended Paris Men’s Fashion Week as a friend’s plus-one, and that’s also when I decided to pursue a fashion career, without knowing what or how. But I knew that even though I didn’t have any fashion education or special skills, styling would be my thing, and that I had a talent for putting clothes together.

It was a tough transition period, as I had stopped going to school, and was switching between retail jobs while styling test shoots for fun. I was also living in a country where people live by an unspoken rule to not stand out, but my fashion sense did and I was not afraid to show it. My first paid fashion job was styling a music artist whom discovered me on Instagram. She told me she loved the way I dressed and asked me to also dress her for her music video.

I was thrown into the styling world at that moment, and without any assisting experience I’ve made every styling mistake there is in the book. Now, a year and a half later, I am also exploring art direction and starting a fashion brand, with no background in either.

The amazing thing about the creative side of fashion is that there are no rules, and there is truly no set mould. The journey you pave for yourself will naturally be the determining factor for your future achievements. I would not advise anyone to follow the same path as I did, because it would not work for them. One thing for certain is that no matter what you end up doing in fashion, you must start from somewhere. Find your niche, work hard and be persistent towards perfecting it. Be humble, meet people whom you can share your passion and collaborate with, and be willing to take on opportunities that come your way.

A Chinese-born American raised and now residing in Oslo, Norway, Alice Wang is a fashion stylist and consultant who is in the midst of starting her own clothing line. Follow her at @itsalicewang.