Andrea Albright

Once, I started as a psychology major and switched to Apparel and Textiles second semester of my freshman year.

Taking a lot of electives in multiple colleges to find what I was passionate about.

Yes, two internships, one at Debenhams in the UK on the international team serving the Middle Eastern countries and another at Testrite Sourcing in Taiwan working in the home division.

A lot of career fairs, networking with my personal and professional connections, and a ton of interviews. The process at many corporations can be daunting and long.

There is no typical day, it is different every single day. One day may be supplier meetings, another day may be strategy, another day may be store or market trips, or you may have a day that entails all of the above.

Its never the same, it is always changing.

Do an internship first, make sure you are comfortable with the time and pace needed to be successful.

A lot of time in entry level positions and cross functional support roles.

Yes, I have always been a buyer/merchant and I found my self in a product development role. Completely out of my comfort zone but absolutely the right thing for my career.

I am married (2^nd marriage) with 2 children. We have lived in NYC and are now located in Bentonville, AR. It has made me prioritize more efficiently on what is really important to me. I don’t think I have watched TV in 2 years (children’s shows excluded.)

My current role because of the scope and complexity of the business.

Real responsibility is by far the biggest change. This is your life and there is no one to push you to attend class or good grades. It is 100% up to you and the lifestyle that you want to live. You can and will get fired if you do not perform.

Use the library and attend any guest lectures that are offered. You will never again have that kind of access to that much learning.

Math for merchandising.

Microsoft Office (excel, PPT, etc.)

Yes, most of them work in the industry and it is a very small circle of people.