Dress for Success
Any typical day most college students roll out of bed just before noon and throw some sweats on and head to class or something along those lines. Being comfortable is one of most important things to a college student. Who cares what you look like, if you match, or if there is an occasional stain or two on your jacket. This is how I lived and dressed for my first three years of college at the University of Oregon. It was my personal belief that my attire did not represent anything about me. It was almost as if I did not care at all. And honestly I had completely different values back then. I was more about partying and just not caring what other people thought of me. This was the same for most of my peer group as well. I think that this can be said for most college students when they first get away form their families and are starting to live out on their own. There was more of a sense of freedom, more of a sense of choice in what they want to wear. I just so happened to choose sweatpants and athletic clothing. Besides the rare collard shirt what I would sometimes wear on a Monday it was mostly t-shirts and shorts. My wardrobe consisted of clothes that I could work out in and be comfortable. I believe the fact that I have a background in sports and in athletics is one of the main reasons for the way that I dressed. My family and I are all athletes and I believe the values that I learned playing sports at a young age shaped how I expressed myself, especially when it came to my attire. My father and bother both played basketball in college and we are all about the same size when it comes to clothes and shoes. I had the benefit of being able to raid both of their closets for athletic clothes that I wanted to wear.
Today, I dress much differently. I find myself waking up at a respectable hour, combing my hair, and wearing nice clothes. As a senior now I care about how I look and how I present myself. I am not sure weather it is the fact that I am older and about to graduate or it is the fact that I will be holding a job soon. I think these are the main reasons why I have started to dress nicer and present myself in an according manner. The realization that I am going to be joining the so-called “real world” has changed how I present myself and dress. These reasons such as getting a job have made me change my attire and actually change my values. It sounds somewhat superficial but it is important what others think of you. I no longer roll out of bed around noon anymore but try to always present myself as a sharp dresser. When it comes to my outfits and attire I now try and live by the motto, “dress for the job you want”. In other words, if I want to have a good job that pays well and that I enjoy I have to dress accordingly. No one will hire me if I show up to the job interview in shorts and a basketball t-shirt. At least I hope they would not. My closet and drawers are now lined and filled with nice clothes such as “Calvin Klein” or “Polo”. This is almost the polar opposite of what my closet used to look like. In the past my clothes were mostly t-shirts, sweatpants, or athletic clothing. All these clothes were comfortable. However now that I have become accustomed to wearing nicer clothes such as slacks and button downs I have found that these types of clothes are also comfortable as well. I am not saying that I don’t still like to wear sweatpants and t-shirts anymore but its more around the house or to the gym.
I have noticed that this trend has also taken hold with my peers as well. More and more often do I overhear my friends saying that they just got some new clothes or just bought a new watch or something along those lines. As I get older my values have changed and this definitely can be seen in my wardrobe and how I dress myself. This can also be said to an extent for my peers. People are going on job interviews and business presentations, and they are dressing sharp and trying to impress.