Growing up, I aspired to be a princess. I assumed, like most rational five year olds, that not only was being a princess an actual career path but that it was the only career path for a girl like me. I could wear beautiful gowns, prance around in tiaras and tell people what to do. What’s not to love? Sadly, that dream came to abrupt halt when my mom found it necessary to inform me that I was mistaken, that the odds of me becoming an actual princess were quite miniscule. Luckily, children are resilient and I recovered from this heartbreak quite quickly. Through growth and maturity, I soon set my sites on higher aspirations and announced that I would be one of the following: a doctor, a lawyer, a fashion designer or a hybrid of all three. To most, that list of possible career paths might seem all over the place with very little, if anything, in common. However, most people would be wrong. All three potential careers were positions of leadership, of being in charge, something that appeals to me as much today as it did when I was five years old, dreaming of being a princess. Working in retail was never part of my long-term career goals until I attended the University of Montevallo. In fact, the idea of working in retail past the age of twenty-two sounded almost painful. Working on weekends and on holidays? Who would subject themselves to such torture? Yet, at the age of twenty I found myself enrolling in Montevallo’s Retail Merchandising and Business program with a smile on face. The prospect of becoming a buyer was almost too good to be true and I quickly envisioned myself styling the masses in the clothing that I had specifically selected for them. I would happily trade my weekends and holidays for the opportunity to play dress up every single day. Unfortunately, as with most things in life, timing is everything and I graduated in 2008 - during the worst recession