On October 15, 2007, less than one month after graduation, and after a much needed vacation, Jamie was hired as an Associate Technical Designer, in the product development department at Cutter & Buck. The Seattle-based company designs and markets upscale golf-inspired sportswear and outerwear.

Jamie is responsible for coordinating the clothing development through its life cycle. Her days consist of communicating with merchandising, design, and color and production teams throughout this process. Jamie participates in garment fittings, including audits to vendors and factories, garment sampling, trim applications, construction detail, pattern review and revisions, and helping with development of garment labels and hangtags.

How did your education prepare you for this position? "At IADT I was able to gain knowledge in the area I wanted my career to go. I knew I wanted to be in sportswear and was really able to learn more about fabric construction, different types of machines used to make sportswear garments, to the type of seams or stitching it needed. Because of all the technical packages and pattern making I had to do in my classes, I became to really like them. That’s when I realized I wanted to be a Technical Designer. Most of my day is spent working on technical packages and a few times a week I am doing pattern making."

What are your goals for the next 5 years? "I plan on staying at Cutter & Buck for a while, and I hope to continue to move up within product development and become a Lead Technical Designer."

What would you like to say to current students? "The most important thing I can suggest is listening to the instructors! They know what they are talking about. Ask them for advice and ask a lot of questions, because once you’re in the working world you are expected to know what you are doing. Oh, and never burn a bridge with a classmate or an instructor, in this industry you can not afford to have any enemies because you never know who is going to hire you next. I actually was hired by a previous instructor."

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