I'm majoring in illustration, and had to take the long route for various reasons (gonna be the oldest in my class aw yeah) so no, not really.

Truth be told, it bothers me when I see people drawing clothing and they have no idea how clothing works and is put together and the way different kinds of cloth acts...

Nope.
I work in a creative industry, they kind of expect us to be a little "weird." At this point my bosses not only know I cosplay, but they've seen photos and think it's fairly impressive that I'm able to make all this stuff.

Yes and no. I have to be a little bit more careful on what I disclose on the internet since any client can search me and see I dress up in silly costumes. While I'm in a very open-minded field (Social work), the clients I serve tend not to be as open-minded and can use the fact I cosplay as a way to undermine my authority.

Hasn't happened yet with the 5 clients I have so far, they like me plenty and respect my authority but I tend not to be too authoritative until I absolutely have to be (and even then, its mostly with the teenagers I have on my caseload, or the more younger-minded mothers) and they respond well to that.

>history teacher

Hahahahahahaha.

You should totally do historical cosplay if you can. Your students will think you're a massive dork, but that's ok.

im a music major,
and we have shit tons of very time consuming everything.
i only do one big cosplay a year because of it.
i have to do all the work during holidays too,
oh well

Major: Public Relations

Depending on what I'll end up doing, I will most likely have to be very careful about my private life, especially if I work in a corporate setting. I don't cosplay or wear lolita much in the first place, so this doesn't bother me.

>>5337238
OHAY I'M IN ILLUSTRATION TOO

and no I don't think graduating will affect my desire to cosplay

Not a cosplayer myself but involved in the culture. I work as a mechanic, and basically my co-workers already have deemed me weird.

High school English teacher.

Yeah, I killed most of my cosplay accounts and fb is completely on private (which every teacher should do unless they want to accidentally lose their job). When I go to a con I'm "going out of town to visit friends" which is still totally honest.

No, nothing has changed. It's a hobby, it's my personal life. It's none of my job's business what I do on my "off time" and it's not illegal.

I think I deserve a vacation now and then, and if I choose to go to a convention, so be it. I just don't talk about it in detail.

Sort of. I dont have time for a job between now and april because of school getting too heavy, which means I cant afford to make new cosplay. All of my new costumes seem to happen may-november.

Theater major, and I work as a college dining hall waitress.
So being a theater major who likes Doctor Who and Supernatural and dresses up in costumes is no big deal, and I honestly don't think the cooks and other waiters I work with give a fuck what I do in my spare time. I work with a guy who writes science fiction novels for fun, we all have odd hobbies.

>>5337335
This.

If you're going into what could be considered a "professional" job (and I see you are OP) then kill any cosplay accounts you have or set them to absolute private.

I'm a biology teacher and some of my co-workers know I cosplay and they think it's cool. Just don't make it too public because it can undermine your authority, especially in the parents' eyes. Your students would probably think it's cool but you're an authority figure.

>>5337431 here.

I forgot to add that once you start teaching (I'm assuming you're a girl, if not I beg your pardon) don't do any "revealing" cosplays. So no Yokos, Tifas, etc. You don't want some of your students to see you as such if you encounter them at a con or have pics of that leak anywhere.

>>5337216
Working as an office drone in commercial real estate. No one really gets it, but no one seems to care that much either. My office is in a building right by the biggest convention center, so everyone is pretty aware that it's a thing, but that's about it.

My aunt is a teacher (she's 25, I'm 19 and a freshman in college), and she always has multiple horror stories about how pictures with tobacco or beer can ruin her reputation and jeopardize her job, despite the fact that she's of-age.

Just how the world works, but it usually depends on how far your employer wants to delve into your personal life.

Be safe, keep your accounts private, but don't lie when or if asked directly. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but it can affect how your co-workers, boss, or students view you as a professional.

I don't seriously think that my cosplay will hurt my chances at a job, but at the same time I've gotten much more wary about my internet privacy than I used to be.

financial analyst. Although I can't do it at work and don't have time to make cosplays anymore, I have a shit ton of money so I dress lolita on the weekends.

Teacher/Lolita and I love it.

Granted, I wear very casual toned down lolita and I work in a Montessori school, so the environment suits my hobby astoundingly well. I feel like Mrs. Frizzle.

>>5337542
By all means, do NOT add any coworkers or bosses to your Facebook/other social networking. You have no idea how many people get fired for the stupid shit they post on Facebook.

Lab coats are awesome.

>>5337578

Oh yeah. No relatives, no co-workers, no teachers until AFTER graduation (high school, college, it doesn't matter), and NEVER your boss. EVER.

My boss is a pro-life conservative feminist, and I'm an atheist pro-choice who voted for Obama. Fuck that.

Nope not really
i am studying psychology. ill be one cool as hell psychologist

Library/information specialist and cosplayer:

I have a "family/colleague/classmate" fb and a cosplay fb account where I can dump nerdy shit and not have it associated with "professional me". I do have cosplay accounts around but they aren't associated with my real name or linked from anything with my real name and my looks change so much with each character I'm not too concerned - besides, we arr rook same.

Also, it can be informative to google yourself once in a while to see what pops up. You may be able to clear up some of the things on your own or at least you might be able to tell where you need to tighten security/privacy settings.

>>5337316
Hi! :D

I should mention that I currently work retail and my boss/store manager does know that I go to conventions. She's asked me once if I go in costume and once thought I was going to SDCC... she's got a son who majored in graphic design so she kinda knows and really chill otherwise. The call center job that ended in December however I never mentioned cons or geeky things even though I wore geeky t-shirts on Friday. I don't think they would fire me if they knew that I liked up dress up as fictional characters in my spare time however. I wanted to wear cosplay-ish things for Halloween but then I realized if I did, the head set wouldn't fit over my wig.

I'm an acting major which keeps me from wearing lolita to school because of the movement restrictions.

Navyfag
Majoring in Science and Math
>LOLVAGUE
The only way it's affected my job is after SDCC11, one of my friends googled Steampunk Flash, printed out various pictures of me from them and posted them all over the place.

I didn't care because I'm egotistical.

>>5338132
So this is you?

>>5338143
Yup.

>>5338146
Aren't you the guy that paid way too much money for that? Or did someone else get the same sort of costume?

>>5338152
>paid way too much
Someone at the /cgl/ meetup that does costumes was inspecting me.
I don't know shit about how everything works but according to her the price could have been a lot higher.

Leatherwork, detailing on it, etc.

>>5338154
>Leatherwork
Oh okay, never mind then. I thought it was all basic stuff made to look like it, which when you said the price before was astounding.

>>5338146
See I think if family/friends/co-workers found out your cosplay and it was awesome there's no reason to be embarrassed.

If it sucked and they found out about it and you aren't a dumb teenager, well...

>>5338170
>it sucked
'swhy I commission.
I can MAYBE do props but I haven't tried yet.

Everyone that knows me is very well aware of how big a kid I am....so it really wouldn't surprise anyone.

bump for interest

I'm currently a history major >.> Hopefully I can get into law school, or I'll go get my masters and go teach at a community college level. I tend not to mention cosplay, anime, and etc in class or in anywhere other then a group of friends that are also into it.

Though I really do worry about what would happen if I do become a lawyer and the cosplaying I do now becomes a problem.

>>5338570
What kind of law? People forget there's all types and not every kind is high-profile-look-that-tv-show-about-lawyers-fucking-took-my-case-as-a-story-line.

I'm a scientist. Most scientist have odd hobbies and idiosyncrasies. I think I'm safe.

I'm a counselor and back in school for an advanced degree. Cosplaying doesn't affect my job or school at all. Life first, hobby second.

Everybody paranoid?

>>5338608

Yes

only way my job (research scientist) affects me is time-wise. in 2010 i spent 3 months on a ship working in the middle of the pacific and missed the entire summer con season. i'm writing a lot right now, so only working on 1 costume for megacon.....then no cons until summer since i'm moving/getting a new job in that timeframe. my job takes a lot of hours not just in the lab, so it's a big balance.

my colleagues/boss know about my costumes.....and think they're pretty cool. i also do science-related fabric work, which has gotten me a publication and credits on some science-education work. i also get asked to do emergency mending while at sea.

pic related, my blobfish plush that went to sea last year and blogged about deep sea biology/geology.

bump

I have been known to wear lolita on a military base when I'm off duty. Haters gonna hate I guess.

Counselors and Psychologists, report! Especially lolitas!


...Please?

>>5338690
>blobfish plush

TAKE ALL MY MONEY
TAKE MY LOVE
TAKE MY EVERYTHING

JUST PLEASE OMGASKLDGAS
DAT BLOBFISH PLUSH

I MUST OBTAIN IT

>>5339461
Clinical Psychologist and Sexologist, reporting in!

I've adopted a more "suitable" look for work: a touch of lolita (classic - mostly skirts, accessories and some blouses) mixed with a 50's flare (pencil skirts, pants and blouses). It's actually quite nice!

>>5339489
Thanks for replying!!
Your clients and professional peers don't mind? (What if you were to dress in gothic or sweet outside the workplace. Would your peers make comment?)
What's your usual work setting? Office doing administrative work? Case studies with appointments with clients? Mostly research? Etc etc?

>>5339507
I'm fortunate in the sense that I've always dabbled in mostly classic and gothic lolita and my peers actually find it quite pretty. I stay away from bats, crosses and the like, of course! Also, when I do wear lolita skirts to work, I tend to use pettis with very light poofage. Haha.
I do case studies and I have regular appointments with patients. No single patient ever commented my clothing negatively, especially since I tone it down for work.
Do you work in the field as well?

Here's an example of what I'd wear to work. The skirt is one I own, the rest of the pieces are all very similar to ones I already have.

>>5339555
Forgot to upload the photo!

>>5339555
Not yet! I'll be graduating with my bachelor's in May.
Then it's on to graduate school to aim for my LPC, for sure. Afterwards, I believe I may want my doctorate but I'm being told that I can do what I want with just a master's and am more likely to not be stuck in administrative work.

That coord is gorgeous! While classic isn't normally in my tastes (gothic lolita, though not OTT and Moitie), I could definitely see myself wearing that. Thanks for the example!

I have another question, if you don't mind. If I were to attempt to find a job before I go on to graduate school, where could I apply with just a bachelor of arts in the field?
I may be moving overseas and the school year starts in January. Even so, if I end up staying and taking off a year to save money or get experience, where should I apply in your opinion? I'm in the States and the job market in my area is terrible so I'm expecting slim pickings, but something related to my degree would be fantastic.

>>5339572
Maybe health centers, schools, hospitals, etc. I started out on a University campus and I loved it!
I have a Master's degree and I live in Europe (so I'm not quite sure how that works in the States, sorry) - mostly everyone, in this field at least - is expected to have one, really. The best jobs are reserved for those with a Master's degree and up.

Not sure if I answered correctly to your question, but if you'd like to ask something else, feel free to do so!

Thank you, I really like that particular coord. I have a few gothic ones as well (mixed with jewel tones I do so adore). Hehe.

>>5338580 I'm not entirely sure yet, I'm leaning toward International Law but its something very hard to get in to over here.

Not quite sure what to shoot for but I hope I could become a research lawyer. I prefer not to be in the in the spotlight, so yeah.

Absolutely.

I'm a double major and that keeps me busy enough; working part time doesn't help that much either. Most of my free time is spent relaxing or playing video games, since I'm so tired after work and class. I barely had enough time this winter break to scrounge together a costume for my friend and I, and I still had to work 30 hour weeks.

Now that I'm applying for grad school and going abroad, I'm busy as all fuck. I've pretty much given up on going to conventions after I attended ALA this weekend. I might be able to get time over the summer to do some cosplay, but we'll see how it all turns out. Better to expect the worst and hope for the best.

I only clicked on this thread because I know some of you picked stupid majors...let the laughs begin

>>5337216

Yup.

I'm 27 working in the entertainment industry. I have a nice little slice of life cut out for myself, but that means I have to be extra diligent separating my work life and social life. I still cosplay all the time, I still have websites devoted to it, but I don't use my real name with any of it. I have friends who used their real names a few too many times and found that having pictures of them dressed up in costumes openly on the internet DID effect their ability to get high paying adult CAREER jobs.

And I don't have as much time to work on cosplay, and when I come home, I'm usually tired and the last thing I wanna do is cut out fabric. In crunch time, I'll try to get one thing done a night and hope there's just enough time to get it all done and out. But yeah, a lot of the mental efforts you have get reserved for work so you can bring home a check, and whatever's left gets used for hobbies.

I'm not planning on stopping cosplay though, I'm just smart about it. I remember once I ran into a co-workers with slightly higher status than me at a convention. I had to make up a story that I was there helping a friend of mine film a documentary (which was a half truth, that actually was why we were there). But we were both suitably freaked out and had that moment of "OH FUCK!"

>>5339880

cont.

a few tips that I've found that work.

Facebook is a big trap if you want to stay anoymous while cosplaying (or at the very least, only tying your cosplay to your alias, taking your name out of searches). Your friends will often try to tag photos of you that show up on FB to your account, which is what you do on FB after all, but it blows your cover. Personally I don't use FB at all anymore.

Twitter and Tumblr are great ways of managing what gets seen publically and privately. Their limited functionality as related to interaction makes plausible deniability paramount.

It helps if your real name is hard to google. My name, for example, is the same as a former welterweight boxing champion, so it takes at least 30 to 40 pages for my name to come up on google. When it does, it's all stuff coming from my portfolio. If your name is unique though...it gets tougher.