As you can tell, I was hired! I am grateful for the opportunity that I was given for someone that has never even worked in retail to be taken a chance on. I will not be forgetting that.

My first week was of course making me anxious as I was embarking on something new and completely foreign. This was all about new opportunities though so onwards I went. There was lots of store training and then I moved on to training specifically for grooming. I really did feel like I was back in school again. I found myself studying on my own time and even passing up time with friends to do so. It was nice to learn something new and that made me even more excited that I was changing my career.

I found after talking with some of the groomers, they had started to go to school to be vet techs, in which I had dabbled in the idea, but found this was better suited to them and a faster timeline to become a professional. This also reassured my thought process. They seem to be happy with their choices. I will stay an apprentice for about a year and I know it’s a bit of a process but I also know that it’ll be worth it. It’s also comforting to know that each and every one of them had started out at my level and moved their way to professional groomer.

I’m out to a great start and I know I will gain the confidence and skills over time to make it there. As of now, I’m really just finding the work very fulfilling by caring for each and every one of the dogs that come into the salon. Seeing the reactions from their owners when we bring their fur baby back to them and the connection with their beloved pets looking their best makes it worth the effort.