Following My Dream: My Beauty Therapy Career

Following My Dream: My Beauty Therapy Career

steph nothing is impossible

So many people come to do their beauty therapy training with me, and they lack confidence. They really want to be a skilled beauty therapist, but for whatever reason, they don’t believe that they can do it. Well I’m here to tell you that you can!

I wanted to write this blog to share the story of how I put aside all the knock-backs and started following my dream, to have a career in beauty therapy.

Humble beginnings

I remember knowing that I wanted to be a beauty therapist way back when I was just 12 years old. A teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and without hesitation, I replied ‘a beautician’ (even though it turns out that I now hate this name!) I also added that I wanted to work on cruise liners.

This was ambitious to say the least, for the little girl who grew up in Ashington. I don’t even recall my parents having a car, so how I was going to work my way up to a cruise liner, I have no idea!

Computer says no

When I started high school, I still knew I wanted to do beauty therapy. Back in 1995, I was 15 years old, and I remember visiting the school careers advisor, who asked me questions like ‘are you confident with people?’ I replied no; I mean, how many people are at that age?

As he fed my responses into the computer and handed me a printout stating I wasn’t cut out for that career, based on my answers, I was crushed.

But I decided that I wouldn’t let what the computer said put me off. I enrolled at college, and I couldn’t wait to start my beauty therapy career. The tutor who conducted my enrolment interview warned me that it could involve long hours and very little pay, but it didn’t put me off. Everyone has to start somewhere, and I just couldn’t wait to start doing beauty treatments on clients!

From zero confidence to student of the year!

Before I knew it, my school days were gone, I was at college, and living the beauty therapy dream…or not. I hated it! I hated it because I had zero confidence in what I was doing and I felt like I lacked the skills to do manicures, pedicures, waxing, and makeup. I was struggling.

Looking back, I realised that it was the tutors that make the difference to how you learn and how you feel about what you’re learning. They either instil you with confidence or they don’t. I wanted to be the best that I could be, but my inner critic was telling me that I just wasn’t good enough.

I struggled my way through my first year of training, but I felt more confident and at ease in my second year. I trained in Electrolysis, and I took extra time to complete this as I lacked confidence that I was doing it right. It took me 3 years to finish my beauty training.

But you know what? I stuck at it, and my grit and determination led to me being named as Student of the Year! I was delighted and so proud.

Work experience

Steiner came to my college to interview beauty therapists who would potentially be working on their cruise liners. This was my big chance of getting my dream job, and I passed the interview with flying colours. But I didn’t accept the job. Why, you might ask? Well, I was in a relationship at the time, and didn’t want to leave. Young love never did make any sense!

In 1999, I went on to work at Linden Hall Hotel and Spa and I absolutely loved it. I remember thinking that there’s nothing better than getting paid for what you love doing. I spent my days using my skills, pampering clients with massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures, and my confidence grew. Training can only teach you so much, everyone develops their own ways of working when they start working with clients.

I left my job at Linden Hall as I couldn’t drive, and relying on lifts wasn’t the ideal way to get to work. So, I went on to work in a salon. I worked there for 3 years, and I gained so much experience during that time. I had a really inspirational boss; little did I know that this would set me up for self-employment in the future!

Following my dream

After a long-term relationship ended, I felt like it was the time to think about working on cruise ships like I had always wanted. A good friend I had worked with at Linden Hall gave me the details of a contact at Judith Jackson Sea Spas. This was my chance! I got the job and travelled all over the world to some dream locations; the Caribbean, America, Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico, and Jamaica to name but a few! The dream I had from when I was 12 years old had come true!

 

steph cruise photo career

Anything is possible!

I will continue my career saga soon, but the reason I wrote this blog is that I want to get the message across that if you have dreams, and you’re willing to show commitment, and persevere, even when the going gets tough, you will find that anything is possible!

Choose the right place to do your training, the right tutor, and believe in yourself, and the world is your oyster! Watch this space for the next instalment…

Love

Steph xx

 

 

 

 

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