Graduating from barber school in the spring was a defining moment in my journey toward becoming a professional barber. During school I started working at a barbershop on the weekends. It was a stressful time as practicals and final exams started to wind up at school and I had to make sure I was showing my best work on the weekends. This opportunity has allowed me to grow from the skills I had already gained since I was around professionals all day long. Along with starting my career, I have also been able to move into the city of Boston on my own- a move that feels like both a personal and professional milestone. The road to this point, however, wasn’t always smooth. Barber school was challenging, both mentally and physically. Balancing the technical aspects of cutting hair, learning the art of grooming, and developing my customer service skills weren’t easy. There were days when the pressure of homing different techniques felt overwhelming, and I sometimes questioned my progress. But each challenge became a lesson in persistence and improvement. I quickly learned that success in this profession required lots of consistency as every client brings some new challenge. Besides the barber school journey, personal hurdles outside of work arose. Moving into the city was exciting but also intimidating. The pace of life in the city is a lot faster than I’m used to, and I had to adjust to the chaos that is navigating through the city and be able to get to work at an appropriate time. This forced me to get a consistent schedule to stay on top of all that. Besides that, being able to live and work in the Boston area has given me access to a vibrant community and endless opportunities to grow in my craft.

Barber school has been exciting and fast paced this past fall. The first two months were all about learning the core basics to where I now cut client’s hair in the school’s student barbershop. Everyday I come to school I learn new or improve old skills in a variety of ways, whether it’s cutting techniques or communication skills with clients. My days at school are never dull and differ with new clients walking in the door everyday. On top of that my classmates all come from different aspects of life each with their own stories and backgrounds and yet we still all get along very well. Some classmates are around my age while others are in their 30s and 40s. I find that great as I can see different perspectives and upbringings in this industry we all share a passion for. Attendance is a vital aspect of school that professionals look for in aspiring barbers, and as of right now I have perfect attendance. Along with perfect attendance I have received other awards for teamwork, academic excellence, outstanding freshman, and hopefully more to come in the future. Aside from my experiences in barber school I’ve been learning how to live on my own during all of this. I had to learn how to balance my school life with my new independent home life, which may be normal for some people but took me some time getting used to. I’d do my own grocery shopping to cook dinner and make sure I still have time to do my school assignments on top of all that. Overall my post high school education has been going great so far and with it not being like a traditional college I am done fairly soon. With that in mind I intend to keep up the hard work I’ve been putting in for this last half.