Thinking of taking college course (x posted from r/grooming)

[renderer]

Hey all,

I have gotten involved in the pet industry after working at PetSmart. I got a job as a vet assistant and am now taking one at a dog kennel where I can get experience grooming and training.

A community college near me offers a class with the above (plus it appears to contain some lectures). I've looked into the outlook of grooming as a career and it looks like it may be a smart decision.

The class is 1,300 dollars. I imagine I'll have to pay for my supplies as well which I know can be quite expensive. As groomers, do you think this would be a worthwhile investment?

Thanks for any and all opinions or input!

 

[remluf]

@renderer If you have yheoney they can be beneficial for health and safety knowledge but as for learning good grooming techniques idk sometimws it's not that great. But it would look good. But if it's going to hurt your pocket I wouldn't

 

[chaz1268]

@renderer For me personally, learning to groom is 90% hands on practice, ideally with an experienced teacher helping you along the way.

If taking the class will open doors to help you find an apprenticeship somewhere, then I think it could definitely be helpful because this can be a tough industry to break into. $1300 is expensive if they’re not going to help arrange something like that.

 

[zanna]

@renderer I did my grooming training at a community college and was overall happy with the experience. I got way more hands on experience/knowlege then if I had gone through the Petsmart academy. (Which only lasts a month? And you have to sign a 2yr contract?) We had a cat class, creative grooming class, and a business class where we made a business plan. All very valuable. We also had to do an internship at the end of the program so we got actual experience in a business. My class started with 10 people and at the end of the program we were down to 2. LOL. So I got lots of one on one time with my teachers, and they were good groomers. We learned with an emphasis on hand scissoring, in my job I now focus on speed so I use clippers more and we learned hand stripping which I don't do at all now. It was expensive, but i got a scholarship so that helped. When I graduated I got a job at a salon quickly; being certified at an accredited school looks really good on your resume. We had to make portfolios of the dogs we did in class so that was also helpful in landing me the job, I had also heard about the opening because the owner had reached out to the school. The benefits you get out of it are worth the price in my opinion. But do your research. I met personally with the head of the program before I joined. You should do the same, talk about the classes and ask about scholarship opportunities, and talk about any concerns you have.