A Year of Absence Part II

This past year has been a whirlwind of changes and dramatic life decisions. I feel as though I am steadily falling into the driver's seat of my adult life. An ideal job opportunity was placed before, and while the money was great and the drive very short, the job itself presented many challenges that I could not find myself to overcome, mainly being verbally abused over the phone while I called to verify information. This enormous jolt into a big-girl job threw me into a vioent depression, complete with panic attacks and severe bouts of anxiety that would leave me in tears. After two months, I decided enough was enough, told my boss thanks but no thanks, and signed up for Esthetics school.

Almost a solid year has passed (precisely 365 days on September 2nd) since I had my first day of school. This was one of the biggest decisions of my life, and quite frankly, one of the best. My failure at my big-girl job stunted the faith I had in my future, and I was conviced I was destined to work in retail my whole life. The environemt I entered changed my mind completely. I have never been more grateful to a group of people in all my life. My instructors displayed nothing if not a passion for the industry that I was learning about, and continuously built us up into confident, capable and professional people. The students, while varying in age, showed up to school every day, ready to learn and ready to pursue a successful career. This drastic chance of pace and people in my everyday life made me truly believe that my place was in the beauty industry, and the amazing men and women that I had the pleasure of meeting will remain true friends and trusted mentors.

All that aside, I find myself at a crossroads professionally. The job market in my field is significantly smaller than I anticipated. I still work at the makeup store (and have for almost two years) but I can feel myself rapidly outgrowing it, and honestly, I am feverishly ready for a new challenge and a bigger paycheck. I have applied to several salons and spas, so I guess we will see what happens.