Victoria’s life changed when she was 19 after a stroke left her unable work. At this pivotal age, she was adrift, unable to find her purpose. She spent 18 years on social security before finding Pawsperity through Ticket to Work, a social security initiative that provides career development opportunities to individuals looking to get back into the workforce. It sounded like the perfect fit.
At first, Victoria was uneasy. She had been out of the workforce for nearly half of her life, and doubted that she could handle the hectic grooming room, the long hours, and the demand that school and work would place on her. She was determined to make it work. As a life-long lover of animals, grooming seemed perfect.
Now, she can’t imagine life outside of grooming.
Through Pawsperity Grooming School, Victoria found solace in supportive peers who understood what she was going through.
“I couldn’t have done it without the support of the staff and other students,” Victoria asserted. “We pushed each other and encouraged each other. I found lifelong friends that I still talk to every single day.”
The support and grooming skills aren’t the only things that Victoria cites as attributing to her success, but the soft skills learning, too. In Monday soft skills classes, she learned about setting appropriate boundaries at work and how to work through conflict in personal and professional relationships. Not only have these key competencies supported her new career, but her relationship at home as well.
Victoria’s grooming skills were so strong that she was offered a job based on her portfolio alone. Her current employer posted in a community page looking for a dog groomer to add to her salon. Several of her friends, knowing that she was in school, tagged her in the post. She received a message asking for her portfolio and was offered a job right then. So, Victoria started working months before ever even graduating, balancing her time between school, work, and cleaning houses when she had the time.
Victoria graduated nearly a month ago and feels like she’s found what she’s meant to do. The salon where she works is quiet and she has her very own space to work. She even used what she learned at Pawsperity to build a presentation video for the waiting area, put together on the laptop she was provided for school.
Victoria knows she will continue to be supported in her learning by Pawsperity as time goes on. “I’m really looking forward to continuing to learn and get better at grooming,” said Victoria. “I’m excited about some of the continuing education courses Pawsperity is hosting.”
Her favorite part about her new career is getting to know the families, gaining their trust, and seeing the animals grow. She’s watched puppies become adult dogs and successfully groomed dogs who had been turned away by other groomers. Continuing to grow so much professionally, Victoria is exactly where she’s meant to be.
