What were you in a previous life?

[prettynails]

When I was 17 I went to college and did the full beauty therapy thing, couldnt stand waxing and pedicures made me puke. The small bit we did on nails I loved, but I found out I was pregnant with my eldest just as I passed (shes nearly 17 now)
So because of lack of money I went to work in the kitchen of a local restaurant, then worked my way up to manageing it, still doing nails in my spare time for relatives and mates. Once both my kids started to be a bit more independant, I did more courses, with just about every company I could find, learnt more and more and more, untill I (about 10 years ago) gave up the other job, because I was so busy doing the nails

 

[Kellyc]

Hi peeps, i currently work as a legal secretary for a very busy criminal firm and i really enjoy my job, its extremely interesting and i do the typing of statements etc. I am currently taking a number of different courses to become a budding nail technician but still have a lot to learn especially since becoming an obsessed geek to this site and seeing what your nails look like!!!! have only done the gel system, nail art course and beauty basics course but do the acrylic course on saturday and cant wait, then who knows one day would love to have my own salon but for now my little spare room does me fine lol!! my passion is nails and know eventually i will want to leave the office work behind me but for now as nosy as i am (which is why i enjoy the criminal work, even though not all) im happy x x x x x

 

[Bunny]

I've done a bunch of boring stuff - admin in a stockbrokers & accountants, some not so boring stuff -hotel receptionist & nightclub assistant manager & some fun stuff - Lancome account manager, Benefit team member, St Tropez therapist & account manager & Stila account manager. I've now decided that I want to do nails NOW!! I'm temping at a college whilst desparately seeking a receptionist (or something similar) position whilst I train but not having any luck. Please help before I die of boredom!!!!!

Bunny x

 

[Sharon Green]

Hiya,

I have always been in some sort of secretarial/admin role since the age of 19. I lost over 2 stone in weight 3 years ago and gained a lot of confidence so decided to do a couple of home study nail courses. Got distinction in both and decided to do the 4 day Creative foundation course after hearing what you all had to say about it. I got top marks in my theory and am slowly but surely building up a client base working from home in the evenings. All my clients so far have been friends and ladies who have heard about me from their friends (I haven't actually advertised yet).

I am currently Production Control Analyst for M & M Sports Limited but don't intend to stay there forever. I love nails and want to have my own business in the high street one day.

Sharon

 

[mgloverfam]

I started doing nails in H.S, and throughout college as well....but after I graduated, I went to business school to please my mom. During that time I worked in almost every major fast food place, department store, and drug store!! I met my husband in Business School, and after some soul searching, realized that I really didn't want to be there. He encouraged me to go to beauty school, because he saw my true talent and potential. We went to the beauty school, he paid the tution ($1400), and the rest is history. Every time I tried to stop doing nails, or take a break and do something else....I would become utterly unhappy, and miss it terribly!! So I know I'm doing what God intended me to do!! Before the close of this year, I will be opening my own Salon.
Diya

 

[gingernut]

Hi there,

Well before doing this job i was a student in secondary school.. This was my first job 10 years ago and has always been my job and probably will always be.. Just so easy to fit it in with parenting and holidays....lol

I Love It!

 

[luckybird21]

im soo cluless about jobs.


at school was waitress, at college was a till girl at sainsbury. studied business advanced gnvq and history a level.

whilst doin gcse's i had work experience at a local chartederd accountant firm. after college they got in contact with me and gave me a job. really bad pay, really stressful work, real iccy boss (he used to pick his eye gunk out and eat it, and his breath smelt like dog poo!) used to have to take work home aswell as study for aat, i only got paid £7750 pa for 40 hours a week, and they used to charge clients £30 an hour if i did their accounts, or ever did stock take etc.

hated job, so left and became bar manager at a squash club, (was sacked when i refused to sleep with one of the members of staff there) decided whilst working there i wanted to be a gym instructor, went of to ymcafit and got one of the best (and most bloody expensive) qualification i could. really love fitness industry, great satisfaction acheived when you help someone to reach their goals. since 'leaving' the squash club in november, i haven't worked in a gym, which is really pooey!

whilst at squash club decided to do nvq for nails, as used to have them done, but was never satisfied and used to always do nail art on them, and thought hey i could do better than this!

finished nvq in june (YEY) and now work mobile in local area and my old home town sittingbourne. love nails and really miss gym, looking for a couple of shifts ina gym at the mo, so i can keep a few fingers in all the pies.

also work part time for my mum, she owns a pet shop in sittingbourne,i do the accounts, and all the invoicing for other smaller shops we supply to, and basically also act as her skivy! Oh bless i love her to pieces so i don't mind!

 

[Bobs]

Where do I start.

Well I worked for a solicitors for a while. Didn't like that.
Then worked for a Private Investigaators. Loved it but got made redundant.
Worked in IT for a while. Hated that aswell.
Went temping but didn't like all the moving around

Had my daughter and decided to try out nails for a change. 5 and a bit years on and I've finally found my vocation. Who said having kids means sacrificing your career. I've got a job I love, a gr8 family and generally quite a nice little uncomplicated life.

 

[Lena]

I worked as travel manager in the travel agency but I was allways interested in nails and in independence... (sorry for my gramma). Now I have both...

 

[beautybabe]

Hi

I used to work in offices doing general admin, when oneday i thought to myself, this is really boring! So i decided to go to college partime and study beauty & nails. I am now a mobile beauty & nail therapist and its the best move i have ever made.


Laura
MGPBT

 

[BeachBabe]

Straight from school I worked for a local authority in the environmental health and later the legal department. Got a job for a solicitors as a legal secretary and then as a conveyancing assistant. Yawn

Now working for a housing association for senior citizens. I'm currently on a six month secondment as an Estate Manager. This is actually a glorified sheltered housing scheme warden and i've hated pretty much every minute of it but have been able to do Creative Foundation Course so can't be all bad. The good news is that it ends at the end of next month and I get to go back to my previous job in the 24 hour call centre which I actually quite enjoy and we're moving into a new house with space for me to 'do nails' as my hubby so eloquently puts it.

Here's hoping my life will get a bit more interesting shortly!

 

[purplepixi]

Hi, I've had a few drastic job changes, started off at Art college, but had to quite after having my daughter - got a bit expensive as a single mum. Then went to work in computers doing engineering work and webdesign for a few years; sortly followed by my great madness of joining the Royal Air Force (as a single mum), well I did it! Any way the great story ends there, met a lovely man in the Air Force got married and I left to be able to travel around with him (as you may not get the same base in you are both in the Air Force), spend more time with my daughter and to have a career that could move with me instead of having to get a new job every time we move. I have to say tho, I really do think I have found the right career this time, as I get so much satisfaction from seeing people happy with the work I've done.

 

[SUEM]

i was a dental sales rep for a large dental company, did it for 18yrs then had a mid-life crisis a total career change emerged and i did vtct level2 beauty specialist at college and creative foundation course
suexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[linzi]

I was at school! My school was made into a four year school and then you had to go into another school for the last two years. I went for a week . I live in a village and we had to go into another town for school and everyone - including the teachers - looked down their noses at us so I thought 'bugger it', left and went to college to do beauty therapy at 16. My dad didn't talk to me for about 3 months (he wanted to me do languages, which I enjoyed, but didn't wanna do for the rest of my life) but I was determined (and still am, especially to prove him wrong!). I did nails as part of my course, I have an hnd in beauty therapy which includes mani/pedi and some extension work. My mani/pedi was good, but I don't think my extensions (especially the practical) was brilliant enough to work for myself, so I'm doing a creative foundation course tomorrow

condensed version: college:smack:

 

[VanessaB]

Done a bit of everything - waitressing, PA, travel agent, bar maid, check out girl for boots - Not all in that order!

Now in the Royal Airforce and love it but also have big passion for NAILS NAILS NAILS!!!

Have my own home based salon which I work in part time and am looking to having a shop based salon soon!

 

[paws]

well waitressed and worked part time in a bank while I was in college doing a mix of Humanities, IT and Media.

Then started working as a Software Test Engineer for 2 years in larege US SoftWare company, now in my present job as a Localisation Project Manager for another large US Software company based in Dublin, Ireland. I've been here for nearly 6 years and although I do like it sometimes I felt I was too young(27) to be looking at this stress for the rest of my life and it was mentioned to me in no uncertain terms that this job was not the place for women with children. As I've only been married the guts of 2 years a family is definitely on the agenda.
So I started thinking that perhaps I could do a job that I actually enjoyed, and that would provide me with more flexibility in my personal life. Sooooooo I started looking up courses on nails, found 1 and started it a month ago. So far I love it!! I'm doing Manicure & Pedicure at the moment, then early next year I'll be starting Nail Technology also.

The plan is to keep working full time while doing some mobile work evenings, weekends etc to build up a client base, then hopefully either open my own nail bar, or rent a room in a hair dressers, or work part time and go mobile part time. Not quite sure on the actual path my new career will take but I'm definitely excited planning it.

I've got great support from my husband, family and friends and I leave each class buzzing with excitement.
I can't wait until I can come on here and really post about what I was in my previous life!!

 

[Ronnie]

I left school and started a job as an accounts clerk. I worked in various accounting roles for twelve years before working alongside a miserable, bitter and twisted forty year old women. I did not want to end up like her. I decided right there and then that I needed a new way of life and went back to college as a mature student!!

Since then I've completed an NVQ in manicure and pedicure, trained with Jessica and Creative. I've worked in some wonderful salons, with some brilliant girls and picked up some excellent skills along the way. I now rent a space in a tanning salon doing L+P nails. Why didn't I do this years ago!!

Be all that you can, and be happy doing it.

 

[wobbly]

I left school at 16, much to my dads annoyance, and went to work as a stained glass artist, (and yes, i have been called an artist since!!)

When I was 20 I was made redundant and went to work as the manager of a soft furnishings shop. I had to try and match up the tiniest thread from a sofa and try to advise on which curtains and cushions would go with it!! lots of lovely little old ladies would come in and ask if i had a curtain hook 'just like this one', which were usually about 30 years old!
While i was doing this i also used to teach army cadets, that was real fun, getting muddy and behaving like a kid! ( no change there then)
My latest job??? Having my two adorable (sometimes) rugrats
Now theyve reached an age where they are a bit older, i was getting really bored while they were at school.
I've had my nails done for at least 5 years and was my neighbours model when she did the fdfc at creative.
When she stopped doing my nails (pressure of college work)
I thought HELP who is gonna do my nails now?
So i bit the bullet and got myself trained at creative!!
I love it, i meet lots of people and chat most of the day, while getting a real buzz from seeing people come in with nasty bitten nails and go out with lovely gorgeous nails!
I'm looking forward to more training and experience, especially in the arty farty side of things!!!!

 

[GlitzyGirl]

When at school, I wanted to be a Lab Technician. Left school and did nursery nursing, which then changed into hairdressing. Can you spot any similarities with these? None whatsoever. So I wonder where life is taking me after being a nail technician.

 

[emmad]

Wow really interesting to read all that!

Started off training in law and became a Legal Executive. Did lots of different types of work in law but it was the court work that did me in. Representing victims of domestic violence soon put me off the whole thing forever!

Went on to do admin then project management and then technical sales selling PCs. Had 2 babies (one with autism) and felt I didnt want to go back to the rat race but being a SAHM wasnt comepletely for me either. I've been doing nails since I was a teenager but only decided to take formal training a year ago to see how I got on. Spent the last year doing mobile work and working from home in the evenings. My eldest goes to school next week and my youngest has a nursery place so I'm going to do 3 days a week with my own nail room in a friends shop very soon and I cant wait.