Student Perspective: How I came to Delmar by Lindsey W.
I haven’t always known what I wanted to do. I wasn’t born to do esthetics. It didn’t even come naturally to me at first. I awkwardly stumbled into this industry not knowing what to expect, and have grown a love and passion for it that I never could have imagined.
Working on my consultation skills in the student spa
I worked in various retail and administrative positions after finishing high school. I received my Hospital Unit Clerk Certificate from Bow Valley College when I was 20 years old. I usually worked 2 jobs and was always unsatisfied. I’d get bored after I’d been at a job more than 6 months, as there was nothing left to learn. My performance would start to suffer and I would start looking for a new job. I wanted something that challenged me, and let my creative side shine. I’d sit on my phone at lunch hours looking at career changes. “Nail Tech? No – not talented enough for that” “Photographer? When would I find time to take the course and make the change?” “Florist? They probably don’t make enough money” I came up with every excuse in the book to not take the plunge and find something that would make me happy. So I stayed in jobs I hated. For 8 years.
My Instagram post on my first day at Delmar!
Now to December 2015. “I’m 25 years old and what have I done with my life?” I thought on a daily basis. Over Christmas, my dad came to Saskatchewan, where I was living at the time, and could see how unhappy I was. He said “why don’t you come home and take a break and figure out what you want to do?” So I handed in my resignation at work, and told all my friends I was leaving. Three weeks later I was back in Calgary. “Now what?” I thought. So I took a 2 month break from life. I lived with my parents. I connected with some old friends, and the breathing room was much needed and enjoyed. Then came time to make a decision. I knew I couldn’t go back to pushing paper behind a desk. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I refused! So it was time to take the leap of faith and go back to school; get a new skill set under my belt. But what? Makeup! I like makeup, right? Sure. Okay, let’s do this for a while until I figure out what I really want to do.
Fantasy makeup I did on my classmate Anjali
I had done research on a couple of schools, and I interviewed at another college. During that admissions interview I was asked: “Would you ever be interested in the esthetics program?” Now I really had to think. I’d never been particularly “girly”. I think I’d had 2 pedicures in my life – set foot in a real spa ONE time. What would I do with esthetics?? It wasn’t me. But the thoughts nagged at me. It sounded fun. And I could learn to love this, right? But was waxing, and painting nails REALLY what I wanted to do? Was this going to be satisfying? Or would I get bored working at a makeup counter all day just like I got sick of spreadsheets and Word documents? “What have I got to lose?” was the main thought going through my head.
A manicure I did in the Delmar purple…
So I’d decided on esthetics as a new path, and had enrolled in a program at another school. Then It was suggested to me that I check out Delmar before making any final decisions. Linda was so kind and welcoming, and I could tell this was a caring learning environment. Linda finished the tour with her famous question that she asks after every tour: “can you see yourself kicking around here in the spa?” YES. I could absolutely see myself here. Linda sent me away with a hug and I knew that this was the place for me.
Here I am in the spa with some of my classmates and my instructor Angela
In my 5 months at Delmar I have fallen in love with skin care and the beauty industry. Smoothing down a heel and seeing a set of pretty toenails make me happier than I could have imagined. And making someone so comfortable and at ease that they fall asleep during a facial is the most satisfying thing I’ve ever done. Remember that fear of being bored I had? Boy, was I wrong! There is a whole world of esthetics out there! I’m already planning my next upgrade courses. There’s a lash extension course offered at Delmar that I am dying to take. I also want to get my IPL certificate for laser hair removal, in case I ever want to go into a more Clinical Esthetician role. There’s also makeup artistry, microblading, threading, sugaring, nail tech, and so much more. I was asked where I see myself in 5 years, and you know what? I have no idea! In this profession, the sky is the limit! I can work in a medi-spa, a hotel, on a cruise ship or from home. I can also become an esthetics instructor, open my own spa, or who knows – maybe invent my own skin care line! No chances of being bored here!
Practicing micro-current
I still have days where I doubt myself. Some days I just want to go hide behind a desk and a phone. But as my instructor, Rae, says: “a bad day at the spa is still better than a good day at the office”. She could not be more right. Just because I have a comfort zone, doesn’t mean I need to stay there. I have to be reminded by my instructors constantly that I am a beginner and it’s okay for me to make mistakes. They build up my confidence and assure me that I am making the right decision. My instructors have been by my side every step of the way and I can’t thank them enough for everything they have done for me. My classmates and I are always there for one another and help each other through anything. They make afternoons in the spa feel like we are just girlfriends hanging out. It doesn’t feel like work or school at all! I can honestly say I’ve made wonderful friends in my classmates and my instructors; I hope to remain friends with them for a long time.
My mom as my pedicure model. Thank you to my family for all of their support!
For anyone considering the beauty industry, I say: GO FOR IT! Take the plunge! Leap that leap of faith! You have NOTHING to lose, and EVERYTHING to gain. You will gain a knowledge you didn’t know you wanted, and skills you didn’t know you needed (like how to properly hold a nail polish bottle!) I am sure you will fall in love with skin care, the smell of nail polish, the feeling of wax running off a wax stick and spa life like I did.
–Lindsey
no gimmicks. just great education
