From a corporate warrior to a top hairdressing trainee
The immense pressure to study at university initially led Leann Reyes down a corporate career path but after being promoted to a managerial position in communications at Woolworths by the age of 25, she had a “quarter-life crisis” and changed direction.
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The immense pressure to study at university initially led Leann Reyes down a corporate career path.
But after being promoted to a managerial position in communications at Woolworths by the age of 25, Ms Reyes realised she wanted more than spending the rest of her working life hunched over a desk.
“I had a quarter-life crisis and quit my job to go on a completely different tangent,” she said.
Eventually Ms Reyes decided to switch her computer for cleaning sinks and sweeping floors at Wildlife Hairdressing in Milsons Point.
And pursuing her true passion has paid off with the newly minted hairdresser scoring a nomination for NSW Training Apprentice of the Year this month.
“I have always been interested in hair since high school but it was something I didn’t take seriously to pursue because there was no information about apprenticeships,” she said
“There was a lot of pressure at school to produce students who would go onto higher ATAR based degrees and there wasn’t as much focus on apprenticeships and traineeships.”
These days Ms Reyes spends her days using her creative instincts cutting hair and mixing colours.
“I like the opportunity to make people feel better about themselves daily,” she said.
“When you complete a task in an office it is so different to beautifying someone and making them have a positive perception of themselves. There is a lot more personal satisfaction.”
Ms Reyes worked back late during her apprenticeship to practice cutting hair on models and enrolled in an additional barber course so she could learn everything she could about men’s hair.
Her TAFE trainer Trisha Hoban said she was her star student.
“Leann is driven to succeed,” Ms Hoban said. “She’s intellectually curious, has a strong work ethic and is constantly upskilling through courses and competitions.”
“Leann motivates everyone around her because she sets such a high standard for herself — she’s always striving for perfection.
“She willingly volunteers her time to assist her salon group and other industry experts on photo shoots and special events.”
The hairdressing and beauty sectors generated $6.5 billion for the Australian economy in 2018 and employed more than 120,000 people.
Demand for jobs in the sector has been growing over the past five years and the Department of Education, Skills and Employment predicts over the next five years there will be an 8.6 per cent growth in barbering jobs.