March is a fun time of year! Sun is shining, buds are starting to blooming,not to mention our students! With the sun filled days of summer around the corner, AGA wanted to celebrate that quiet time after the holidays until the first glimpses of spring. With that comes a quiet reserved student that made us all cheer with admiration. Judy Cockey graduated last month and we couldnt be happier for her. She is what an amazing AGA student should be. Bright, reserved, stoic and with a deep love of animals, a great example of what can be achieved! We interviewed Judy to see if she feels the same way about her new career as we feel about her and we were so proud and happy with the answers!
What Made You Choose AGA for Your Education?
I was looking for the best school. I really wanted to learn how to properly groom and i wanted my instructors to be the best on the business. AGA was the only school I found that had Certified Master Groomers through International Professional Pet Groomers Association.
What Made You Choose to Change Your Profession?
I moved back to California from Maryland and needed to find a job. I did not want to go back into Accounting -Boring!! Plus, there is a lot of competition for jobs in California. I needed to find a career where I could make money BUT I needed something that would make me happy as well. I love animals and knew I could be insanely happy working with pets. I did not have the heart to work in a veterinarian’s office, I could not handle seeing sick and dying pets. I had been thinking about pet styling for years but never did anything about it, so the need was always there.
What is the Hardest Thing You Learned at the Academy?
Scissoring a POODLE!! Poodles were never my favorite breed. I always thought “why would someone own a poodle?” After being at AGA and spending hours and hours with them – I love poodles! They are now second on my list of favorite breeds. The Australian Shepherd is first.
If you could do it all over again what would you tell yourself the first day?
FOCUS ON ONE DAY AT A TIME AND DO NOT OVER THINK! YOU CAN ALWAYS ASK FOR HELP!
What is your goal now that you have graduated?
I want to work at a fast past Pet styling salon for a while to get really into the workings of a salon. I have a dream of a mobile grooming business and will be opening a home based Pet Styling Business!
What advice would you give someone thinking about a career change to pet styling?
AGA is the best! I was a little worried about getting a job with people that are “experienced” groomers. I just attended the Groomers expo in Pasadena. I went to a seminar called “designer doo for a mutt”. The dog was a mixed breed with a poodle coat. The groomer was talking and grooming the dog. I was listening and watching. As she was going through the process I realized she was doing a standard poodle trim that I see every day at AGA! The best part was that there were about 100 people in the room that are groomers and they thought they were learning some new fancy trim! What an amazing feeling to have!
If you love spending the day with dogs, pet styling is a great choice. There are many options and you are not limited to just working in a salon!
I am so grateful to Angela and the staff for providing such a great school to attend. I learned so much. Everyone is so helpful and they are really a wonderful group of people. American Grooming Academy makes sure we have many different breeds to train on: Poodle, Schnauzer, Terrier, Spaniel, Setter, Maltese, Havanese, Bichon, and of course the beloved Shih Tzu.