The first of the year always conjures up thoughts of new beginnings, a slate wiped clean of the past year, and here at AGA we absolutely love the thought of starting over. Young or old we all get a new clean fresh outlook on the next year. With that being said it is one of the best times of year to start an education at American Grooming Academy. Many of our students who were at the

beggining of the year graduate in time for the summer rush, so many businesses are hiring. If you are interested in a career working with animals AGA may be the place for you!

This month we are going to visit one of our most recent male graduates of AGA. The art of pet styling is becoming more and more of a gender-neutral career and we love the changes in the thinking of the American male and what jobs they can hav

e that were once dominated by a more feminine crowd!

Jason Jorden is one of those such men. Towering above most of the staff and students at AGA Jason, affectionately nicknamed “Lex Luthor”, by instructor Kat, because “He’s just brilliant, and quiet..”. Jason came to AGA and knew he wanted to work with animals.

“Jason was slow to start, slow to ask questions or speak in lecture… he was kind of our dark horse who came out of nowhere and blew us all away.” Jason was good at bathing and really good at working with the large breed dogs. He was quiet with a calm demeanor and that is one of the best characteristics for a pet stylist to have.

Pet styling has always been a female-dominated profession, with very few if any in the last 40 years who could talk about being a Man in a mainly dominated women’s society. BUT AGA is helping to change all that. The gentlemen we have graduated in the last 5 years have not only been successful in the academy but also in their endeavors after the academy.

For example, Kent Bailey, owner of Bailey’s groom service, has become so successful he has had to hire other recent graduates and buy another mobile unit.

A 2016 graduate Dustin Toth, graduated and opening Baxter’s Mobile Salon and has been very successful in his family-owned business.

Austin Sanchez and Michael Miera graduated this past fall and both are working at independent shops!

We are so very proud of AGA’s male alumni!

We interviewed Jason a month after he graduated to see what his take was on becoming an AGA student and completing the program! Here’s what he had to say!

Why did you choose AGA?
“ I chose AGA because it was closer to my home, more equipped to teach me the things I wanted to learn, and all around was a more comfortable place when I went to my Potential Student Tour than Animal Behavior College.”

What was the most challenging thing you learned at AGA?
“The most challenged I was in the academy is when it came to teddy bear heads, to this day I still have trouble ‘bringing the chin up’, but I work every chance I get to become better at making the head flow into the body with ease and proportion!”

What was the easiest thing you learned?
Some of the easiest things for myself personally, aside from the bathing process, was learning about parasites and how they function, also how vaccines work in preventing illness.

At AGA the curriculum is advanced, what did you not expect to learn about what you did?
“ I did not expect to learn about dog food and how to read the ingredients properly, nor did I expect to learn what all those ingredients are and how they affect a dog’s body, immune system, and general health.”

What would you tell people who are trying to decide if AGA is the place for them?
I’d tell them you’re going to have more fun than you think, and also, you’re going to learn more than you ever thought you would!!!!!

We are so happy and proud of all our graduates at AGA! Here at AGA, there is no judgment of who a person is, what their skill level is or what their dreams may be, we believe that everyone has the power to become an amazing pet stylist whether they have pet experience or not.

“Many of our students come from all walks of life, some are single parents, some have worked in an office or construction their whole lives, and they say to themselves one day, I am done, I want to do what makes me happy, That’s why I built AGA, for all those people who want their dream of working with pets or becoming their own boss. Its what keep the staff and especially me going every day!” President Angela Clark

Whether you have no experience at all or years of pet handling experience, come into AGA if your dreams have pets, people and education included in them!