Invest In Yourself: How To Have a Bright, Long Future As a Pet Groomer

dog groomer, pet groomer

Not many people think about becoming a pet groomer at a young age. When you're in your younger years, it's hard to think and plan for the future. It's so much more fun and easy to enjoy life instead of thinking about your retirement. If you think it will be easy to retire at 60, have lots of free time with enough funds, and nothing but good times ahead, you may find yourself disillusioned at the reality.

I'm not saying you shouldn't have a good time, but it's always a good idea to think and plan instead of blindly going through life, going with the flow. You need a clear vision and a concise plan to get where you want to be. Any self-help book can teach you that.

I previously mentioned a study where scientists predicted that half of the people's work will be replaced by AI and be out of work within the next 50 years. However, pet grooming is a complex job that involves handling animals, being creative (a task that AI is still not very good at), and making a lot of decisions or judgments. So I hope that AI and robots will not take over the pet grooming profession in 50 years.

100 Years Life Span - New life strategy

I'm going to share another interesting story. I read a book called "The 100 Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity" written by Linda Gratton, and here's what the author has to say about it:

Until now, it was common for people to be educated until the age of about 20, then go out to work for approximately 40 years, and retire at 60. However, since about 25 years ago, the number of people who live to be over 100 years old has been steadily increasing, and statistically, it has been proven that over 50% of people born in 2007 (at present a high school student) will live to be approximately 107 years old.

The author argues we should not get caught up in the conventional values and common sense of living based on an 80-year life span. According to Gratton, we need to plan our life strategy based on the premise that we will live to be 100 years old or more, otherwise, we will not lead a happy and fulfilling life.

Anyone can easily imagine that it is impossible to subsidize the next 40 years of retirement with the savings and pensions that you earned over 40 years in your prime. Of course, working until one is in their 70s or 80s will be the norm and will be necessary for the future.

Therefore, the author advocates investing in intangible assets from a young age to work until your 70s or 80s as a strategy for a 100-year life span.

  • What you learned in your 20s will be outdated 50 years from now, so updating your knowledge and marketable skills will be necessary to be productive in your 60s and beyond.
  • If you don't start taking care of your physical and mental health while you're young, it will start catching up to you when you are older. It may be too late if you're already in your 60s and lived a mostly sedentary life. Taking care of yourself is one of the biggest investments one can make.
  • Retirement can be lonely, so don't neglect your efforts to build rich relationships.

How will you use this information in your career as a pet groomer?

After reading this book, it reaffirmed how wonderful it is to be a dog groomer. I've been in this profession for over 40 years, and the way I work has changed little from when I first started. The way we do business may change, but I don't think my work style will have a significant change in the future. If you're a pet groomer, don't be afraid to update your skills and knowledge with books, websites, and conferences. Attaining new knowledge and skills can in some ways make your work easier!

If you are healthy, it's easy to work until you're in your 70s or 80s. Once you've established your business, you can work half-days or a few times a week depending on your physical strength. You can delegate the fundamentals to your younger employees and do the finishing work yourself. There are many ways to work comfortably if you have physical strength and stamina. The good thing about this job is that you don't have to look for a new undesirable job in your 60's due to financial reasons.

The best thing about being a dog groomer is not only the financial reward but also the fact that I genuinely enjoy it! I am appreciated and praised by customers daily. It makes me so happy and makes me want to work even harder. That I get to work with cute dogs every day is also a big reason why this is a fun job. Every day is a new adventure. If I can continue to be a groomer in my senior years, I know I won't have to worry about boredom or loneliness.

Of course, not every pet groomer can work until they are 70 or 80 years old. However, if you love this job and want to stay healthy and work until you are 70 or 80 years old it is something you can work towards. It's challenging, but not impossible. Just thinking about the fun years ahead makes aging seem less scary and more hopeful.

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