Career Upgrades with Colby

Transcript

Meet Colby, a Barbering grad from Ogden who is upgrading his career by returning to complete the Cosmetology program. Colby is among the 33% of OTECH students who are between the ages of 26 and 60-plus who know that technical education is beneficial no matter where you are in your life or your career. Colby, over to you.

– Thank you for the introduction, Alex. Growing up in Utah and being biracial, it made it super difficult to get good haircuts. People just weren’t as familiar as they are today with different textures of hair. This led me to cutting my own hair and creating a passion for hair cutting and hair styling. I knew I wanted to begin my journey in the hair industry and needed an affordable school that would work with my schedule. Ogden-Weber Technical College met all of my needs. I graduated from the barbering program in 2011 and obtained my license. I’ve been a professional barber since then and a manager at another level barber shop. My passion for the hair industry has always caused me to seek more, learn more, and educate myself, so I joined the award-winning Chrystofer Benson Collective hair team. Being surrounded with talent and creativity and working with artists from all over the world opened up other avenues in the hair industry. With this inspiration, I decided to go back to school at the age of 43. Being an alum made it a no-brainer to look into the OTECH cosmetology program. As a new father, the decision to return to school was difficult financially. Fortunately, there were several assistance options, and I received a scholarship that covers my full tuition. The support I’ve received at OTECH is unmatched. The instructors are well-versed in cosmetology specialties and provide a broad learning experience. From the counselors and the student success center to the alumni association, everyone here has made returning to school great. After the completion of the program, my goal is to open a barbershop and salon in the community that I grew up in, and I have a plan to pass that on to my daughter. I wanna thank OTECH for supporting me and helping me achieve my dreams. Back to you, Alex

– Colby, thank you for taking us on your journey from one tech certificate into a successful career and back for another OTECH program to take that career to the next level. Your story demonstrates how stackable tech college credentials can open new pathways and opportunities to grow. That was awesome. Thanks again.