Thelma Said:

Considering Massage School- Any Advice?

We Answered:

Massage doesn't require talent or brains. Your body and mind must be able to handle repetitive motion day after day. Mules are perfectly suited for massage work. Being shy is OK because you're stuck hour after hour in a dark, quiet room with one person at a time. Clients prefer it if you don't initiate conversation.

If you're not a great businessperson and don't want to hustle up clients for yourself, you'll probably be stuck making around $20,000 a year. If you luck out and find a great employer at a high end spa, you can make up to $50,000.

School was sooooo easy, and the national exams insulting. You learn things like, don't have sex with clients and dial 911 for emergencies. I am not kidding.

I absolutely hated massage. I quit 2 months ago and my body still aches unbearably on some days. I got disgusted from 90-year-old men putting my hand on their tiny shriveled wenises and demanding happy endings. Foul. I owned a spa and the absolute worst part was dealing with lazy, intoxicated employees and fighting with insurance companies for every dime.

I can't recommend massage except as a secondary source of income, but I can think of a hundred things that would be better.

Ramona Said:

My high school doesn't offer AP classes?

We Answered:

Colleges put your high school experience into perspective by understanding what your own, individual high school offers. e.g. they won't penalize you for no or few APs if they are not offered, or offered extensively.

I think your idea of taking college classes is an excellent one. It will demonstrate to the colleges that you are seriously interested in learning, and in challenging yourself. If you can't do that IN school, do it yourself outside of school.

Transfer, as in to another high school? If you can, it may be worth considering if it isn't too much of a hardship and you can take better classes, etc. It would also show potential colleges that you take this seriously, have the initiative to take control of the situation, etc.

Grace Said:

What courses should I take in High School for an animal care career.?

We Answered:

You would want to take as many science classes as you can. Biology, of course, to learn general stuff about animals. Anatomy and physiology is great too (even if it focuses on people, you'll learn stuff that applies to animals). Chemistry will help you learn things that you'll need to know in order to do various tests and make medicines, etc. Physics can aldo be helpful.

Plus, you'll want as many business courses as you can get. Business math and accounting to help run the business. Keyboarding is essential for any business person. If your school offers courses like business law, they can be very helpful, too, in running a business.

If your school offers psychology courses, they may be helpful in understanding people. This is useful in running any business; they'll help you to deal with your employees and customers, and help you recognize signs of potential owners who might abuse animals.

Take as many English courses as you can. You'll need to be able to speak and write well in order to represent your business well in the community. People are more likely to listen to, and support, someone who sounds intelligent and can clearly express themselves. People who send out letters and such full of errors and poor grammar are likely to turn off a lot of potential supporters.

Volunteering at an animal shelter or adoption center would be good, too. Or at a veterinarian's. Or a zoo. Or even a pet shop. Anyplace where you'll be around animals.

Being involved in some kind of service club, especially being involved in fundraisers of some kind, would be helpful, too, since a big part of running such an organization would be gathering the needed funds to keep it going.

Good luck.