new thread
Here's a topic I am curious about... After reading the post about the young man, Steven, who is dressed very nicely in a suite and tie, I wonder how its been for you guys in your careers -
I am curious - if you are willing to share - what do you guys do for a career and how has having long hair, or growing your hair long, been for you at work?
I know some of you have shared you are landscapers or forrest rangers and one man with maginficently beautiful long hair drives the trolley cars in San Fransisco.
I have been fortunate - I am a social worker in a mid sized city in upstate NY - nobody here has said anything to me about my hair growth - some have asked and have been supportive - I have a business casual dress code - which means I do not have to wear a tie - I am indoors most of the time.
Just curious if anybody is willing to share - thought it might be helpful - especially if you had challenges and how you dealt with them.
Thanks!
I am a dentist.
I do accounting for a large company. I've never had any comments made about my hair. I don't have to see any external customers which probably helps matters.
The company I work for is not large, so I do have contact with customers. Many of our customers are dressed similarly, many of them also have long hair.
I work for a company that is a dirstributor, I do bookkeeping
and computers. I've worked for this company for since 1986,
during all those years i've had long hair and most days i'm usually wearing cut off shorts. All the work is indoors, i've never gotten any complaints about the clothes I wear, one time one of the woman complained that I needed a haircut, I didn't get one and nothing further developed with those complaints. This company has three guys with long hair. The guy who owns the company died last year, his daughter now runs the company and so far there have been no complaints.
Most of the time I wear my hair down and loose, except when it is very windy or the hair can get damaged.
I currently work in a warehouse, there is essentially no dress code past wear steel toe boots. My street clothes are my work clothes, and I work with all sorts of tattooed, pierced, long haired, mohawked, bearded, etc. guys.
Personally, I have waist-length hair, a Van Dyke, my lower lip pierced, a few earrings, and a bifurcated tongue, all of which my bosses are well aware of. I have had no issues other than crude (but good-natured) smart-ass jokes. But really, 95% of the conversation at my workplace consists of making fun of each other for everything. So really it's absolutely nothing to be taken serious.
I had a similar experience as a cashier at K-mart. That job ended 3 years ago. I had shorter hair and no piercings, but the experience was the same. I could wear my hair and facial hair however I wanted.
However, both of those are just jobs to me; not careers. In two months, I'll be moving to Toronto to start work in various cool positions in music and filmmaking. That will be what I consider the start of working towards a career. And I don't suspect to have any issue brought about by my hair.
Cheers,
Jarvis
Thank you!
I'm now working as a rail trainer (classification includes all first line supervisors). I'm actively refusing entreaties to move up into management (No thanks! I'd rather do stuff without kissing butt all the time and playing politics...ask me again when I am 3 years from retirement).
Hired on 17 years ago with long hair, never had a problem. Philosophy here is you show up and do your job competently, noone gives a damn what you look like.
I started growing my hair long in 2008. In 2010 I moved to Germany for a teaching job, by which time my hair was past my shoulders and then some. My students thought my hair was cool, but the head of our university unit despised it, although he never said so to me. He did denigrate my hair to the students, however, which is very unethical. This guy was also rapidly balding, so the students said he was just jealous. Did this affect my job? I don't really know.
I am a patent agent. It made no difference when I worked in an engineering lab, as there were plenty of other engineers with long hair. Now, the main thing is that I'm the only one with long hair. Even most girls have shorter hair than me in patent law, although there was one lady attorney who worked for a patent litigation firm that sublet offices from this firm who had much longer hair than me.
Has it affected my career? It's hard to say. There are probably some jobs I applied for and didn't get, but who really knows?
I did have a weird experience a while ago, when I was interviewed for a job in a law firm and one of the interviewers asked me why I still had long hair. I was flummoxed because I just wasn't expecting the question. I probably could have sued them under the DC Human Rights Act, in which 'hair style' is a protected class, just because he asked a 'wrong' question and they didn't give me the job. OTOH, they are advertising again now, and how can you apply somewhere after you have sued them, LOL!
Hi Fitz,
That was a very interesting topic! Unfortunately, I am not pursuing a career at the moment due to my kidney disease issues. Before I got laid off after 8 years, I worked at Friedrich Air conditioning company as a group leader.
When I left there, I went to school to learn system administration. As I was looking to get hired for that job, I discovered my disease. So, I have been stagnant for quite a while now. I am hoping to get a transplant soon so I can get back to work. But I haven't given up on things yet!
Ted
I'm a computer network engineer currently working for an international telecommunications company. I also do website authoring and hosting, computer repair, and even make house calls if people really need computer or network help. I have never gotten any negative comments about my hair from anyone I work with, and to my knowledge it has not affected my career at all. I do suspect that I may not have gotten a position I applied for because of my hair, but it was never confirmed so I can't say for sure.
Hey all,
I am a teacher...was hired with long hair and no one has had a problem or issue with it in the time I have been at my school. When I applied for jobs, I let them know that I had long hair and was basically a chance to be honest with them before they took the time to bring me out for an interview. But, it also was a litmus test in a sense on my part, because I really didn't want to work at a place where is would be an issue for anyone.
I do realize that I am very lucky in this regard...
I am a Web and Graphic Designer and Photographer. I have had no problems. I have spoken at national conferences a few times about my work and I was an elected city councilman for 7 years. I have been in the process of starting my own business and things seem to be going well. I live near Seattle and do a lot of things there as well as Portland Oregon and long hair is fairly common in both cities which is pretty cool.
I'm a manager for a municipal government. I had short hair when I was hired but went through a growth phase back in 2008-2009, so it's not really a new thing for me.
I'm not the only long-haired guy in my organization, nor in a similar position for other local governments around here, but long-haired guys pretty rare around here among my colleagues and in my organization.
Work dress ranges from khakis-and-polo-shirt to suit-and-tie, depending on the day.
Chris
I am a registered nurse, and have worn my hair at relatively "shaggy" lengths in hospital settings, as well as in office/public health settings. Although never officially discouraged, I did experience some bad vibes coming from the hospital administrators as my hair grew longer. This has not been the case working in the public health sector. I am now the Nurse Administrator of Community Health for a Native American tribe in northern Wisconsin, and hair length is a non-factor. If anything, in dealing with the community, it is regarded as a positive trait. I have also just begun to continue my education (via a "streamlined" graduate program... Master of Science in Nursing, followed by a Doctor of Nursing Practice), after which I will be working as a family nurse practitioner. I do not anticipate hair length to be an issue in that setting, either.
Interesting topic, Fitz... thanks!
Cheers,
Val
thanks for the feedback, everyone - I am attempting to push myself to look for a different job... since I am a fairly new and not quite yet a long haired guy, I was curious about this. I liked the one response regarding attitude - if a company does not hire me because of my hair then I probably do not want to take that job anyway.
So, thanks, guys... appreciate the feedback.
I am a rancher and a civil engineer (that's what supports my
ranching habit) but since I live in the mountains of northern
California I don't think too many of my clients are surprised
by what they see.
I'm a litigation paralegal who specializes in trial presentations which brings me into various state and federal courtrooms throughout the country. I have never had a problem with clients, court staff, judges with the length of my hair. I wear it in a ponytail at court, but down most of the time in the office. I have had it long for about 17 years now, as long as I have been with this firm. I have found that even people who judge me as inadequte or lacking because of my longhair, change there mind once they get to know me. My take is that is their problem, not mine ;)
A recent photo:
I'm a software developer and the only time I've ever had any kind of issues was many many years ago when I was applying/interviewing for a job. The president of the company, an Indian gentleman, asked if I would "cut my overhairs". I said I would consider it. Other than that, the interviews went well and the hiring folks made me feel like the job was mine. A few days later they called and said that they didn't feel I'd be a good fit. I have to assume it was due to my "overhairs." hehe. But I got another position elsewhere and have been here for over 15 years now. And am a telecommuter now. Rarely do I have to go on-site to a customer's location, but it has happened a few times - never had any grief at all about the hair though.
I work in student affairs currently at a research I institution in New England. Never really any grief about my shoulder length hair, it's a fairly laid back field. I also vow to never work in a student affairs office that would require me to wear a tie on the daily, so it's not the most formal of professions.
I was definitely a shorthair until about 6 months ago, neglected to cut my hair and from January this year made the decision to grow it.
I earn my living as a freelance translator, so agencies who send me orders don't even know what I look like. Even then, like photographers and artists, it seems to be a profession that lets people do what they want.
I am also a priest, but working on a voluntary basis for a minority branch of Anglicanism. They are conservative, but my Bishop has a beard and is quite liberal with dress. There has been no reaction from my few blog articles on long hair. I will be going to our Diocesan Synod at the end of this month, and will do a slick-back job to avoid comments. They don't pay me, so they can hardly expect me to get myself butchered - no question of it.
Next year, I'll be ponytail length, and I'll attach a silk ribbon and bow to my hair tie - just like in the 18th century. Then I'll really rub it in...
I spent quite a part of my religious life as a Roman Catholic, and we had short hair at seminary. One of the seminarians called Claudio Fauci was a trained barber and had all the usual tools. It was quite a joke between us, and my adolescent long-haired aspirations were long forgotten. Hair cutting is a powerful addiction!
Life can be a real battle.
Anthony
My blog