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Bridie’s laser focus grows a fulfilling career
Bridie White is all about making people feel better about themselves and comfortable in their bodies.
The TAFE Queensland Diploma of Beauty Therapy (SHB50121) graduate learnt a lot during her time at TAFE Queensland and enjoys sharing her experiences with others.
“I studied my diploma full time, which was three days a week. I really enjoyed looking after clients on ‘salon days’, making them feel better, doing fun stuff like make-up, further upskilling myself and learning new things as we went,” Bridie began.
Bridie completed her qualification at TAFE Queensland’s Ipswich campus, located in the suburb of Bundamba. The campus features an open-to-the-public beauty salon, ‘Salon on Mary’, allowing students to get real-life, supervised, hands-on experience in a low-pressure environment.
“The facilities were everything you needed. I learnt how to be more time-efficient — like doing waxing whilst tinting at the same time,” said Bridie.
“The teachers are always great. They're always helping you, doing everything that they can — and a lot of them have their own businesses too. So it’s quite inspirational that they can teach, and run their own businesses.”
Bridie initially began her beauty journey with a Certificate III in Beauty Services (SHB30121), which she commenced after finishing high school though home education. This allowed her to secure employment with Silk Laser Clinics, originally in reception.
These days she’s performing laser hair removal, skin treatments and body sculpting there, in a full-time role.
Bridie has enthusiastic advice for others contemplating a career in beauty.
“Definitely give it a go. If you're thinking about doing it — then do it! It's a great experience and you learn a lot of things,” Bridie beamed.
“It's always something you can do at home as well — you don't have to work for someone else either,” added Bridie.
In addition to opportunities for continuous learning, the industry also offers job security, with strong demand for beauty professionals in Queensland and across Australia.
According to the Australian Government’s Labour Market Insights website, employment growth in beauty therapy will increase by more than 12 per cent nationwide and is likely to reach 42,400 workers by 2026.