As little kids, we all wonder what we’ll do when we grow up. Some of us dream of traveling the world, maybe as a pilot in the cockpit of an airplane, others want to understand the intricacies of cars and engines, maybe becoming a diesel technician or a mechanic. Still, other kids think about designing a home, being trained as an interior designer, or maybe helping people find the new home of their dreams, becoming a real estate agent or real estate broker.
Whatever you dreamed of becoming when you were a kid, and whatever feels the most fulfilling to you now, as an adult, you probably know that different jobs have different requirements. For instance, if you’re going to be a university professor you’ll need an advanced degree. As a mechanic or diesel technician, you’ll need to complete an Automotive and Diesel Technology program. If you want to be a professional athlete, you need hours and hours of training and practice.
In addition to different skills, different career paths demand different dress requirements. While many are under the impression that every professional person needs a closet full of blouses, blazers, and slacks this is simply not true. Even within the business world, where that kind of dress code proliferates more regularly, there are very diverse dress codes. Plenty of tech startups encourage their team members to wear jeans and t-shirts to work, for example. If you’re a professional trainer or athlete, you need a closet full of racerback bras, not pantsuits. It’s important to note these differences as you plan your career trajectory so that you’re prepared to spread your professional wings and fly the moment you’re able. Read on to learn about some examples of careers in which you don’t need a three-piece suit to dress for the job you want.
Real Estate
There’s something incredibly fulfilling about knowing that you’re helping someone find the home that they’ll love, live, and laugh in. People who are looking for a new home can feel lost, unable to figure out exactly what they need. As a real estate professional, it’s your job to step in, take them by the hand, and guide them through the process of finding a place to call their own.
Maybe this is the home they’ll have their first child in or the home their children will grow up in, with a tire swing in the yard and markings on the doorframe to show how they’ve grown. Maybe they want a house on a big property, or maybe they want to live in an apartment community, like the kind that Venterra Living manages across the United States. It’s up to you to help them find out and feel comfortable along the way.
This is a very personal and important role, and, as such, demands a specific code of conduct and dress. Venterra Realty has been hailed as one of the best places to work for several years running now, and part of that is because the professionals at Venterra understand that treating customers and employees with respect is crucial to a growing and thriving business. More important than dressing in perfectly creased slacks is making your customers feel comfortable and that they can trust you. That’s why, as a real estate broker, you don’t need extra professional dress—something business casual that shows that you’re both reliable and approachable.
Professional Trainer
As a professional trainer, you are taking on the exciting role of helping your clients meet their wellness and health goals. This is a very important job, especially seeing as eating healthier and exercising more made up the vast majority of the New Year’s resolutions that were made in 2020. With all of us gaining an extra “Quarantine 15”, it can only be expected that the New Year’s resolutions of 2021 will be similar, if not more extreme.
Everyone wants to feel better, stronger, and more energized, but so few of us have the self-discipline and motivation to get it done. Having a personal trainer who understands you and can inspire you to get moving is an incredible asset on anyone’s wellness journey. That being said, despite how crucial this career path is, you won’t exactly be wearing a starched shirt to work. You’ll be working at the gym or in a public park, or maybe in a home studio. Wherever you’re holding sessions, you need leggings, racerback bras, workout shirts made of breathable fabric, and some sturdy running shoes. This is another case in which dressing for the job you want means a whole different kind of professional.
Mechanic or Diesel Technician
Maybe you’ve always been the kind of person who needs to take things apart and really understand how it all works together. Perhaps you were the kind of kid that took apart your toy train, just to see if you could put it back together. Or hang out in the garage on Sunday mornings, to see your parent washing the car or checking the oil levels under the hood.
If this sounds like you and you’re well on your way to following your passion of becoming an auto mechanic or diesel technician, you probably know that this is another field in which dressing for the job you want means coveralls and work gloves—not a suit and tie. Unless you run an auto mechanic shop, you won’t need a jacket and button-down shirt at all. Just wear something comfortable that fits well under the coveralls, some high quality work boots and goggles for safety, and get to work.
Visual Artist
If you have an eye for aesthetics, or just a creative way of looking at the world, you may be on the right track if you’ve opted to try out the visual arts. Whether you want to be a sculptor, a painter, a woodcarver, a fabricator, or any other kind of visual artist, you’ll be happy if you love working with your hands and expressing your ideas about the world creatively. That being said, as a visual artist you definitely don’t need extra professional business clothes in your wardrobe to successfully live out your dreams. Not at all. Instead, you need comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting covered in paint, glue, or sawdust. In fact, you may find that you’ll be better off expressing your visions and ideas about the world in your fashion choices as well.
Dog Trainer
Are you an animal lover? Do you volunteer at shelters on weekends and have multiple dogs running around your backyard? Maybe the right career path for you is as a dog trainer. Help those beloved pups find a way to behave appropriately around their human roommates. Help the humans get along better with their fur babies. There is so much we don’t know about dogs, even though they live in our homes, and, as a dog trainer, you’ll have the opportunity to solve some of those mysteries for dog owners and smooth out the interspecies communication.
Another perk is that, as a dog trainer, you don’t need to wear slacks or business flats. You need comfortable, closed-toe shoes and a simple shirt and shorts. Just basically anything you would wear in your regular day to day life, as long as you don’t mind it getting dirty. After all, you might end up playing around with the pups and get some grass stains, so don’t wear your favorite new jeans to work. Besides that, you’re good to go!
There are so many careers out there and, truth be told, very few actually require a strict dress code these days. So focus on finding your passion and don’t worry about the professional dress. If you’re realizing your passion, you’ll be happy every day that you go to work.
