I was offered an apprenticeship at my favorite shop a while back, but turned it down because I didn't know much about jewelry styles and materials at the time. The piercer isn't an app member, but I trust her knowledge. I was just hoping I could help the shop advance a bit once I got in. Do you think I did the right thing? Sometimes I can't sleep because I wonder if I should have just taken it… (that's not really important, I just needed to say it.)
If it didn’t feel right at the time then I think you made the right choice.
Please don’t think that a piercer is less than qualified simply because they are not an APP member. We really want to be clear that while we certainly promote the APP and it’s goals we realize that we are part of an overall industry full of talented and caring body piercers.Â
If you have regrets why not open up a dialog with the shop about the reasons you turned them down. Tell them what you just told us. That you felt like you weren’t in the right position to accept the offer. Maybe start with something like a counter position and the learn the ropes a bit more before you try an apprenticeship. Either way, I respect your restraint and judgement. Best of luck to you.Â
And maybe you can talk to your piercer about APP membership in the future ;)
Ryan Ouellette, APP outreach