Wanting to Become a Piercer (And Realizing How Hard It Is to Get There)
There’s a moment that happens when you realize something isn’t just an interest anymore — It’s something that you want to do. For me, that moment was body piercing.
It’s easy for people to assume piercing is simple. From the outside it looks like jewelry, needles, and a cool shop atmosphere. But once you start to seriously look into the industry, you realize it’s so much more than that. It’s anatomy knowledge, sterilization, bloodborne pathogen training, jewelry materials, wound healing, client care, and an incredible amount of responsibility. Good piercers aren’t just artists – they’re educators.
That’s exactly why I respect the industry so much.
But wanting to become a piercer and actually getting the opportunity to become one are two very different things.
The Apprenticeship Wall
The biggest barrier to entering the industry is apprenticeships. Most reputable piercers won’t teach someone unless they already know them well or have worked with them for a long time. And honestly, that makes sense. Piercing isn’t something that should be taught casually. Apprenticeships require a lot of time, energy, and trust from the mentor.
But from the outside, it can feel almost impossible to even get your foot in the door.
Shops rarely advertise apprenticeships. Some won’t even respond to inquiries about them. Others require you to already be working at the shop – usually as counter staff – before they ever consider training you.
Even those positions are hard to get.
The Counter Staff Catch-22
A lot of aspiring piercers are told the same thing:
“Start by working the counter.”
The logic makes sense. Counter staff learn how studios operate, how jewelry works, how to talk to clients, and how to help with aftercare questions. It’s a great foundation.
But the reality is that even those jobs can be incredibly difficult to land. Shops often hire through personal connections, and positions rarely open up. So you end up stuck in this weird loop:
You need shop experience to get hired…
but you need to get hired to get shop experience.
Loving the Industry From the Outside
What makes it harder is that when you really care about piercing, you don’t want to cut corners. You don’t want to buy a cheap kit online and start piercing people in a bedroom. You want to do it the right way. The safe way. The professional way.
You want proper training.
You want mentorship.
You want to learn the standards that keep people safe.
But the path to that is often unclear and frustrating.
Still Wanting It Anyway
Despite all of that, the desire doesn’t go away.
If anything, the difficulty makes the goal feel even more meaningful. Because good piercers aren’t just people who learned how to push a needle through skin —- they’re people who cared enough to stick around even when the door wasn’t open yet.
So for now, I keep learning what I can. I read about jewelry materials, anatomy, sterilization, and healing. I pay attention when I visit shops. I watch how professionals interact with clients and how seriously they take safety.
Because someday, I hope someone will give me the chance to learn properly.
When that opportunity comes, I’ll be ready for it.
Follow your dreams, they’re what make you, you.
With love,
Signel
