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Post by tonarkelli on Apr 26, 2006 12:13:20 GMT -5
I'm thinking about getting a new little tattoo on my wrist; an hourglass with bat wings from the MCIS booklet. My boyfriend said that if I want a career later in life that I won't be able to with a tattoo that's on my wrist. At first, I was worried about that. Then I talked to my mom/aunts/grandma/dad/uncles, pretty much my entire family & they all said that in current day America, tattoos don't matter. Of course, that means as long as they're not vulgar or extremely noticeable, you can pretty much work anywhere with one.
So...
Will visible tattoos harm someone's chances at a career in modern day America?
I'm thinking that even if I do try to get a job that requires no visible tattoos, then I can always just wear long sleeves.. or even a watch or a thick bracelet.
Post by melikecheese on Apr 26, 2006 12:59:58 GMT -5
It could. It really depends on the company and what your skills are. Many companies will not like tattos but as long as its not on your face and it can be covered you are in the clear.
If you are working with the public it may be frowned apon more. If you have special skills then you can get away with more.
As a "young professional" my advice would be to just get it in a place you can cover up. Then you have no worries.
It also depends on where you live. Out in the Bay Area and Seattle nobody really cares if you have tattoos. I see women on the Bus and BART dressed professionally with multiply visible tattoos. I would look around town and see if you see any young professionals with visible tattoos and then make your decision.
My recommendation is to get it in a place that, if you weren't wearing dress clothes would be seen, but you could cover daily if you had to.
For example, I'm looking at one on my forearm-- because I wear long sleeves at work, it's not an issue, but when I am not at work my tat would be visible to the world- exactly what I want.
So I would say, as I often do, it's about moderation, expression and sensibilities. You want to express yourself, so just do it so it won't hinder other ways you might want to express yourself.
On Yuppies: Let's see, I'm not Young, I'm not Urban and I'm only barely a Professional that certainly isn't Upwardly mobile. I'm a Orsp! (Old Rural Semi-Professional.)
I have several visible tattoos, one right under my hair line (i have short hair), one on the underneath of my wrist and one on my collar bone I have only had one job (at a call center of all places- where no one important sees you) I just wore a turtle neck...which kinda sucked in the summer, but as long as you dont want some pretentious career tattoos have become so main stream that no one really cares any more and it seems every year they get even more comforateable with the idea of tattoos
i currently work in the southeast in the medical profession. tats are not well accepted for most anyone working in the hospital environment. a couple of places that i have worked have a policy that tats must be covered while at work. i am positive that certain people are not hired based on their tats. but truthfully i find that people here seem super uptight/conservative about most things.
the way that i feel about the whole topic is that if i want a tattoo and i get it, i accept it as a part of me, and if they dont like that part of me i dont give a damn about working for someone like that. but i do work in kitchens and those bosses are pretty laid back
I've got tattoos and a brand. None visible at work (I'm in a business-casual environment working for IT) unless I show them to someone.
If you plan on working in the arts, restaurant industry, record store, or other eclectic jobs, then I say go for it (tattoo on wrist). But if you plan on entering a white-collar job be forewarned that the people in HR and management are generally conservative, and although they might not say anything in an interview it could be the one thing that keeps them from calling you back. I'm certainly not saying that's fair, but frequently in life things aren't fair.
When you have an established work history of being super-good at what you do, standing out from the crowd isn't as big of a deal. But for your first post-college job, it could be a deal-breaker.
Tattoos are becoming more and more accepted these days. But if you're hoping for some kind of super formal type prefession I would advise against any visible tats. I have 14 tattoos myself, but none below the wrist or above the neckline - so none are visible if I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt. It won't matter much for me with the career I'm going into - electrical engineering - as most of my work will be done in the studio and on the job site, not the conference room.
