Terry longden's three decades in hairdressing

Terry Longden has been a hairdresser for 30 years and recently joined the team at Ethos Hairdressing in Manchester as creative stylist. What does hairdressing mean to you? Hairdressing is so much more than a career, it’s a way of life and a passion that runs through you. Just look at the social media of the high profile hairdressers! This is probably one of the only careers that still provokes constant passion to share their skills and knowledge with others. There are so many opportunities beyond the salon floor in our industry – if you work hard then the sky is the limit. How did you enter hairdressing and what was the attraction for you? I entered hairdressing purely by accident, I got fired from my job making car exhaust pipes and it was the only job going at the job centre. Looking back being sacked from a career that I had no interest in threw me into another which more than 30 years later never fails to stimulate and test me. Hairdressing is something that is constantly evolving – it’s hard to get bored when there is always something new to learn. What were your first impressions of the industry and the possibilities open to you? My first impressions of the hair industry was that it was very sociable and soon realised that if you didn't have any social skills and manners then it didn't matter how good you were at shampooing and sweeping up, clients would never gravitate to you. As for the possibilities open to me I realised that climbing the career ladder could be very fast as long as you were willing to put the time and commitment in. I have now dedicated my life to hairdressing and the opportunities that I’ve had along the way have been fantastic. How did your career progress? My hairdressing career progressed quite unconventionally as I didn't attend college but took an in-salon apprenticeship and learned by trial and error. I got thrown straight in the deep end and spent many years treading water until I discovered professional brand education. I became a course junkie, which in turn gave me the confidence to deal with most situations that came my way and eventually developed my own courses to deliver for Matrix. How did you start to work towards achieving your goals? If I'm totally honest I never really had any goals when I first started hairdressing except to be busy and good at what I did. Even when I opened my own salons it was more of a spur of the moment thing rather that an over thought process. It must be the Gemini in me where I wake up with a new personality looking to get stimulated. What advice would you offer someone looking to carve a long-term, exciting career in hairdressing? After many years of meeting different types of hairdressers I realised that there is no simple label of "hairdresser'' as everyone can start on the same path then diversify into sales, competition, management, photographic, education and even celebrity. I’ve been very lucky as to have been able to dip my toes in each of these aspects. Three decades on I’ve realised that I enjoy the salon and education side of things more than anything else. So my advice would be "go with the flow and enjoy the ride until you discover your niche and strengths"