dreads or dream job

so i'm currently a full-time college student/lifelong skibum, and i decided to start my dreads a few months ago. i had wanted them since i was 10 or so and had done quite a bit of research about dreads in the past. i've been growing my hair out for the last couple years and i had a pretty good amount of thick hair down my mid/upper back or so. now since i'll be looking for temporary and or long term job opportunities in the near future in the medical field i felt the only remotely acceptable way for me to shape them was to keep them fairly uniformly shaped and "tidy". so i started them by backcombing. and i blunted the tips later. now i realize that is a bit different than some of you feel dreads should look but i like how they've started to mature. they are of a wide variety of size and length but i'm pretty pleased so far.bad news or a blessing in disguise:now i applied for a job at a snowboard camp for the summer with little expectation of even securing an interview... i have an interview later today! i'm pretty stoked but it looks like i'll most likely be required to cut my dreads for the position. quite saddened by this but its a sacrifice i'm willing to make at this point. 2 months ago, shortly after starting my dreads i suffered a T-12 compression fracture and fractured my tailbone by coming up short on a a jump on the first day of a five day snowboard trip. it's been a tough couple months finishing the school year on high doses of pain meds but i've almost made it! if i can do that, i think i can deal with some setbacks in my dread journey too.
updated by @andrew-harder: 02/04/18 05:50:01PM

woaw, what a story! i've read it like 3 times to understand right (poor english haha) seems like you have been through a lot last times. if it is your dreamjob, and you have no choise, i would say just do it. But my question is, is it necessary? Did they told you you have to cut you dreads because of the job? If not, i wouldn't even begin about your dreadlocks. If they have some problems with it they will tell you. Anyways, good luck with it, hope you'll find the right solution.~Namast~

Congratulations! On being almost done even with the pain meds, on the dreads and on the job. If they mention wanting you to cut your dreads in an interview then by all means bring it up to them that it's a legal issue of religious discrimination. You don't have to be rastafarian...Might be hard to play that card if you're into Scientology or something like that though. lol.

well it's not "the dream job" itself but a very helpful and possible gateway to what i would like to do eventually. i'm currently part of a relatively unique outdoor emphasis/pre-med program. this is merely a private EMS position in a very competitive location. and the thing is from my previous fire/ems experience dress code is more than a formality, its tradition and also a matter of safety (i.e. no beards in firefighting, just mustaches). i dont want to cause trouble because they could easily pick someone else. the thing is it would be much easier to get the desired job, then get dreads. just not an issue i expected to face so soon with years of school left haha. thanks Lisa McRae said:

That's really a hard decision, you just have to decide what's more important. Would it really be a dream job if you can't have your dream look? I'm sure you'll make a good decision, Never regret anything. Just keep in mind that there is always the third option and fight it. no one can tell you that you can't have dreads. It's you hair and your choice. They can take away piercings and hide tattoos but hair is a completely different thing. I would fight it, but again it's really your choice.
I'm sorry I can't really help you decide, but I wish you the best of luck.

well i say good job on your english! i knew OK french when i was young but now i know VERY LITTLE. i have many friends from south america and i think your written grammar looks much better than theirs. i have to talk to them like little kids haha. my spanish is very limited but i try. i think i could get dreads after i am in the job i want. my back is healing and that is what is important right now.namaste Justmyparanoia said:

woaw, what a story! i've read it like 3 times to understand right (poor english haha) seems like you have been through a lot last times. if it is your dreamjob, and you have no choise, i would say just do it. But my question is, is it necessary? Did they told you you have to cut you dreads because of the job? If not, i wouldn't even begin about your dreadlocks. If they have some problems with it they will tell you. Anyways, good luck with it, hope you'll find the right solution.

~Namast~

ya thanks! i'd gotten so resistant to hydrocodone that i was taking the equivalent of 4-6 vicodin at a time, plus muscle relaxers. i hardly remember the first few weeks back at school haha... thankfully i was able to get a late drop out of g chem. if the dreads become an issue, i will meet their requirement i think, but i will first speak positively about dreads as a life choice (if that works, great). i dont want to cause conflict by having dreads, i can most likely restart them once i have an established career if need be. ya know? Spider Feet said:

Congratulations! On being almost done even with the pain meds, on the dreads and on the job. If they mention wanting you to cut your dreads in an interview then by all means bring it up to them that it's a legal issue of religious discrimination. You don't have to be rastafarian...Might be hard to play that card if you're into Scientology or something like that though. lol.

few things...1 get off the pain meds and deal with the painthe meds are far worsde then the pain itselfi had a spine injury too so i know the pains incredible but u must get off the meds as quickly as u can i was off all meds in weeks still had pain but pains prefferable to a lifelong addiction and the stupor and fog caused by meds2 they cannot deny you the job based on dreadsif they "go with someone else" and your more qualified u can suejust go for the interview like you dont even have dreads if they mention the dreads simply say they are a spiritual and religios expression so you cannot cut them and they cannot ask you to..thats it nothing moreyou'll get the job om sure


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My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

1. i realize the prescribed narcotics have negative side effects such as addictive properties and difficulty with bodily function such as passing waste. this isnt the first time i've had them. i also know i can deal with pain. i've been snowboarding at a fairly advanced (not professional) level since i was little. i've blown my knee, torn up my shoulder, multiple concussions.... through these most recent x-rays and ct scans i found out i fractured a lower lumbar transverse process (technically "broken back" haha) last year but because my dad and another p.t. both felt i'd strained a ligament, i never got checked out and rode with the pain all season.this was a more serious injury, ive been trying to balance functionality and pain. try sitting in a 4+ hour lecture in a back brace with a broken coccyx. its useless, you wont focus on anything but the pain. but i havent taken any in over a week so thats good. now i take maybe a muscle relaxer once a day if that.2 even though i've wanted dreads and admired them for a long time, they are new to me. if they make it an issue, at this point i would be willing to conform for the time being. i understand that since they are dealing with kids (and their parent's opinion), to some degree appearance is something to consider. i'm not saying that having dreads make you dirty or determine anything about your quality as a person (on the other hand i dont think it makes you superior either).i'm not mad about the stereotypes that can accompany dreads, that wasnt my point in writing this. the responses have been much more interesting than i expected and i appreciate it! perhaps i am being dumb but i disagree with arguing because of or making a disruptive issue about dreads. thats not what i want them to mean to me. and i would not claim they hold religious significance to me personally if that is not true. i think that cheapens me for claiming something untrue for self-gain. and i wouldnt sue them, i think that'd be silly. i dont have the time, money or energy to follow through with something like that. i think there are much more important issues and i think its sad to see some of the trivial things that people waste time on in court.I appreciate your opinion and your words of support, i hope my logic makes sense. i'm not a push-over but i want to think about the bigger picture. me, and my hair are not the most important thing in the world and i dont think think i should treat either as though they are.thank you friend soaringeagle said:

few things...1 get off the pain meds and deal with the pain
the meds are far worsde then the pain itself i had a spine injury too so i know the pains incredible but u must get off the meds as quickly as u can i was off all meds in weeks still had pain but pains prefferable to a lifelong addiction and the stupor and fog caused by meds2 they cannot deny you the job based on dreadsif they "go with someone else" and your more qualified u can suejust go for the interview like you dont even have dreads if they mention the dreads simply say they are a spiritual and religios expression so you cannot cut them and they cannot ask you to..thats it nothing moreyou'll get the job om sure

Whats up man? Sounds just like my story. I'm in Breckenridge now and broke my ankle about 5 weeks ago. Sucks. So now I'm looking for a job in the travel industry and will most likely have to cut my dreads. It was harder than I thought it would be to find a job in Breck because of the hair. If you work for one of the resorts you'll prob have to cut them, but there are places that will hire with dreads, it's just getting alot harder. Vail resorts wont hire anyone with dreads at all? I would'nt cut them for the snowboard job -you'll find one that'll be cool with it, but if I got offered a travel job, I would cut them. Where is the snowboard camp?

With a snowboard camp job, I seriously doubt they will have any problems with your dreadlocks. Just keep them clean. If the interviewer asks about your dreadlocks tell him/her how often you wash them and ask if it will be a problem if you keep them tied back.
updated by @goldeneagle: 07/03/15 04:59:57AM