Victor Vasquez started cutting hair in middle school. First it was his and his brother’s hair.
“As I got better at it, I started cutting my dad’s,” he said. “And then my uncles came around, and by the time I got to high school, I had buddies coming around [for a haircut]. Any job I had after that I still did barbering on the side for extra money.”
After years of working as an unofficial barber in his free time, Vasquez is finally living his dream as a full time barber. He currently works at Woodrow’s Barber Shop in Stephenville, and hopes to open his own shop in Dublin soon.
Vasquez’pathtobarbering had some twists and turns. Vasquez planned to graduate from Dublin High School in 2011, but when he was a sophomore, he and his girlfriend (now wife), Rubi Guerrero, learned they were expecting a baby. Vasquez knew he needed to finish school early so he could support the family.
So that same year, Vasquez earned his diploma through testing at a school in Abilene, and went to work. “I worked at dairies with my dad for about a couple of years, and then bounced around from factory jobs,” he said.
His longest-term position was at Swish, a company that sells irrigation products. During this time, his wife was working as a medical assistant, and then studying to become a nurse. Once she got her first nursing job, Vasquez went back to school himself to become a barber.
He earned his license in May of last year, and since then has been working at Woodrow’s Barber Shop in Stephenville. “Eventually I’d like to put a little shop here in Dublin,” he said.
Vasquez loves the flexibility his job allows him. He has mornings off to spend with his kids, and his days at the shop start around 1:30 pm., and go through 5 or 6:30 depending on the amount of clients they have. He’ll usually see 10-15 people in one day.
He also enjoys the social aspect of the job. “Getting to meet new people, that’s pretty cool as well,” he said.
“Barbering is something I’ve always held onto,” he said. “I’ll do it until I retire.”
When he’s not working, Vasquez enjoys spending time with his pit bulls, gardening, and doing other outdoor activities. Vasquez also enjoys spending time with his family. “I love being around my kids and my wife and my dogs,” he said. “Part of the reason why I became a barber was for that, a little bit more flexibility to have time with them.”
He and his wife often take their daughters, Ariana, 6 and Adelaide, 1, to the park to play, and their son Byron, 13, loves camping.
His parents live in Dublin too, just three minutes away from the Vasquez family. “We get to see them pretty often,” he said.
Vasquez’wife and children have been his greatest inspiration in life. “Seeing my wife tackle going to college and nursing school and having the kids, and my kids were a really big inspiration,” he said.
Vasquez’ advice to Dublin graduates is to remember that life is long, and they have time to try things out and find what they really love in terms of a career.
“Whatever you’re thinking of doing after graduating, just do it,” he said. “Even if it’s something you think you’re not going to want to end up doing later on, it’s fine. You’re still young. You’ve got plenty of time. Just go for it.”
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.