Forgoing full-time work to study as a beauty therapist, Kylie Hughes wondered whether the reduced family income might lead to two-minute noodle meals.

Two years on, the Napier mother of two is eagerly looking forward to receiving her Diploma in Beauty and Body Therapy at EIT Hawke’s Bay’s graduation ceremony in Napier on March 27.

Her well-nourished husband Danny and children Jamie, 11, and Sophie, 8, will be joining the celebration, and in May, Kylie will show her appreciation for their support and forbearance with a family holiday to Australia.

Working at Urban Retreat in Havelock North and Hastings, Kylie is pleased they are through the hardships and sacrifices of the past two years.

She also savouring a sense of pride, having realised a long-held ambition.

Kylie’s interest in beauty and body therapy was triggered when she was a teenager working Saturdays in a hairdressing salon.  

Leaving school, she found no courses available locally and a move away from Hawke’s Bay didn’t feel right at that time.  Instead, she did a year-long office systems course at EIT and subsequently worked in offices.

Some years ago, when EIT established its beauty and therapy programmes, she took the trouble to find out more about what was offered.  Once both children were at school, she more seriously explored the possibility of study with Danny, who fretted about the financial implications for the family budget.

“We had young children and things were starting to get better,” Kylie explains. “He worried that we were going to be losing income for two years.”

To help them manage, Kylie juggled part-time jobs with course commitments, study time and managing the household, first working night shifts at a supermarket and then Saturdays at a Napier beauty clinic.

“Life was busy.  There were days that were tough and I broke down and had a cry.  I said to myself, this is hard.

“Now I can look back and know I’ve done it and done it well.  I put in a lot of effort.”
Kylie’s focus and diligence led to her job at Urban Retreat.

Starting at EIT, however, she worried about returning to study 14 years after leaving school. 

“I thought how am I going to cope with that.  It was scary, and with that came the feeling I had left it too late in life.”
 
She was pleased to find that wasn’t the case.  Her classmates ranged in age from 18 to 35 and included several mothers.

“I would say to anyone thinking of going back to study, it’s do-able whatever your age.  Two years is not long and now I have a job I absolutely love.  I think wow, I’m doing it – it’s exciting.”

Keenly anticipating her graduation, Kylie had never imagined herself wearing the traditional gown.

“It’s quite silly, but I’m quite excited about it,” she smiles proudly.