Pirate and the neverending quest for a job part 2

Todays blog will be about discrimination. I will lead into it gently but it is about DISCRIMINATION.

So today was my trial at the coffee shop. I skipped skate practice last night as I wanted to be fresh and preferably unbroken today! Normally I wouldn't miss it for the world but I was still aching from Sundays bout and I really really want this job.

I get up early and put on my $70 black long-sleeved shirt. I wouldn't normally ever spend that much on a shirt but it looks amazing, fits me well and the main thing is the sleeves are really long. Sometimes shirts ride up when you extend your arm and I can't have that or my wrist tats will keek out (shock horror). So yeah now to tackle my hair. I don't think I could get away with wearing a hat during a shift so I need to do something else. I can never ever ever be arsed doing anything with my hair hence why I shave half of it and style the other side like a birds nest - minimum effort. So, how to disguise my hair without using clever hat trickery? I decide to try and copy that rockabilly thing I've seen girls do with a bandanna. I get the shaved bit disguised and cleverly pin my remaining hair over as much of it as possible. It's a bit sloppy but for a first attempt its awrite.

Sweet, off to work! I arrive ten minutes early and inroduce myself and give a big smile. (All names have been changed to alternatives to protect identities and for my own personal amusement but this is the only false part of the story everything else is FACT). I met my boss Reginald and another co-worker Penelope and politely got on with learning how to do the job and yakking about myself. I like Reginald he reminds me of an ex-boss. He strikes me as very down to earth, friendly yet professional, hard-working and fun. All is going well I'm picking things up quick, I'm talking myself up with quiet confidence and I'm getting on well with everyone. Reginald asked to see me alone away from the customers and my immediate thought was "Crap I've only been here an hour I've mucked this up what did I do wrong?". We head upstairs and he begins by complimenting me on the way I'm dressed (I can recognise a compliment sandwich when I see it), it's smart yadda yadda, however (here it is), he would like me to take my ear-rings out as he would prefer me to look more like the way he's dressed and it's more professional. I think he may also have meant I was to do something with my hair but I was still in shock over the very idea of removing my ear-rings. He then closed with he would like me to come back the next day when it is busier and he will teach me more. There we have it folks the compliment sandwich.

The main problem I have with society in regards to job-hunting etc is this ridiculous prejudice that people with piercings and tattoos are "unprofessional".  I have an honours degree in biomedical science, I studied a masters degree in signal transduction pathways in primary operable breast cancer, I have presented my work in San Antonio at the annual breast cancer conference, I have worked since the age of 15, I have mostly always had two jobs, I have only ever been unemployed once for a period of 8 months until I stopped putting my degree on my resume and I pride myself on my attitude of "If somethings worth doing it's worth doing well". No matter what I get up to in my private life I am always at work on time, I never phone in sick unless I am so genuinely sick I cant physically make it to work and I always get the job done. Tell me, does any of this sound unprofessional to you? It is also infuriating as Penelope was wearing a pair of very thick gold hoop ear-rings. I'm an all or nothing kinda gal. You either ban jewellery altogether or you allow people to wear it. I'm not mad at Reginald I understand his dilemma. People can be pains in the arses about appearance. However, once I give you my dazzling smile and speak to you in my genuinely friendly manner you can't help but like me. And I'm not being full of myself here I just like being nice to people it doesnt cost anything and smiling is contagious. You cant stay freaked out by someone when they bend over backwards to help you and take time out of their day just to be nice to you.

So therein lies the dilemma. I like Reginald, I like his staff and I like his coffe shop but on principle I have NEVER ever taken my ear-rings out for anyone. What to do?