I am a grooming assistant at Petco, a corporation that I am not particularly fond of. I do, however, love my job.

I have been offered training to become a groomer through Petco's mentor program. There is no cost to me, other than the cost of supplies. There is, however, a contract stating I need to work at Petco for a year following my training. I have never stayed at a job this long, so this intimidates me a bit, but I could see myself working there without any problem.

My issue is the type of experience I will be getting. I am not sure how well a Petco training program could possibly prepare me for the real world of grooming. The focus would be on common breeds, such as Shih Tzu's and Yorkshire Terriers. Rarer breeds like Bedlington Terriers and Bearded Collie's, will probably not be covered.

I also have the option of going to a grooming school. I am very privileged in that my parents are willing to pay for the grooming school. This would, however, be taking money out of my college fund, since I have opted to become a groomer before completing college.

I am not sure which here would be the better option for me. Has anyone been to grooming school or trained to groom at a Petco? I know technique will come in time- I just want good advice the first time around, rather than having to start over from scratch when I realize I have learned bad Petco habits. Face it: Petco groomers are not world class.

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