![David Hobman is now working as a beautician at Endota Spa, he is giving beauty student Zoe Batten a face treatment. Picture by Ash Smith David Hobman is now working as a beautician at Endota Spa, he is giving beauty student Zoe Batten a face treatment. Picture by Ash Smith](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168477368/2c7efcda-9ead-47c7-95df-67d487a423fa.jpg/r0_0_6720_4480_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He didn't have a passion for roofing, for his work in an abattoir, but in beauty therapy David Hobman has found his true calling.
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The 43-year-old Albury man, who was a stay-at-home dad before his children went to school, never felt those other jobs had a purpose.
It's not that he didn't get a lot of enjoyment out of each of those roles, but it was never quite enough.
"I wanted more for me and my family," he said.
"My wife and I spoke at length and decided I would go back to one year of study, after spending 30 years digging holes, throwing around 2000-kilogram animals."
What really stood out was the idea of a job as a masseur. He discovered that the best way to do that was through a beauty therapy course.
"There was a wide scope - waxing, makeup, facials," he said.
"At the time I just saw it off as a fun thing to do while I ticked off getting the qualification for massage.
"But after spending a full year I realised it wasn't just the massage but it was more so all the other beauty things too.
"By the time I came out of the course I had a whole new passion for something that I never even knew I liked."
In order to get a start in the industry after his training, he went to every beauty therapy outlet in town.
But Mr Hobman said not everyone's reaction to a man working in the industry could be classed as amazing - except when he finally got his job in Albury.
"When I walked into Endota Spa not one person blinked at the difference," he said.
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"Trying to get in the door elsewhere had been pretty disheartening. But when I got my first job I walked out two feet taller, and a little bit teary.
Mr Hobman completed a diploma of Beauty therapy at TAFE NSW in Albury.
"It's never been my intention to break down any walls, but this was for myself, purely, and my family," he said.
The father-of-five said the happiness he got from his work had spread through his household.
Teacher Lisa Barker said there was a wide range of students stepping into the beauty industry.
"It was such a breath of fresh air having Dave come in," she said.
Endota Spa owner Keegan Dyt said there was a gap for men in the wellness industry.
"When we first met Dave, he assumed we thought he was there to buy a voucher for his wife," she said.
"I was a little surprised given his past jobs, but we are really excited to have him on board.
"We are branching out to make sure everyone feels comfortable to enter the industry.
"There's a space for everyone."
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