13 minutes
NOT many people would leave a full-time job that offers financial security to stride out on their own, but Atiqah Zainundin, 30, is glad she took that leap of faith.
She gave up her engineering work to become a make-up artist.
The former government officer with the Defence Ministry left her post at 23 to work as an engineer with Sime Darby Offshore Engineering for almost three years.
Still it was not her calling, so Atiqah threw caution to the wind and started her make-up business which has been flourishing since 2016.
“Think twice before you start freelancing as it is not for the faint hearted.
“You will no longer have access to company benefits or retirement plans and you will face more uncertainties,” said Atiqah, who holds a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering.
Coming from a family of engineers, except for her mother, she said it was tough to convince her parents of her need to pursue her passion initially. But her success has made their acceptance a lot easier.
“I believe in pursuing things that give me satisfaction,” Atiqah said.
“Being an engineer is challenging – which I like – but it took too much of my time.
“I didn’t have much of a social life.
“Once I switched career, I started meeting new faces every day and my work suddenly became very enjoyable.”
Doing make up for brides and international models for a national fashion show, it was indeed an exciting journey for her.
The cherry on top is that she earns quite a decent amount from it.
“I made roughly around RM8,000 monthly but it depends on the business demands,” Atiqah said.
“During Ramadhan, I have to sustain by doing other side jobs such as conducting make-up classes.
“It does not matter if I work long hours because it is my passion and I am leading a stress-free life indeed.”
Bridal make-up takes around an hour and it can get hectic with her dealing with 15 clients a month.
“Once I had a make-up gig for a morning TV show and I needed to start working as early as 3.30am.
“That was crazy,” Atiqah said.
“My longest working hours was for a fashion show. It went from 8am till 10 pm for four consecutive days.
“At a fashion show you need to be fast.
“From make-up to redoing the hair and changing clothes, everyone is rushing.
“But at the end of the day, it was so fulfilling.”
She charges between RM250 and RM650 for her make-up services and this excludes transportation cost.
