#KWourview

Probably the biggest criticism young people receive when they’re first thinking about getting a tattoo is that tattoos will prevent job acquisition.

We think that’s just crap. You’ve just got to be smart about your ink.

Keep it classy. Showing a potential employer your “Thug Life” tattoo will probably land you a rejection letter. However, your deceased grandmother’s name on your upper arm probably won’t attract so much flack.

Context matters, too. Even if you have your grandma’s name as a tat, it won’t be acceptable if it looks like it’s written in drops of blood. View the tattoo without bias. If it still seems like a good idea, get that sucker.

Thinking about your future employer before you get your tattoo is probably smart, too. If you want a sleeve of tattoos, that’s fine — just make sure you’re willing to wear long sleeves at your teaching job every day for the rest of your life.

Conversely, if you want to own a punky clothing shop, wear your tattoos with pride. Even working a music venue could merit acceptable tattoos.

The chances of making it in your chosen career should also affect your decision.  You want to be a rock star, so you think it’s fine to cover yourself in ink? Think about that for a minute. Be realistic.

This last comment should be pretty damn obvious, but it should be mentioned. Tattoos last forever — unless you’ve got the money for removal. If you think you might not like your tattoo in 20 years, don’t get it.

Even if you’ve already broken one of these guidelines, you shouldn’t be worried. Tattoos are getting more and more common on people our age. Getting a job right now might be tough, but once our generation becomes the ones doing the hiring, it should be fine.

Just don’t expect to land that big Wall Street job with Lindsay Lohan’s face tattooed on your forehead.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.