Modern embalming got its start during the American Civil War in the 1860’s. Families of soldiers killed in the battle wanted to have their bodies returned home. Dr. Thomas Holmes found a way. His system was the forerunner of todays “embalming”. In almost all cultures, an individual’s death is marked by a ritual. Funerals in the United States and a few other countries and cultures serve purposes such as religious, social, and personal (M.Mahon, 2009)
Unlike taxes there’s no way to get around death. Our days are numbered. That’s why the world needs funeral directors (Mosca, 2011). Mourning the loss of a loved one is a traumatic experience we must all suffer during our lives. For many of us, making the necessary funeral arrangements while in an emotionally fragile state can be a frustrating, painful experience without the help of an experienced and caring funeral director. The career of a funeral director can be an emotionally rewarding job .Funeral directors are also counselors, aiding people during one of the most difficult times of their lives. Families need compassionate counseling and guidance, and a funeral director can offer support and assistance in making end-of-life decisions. Funeral directors also handle all arrangements

. They often need to travel to private homes, places of worship, and cemeteries and crematoriums. They also need to travel to hospitals and accident sites to transfer bodies.

Becoming a funeral director requires education, licensing, and training. Most states require applicants to be twenty-one years of age and a high school graduate. College programs in mortuary science typically last from two to four years. Most are two-year degree programs offered at community colleges. The average in-state tuition for mortuary science programs during the 2009-2010 academic year was $6,654.84, with an out-of-state tuition average of $9,312.40. Mortuary science programs include courses in business management, communication, psychology, chemistry, anatomy, pathology, restorative art, embalming, and grief counseling. In addition, aspiring funeral directors need to pass a state board exam to become certified.

Embalming can be defined as preserving of the body for burial; it has been around for centuries and can be dated back to early Egyptian eras. Embalmers are highly trained professionals that perform this repulsive yet phenomenal task.
For skill level you need to know service orientation, active listening, knowing how to speak to others, coordination, science, reading comprehension, social perceptiveness, instructing, time management, and critical thinking.
Life of an embalmer is very different from anyone that works with people because their clients are dead.

Funeral Directors
Job opportunities should be good, particularly for those who also embalm; however, mortuary.
Funeral directors also are called morticians or undertakers.
Funeral directors arrange the details and handle the logistics of funerals. They interview the family to learn what family members desire with regard to the nature of the funeral, the clergy members or other persons who will officiate, and the final disposition of the remains. Sometimes, the deceased leaves detailed instructions for his or her own funeral
Funeral directors also prepare obituary notices and have them placed in newspapers, arrange for pallbearers and clergy, schedule the opening and closing of a grave with a representative of the cemetery, decorate and prepare the sites of all services, and provide transportation for the remains, mourners, and flowers between sites.
Most funeral directors also are trained, licensed, and practicing embalmers. Embalming is a sanitary, cosmetic, and preservative process through which the body is prepared for interment. If more than 24 hours elapse between death and interment, State laws usually require that the remains be refrigerated or embalmed.