A teenage father from New Zealand, Mark Cropp, who has “DEVAST8” tattooed across his face, is waiting for the right job offer after his viral plea for work. Mark posted on social media, asking employers to look past his criminal record and facial tattoo to give him a chance. He received so many job offers that he stopped counting at 45 and now plans to get the tattoo removed.
The 19-year-old (pictured) turned to social media, frustrated that his face tattoos were preventing him from finding work. Despite his efforts, he shared that he still hadn’t “done a day’s work.” “I’m just waiting for the right job to come along,” he explained.
Some of the jobs required him to have his own car, which he admitted is challenging as he currently needs help getting to job sites. “Until I get my first paycheck and buy a car, I can’t get around on my own,” he said.
He also mentioned plans to have the tattoo, designed by his brother during a night of drinking homebrew in jail, removed as soon as possible.
“About a week before I was released, I taped a picture of my face inside an envelope so my partner could see it. She was devastated at first—but now she likes it and can’t imagine me without it,” Cropp shared. Man with “DEVAST8” tattoo discusses challenges in finding a job.
“I’m just figuring out a date to get it removed—which sucks because I know it’s going to hurt,” he said. “This tattoo means something to me, and my brother did it for me, so it’s hard to decide to let it go. But I know it’s the best choice for my future—I want to be someone my family can rely on.”
The tattoo was originally meant to make him “look tough” when he ended up in jail after a series of violent incidents.
Mark and his girlfriend, Taneia Ruki, had been together for a year before he was sent to prison. “I would end up devastating everyone I met or got close to. They’d be disappointed by something I did or said—I was always hearing ‘that’s devastating,’” he said.
But he hopes the hardest chapters of his life are behind him—erased along with the ink on his face. “I’ve learned from my mistakes,” he added. “I still don’t think people should be judged by the tattoos on their face, but I know it will keep happening unless I do something about it.”
Before his final desperate plea on Facebook, the teenager said people had “laughed in my face” when he asked for work.
The tattoo was created with a homemade gun, using a needle made from a pen spring and powered by a cassette player. Plastic knives and forks were burned into black powder and mixed with toothpaste and water to make the ink.
As Mark looks ahead, he’s determined to turn his life around and build a better future for himself and his family. While the road to redemption may be challenging, he’s taking the first steps by removing the past—literally and figuratively. His story is a reminder that it’s never too late to change, and that the choices we make today don’t have to define who we are tomorrow.
