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Beauty SchoolWhat Parents Want to Know

As a parent, you want what's best for your son or daughter. When you learn that he or she is considering beauty school, it's natural to wonder: Is this what's best for my kid?

After reading the information here at beautyschooladvisor.com, you may feel confident that the answer is "yes" for many young people who enjoy expressing their creativity and get satisfaction from helping other people look and feel great. Those already working in beauty want to spread the word to young people that this industry offers bountiful reward to those who pursue a career in it. Go to "Why Choose Beauty? So Many Reasons!" to find out exactly why so many people feel that this profession is something special.

No dead ends

Today, beauty school frequently supplements other education. More and more, new cosmetology students already hold associate degrees from community colleges or bachelor degrees from four-year universities. In other cases, they go to beauty school first and take courses toward another degree while they're working.

Still, people routinely enter the profession with nothing more than a cosmetology license, which certainly can launch a career all by itself. Within a year after graduating from high school, your son or daughter can be earning a living in the first job of a fulfilling life's work.

Careers in cosmetology are fluid. It's quite common for someone who starts out as a hairdresser to later become a salon owner, a cosmetology school instructor, a manufacturer's representative or "platform artist," a product tester or a specialist within the salon-a hair color correction expert, for example. Sometimes hair stylists switch to esthetics (skin care) and vice-versa.

Always in demand

If the past 40 or more years are any indication, your son or daughter will never have to worry about finding work. There is a consistent shortage of licensed cosmetologists; even in slow economic times the salon industry tends to suffer less and later than other businesses do.

"Typically, we need people all the time," says Gary Howse, who has a staff of 60 employed at the Gary Manuel Salon in Seattle, which he co-owns with Manuel Benevich. "If great people walk through the door, we hire them. We never stop interviewing; we never stop hiring people."

With such competition for skilled cosmetologists, salons are offering benefit packages that used to be unheard of in the industry. These days, it's not unusual for a salon staff to receive health insurance, paid vacation, retirement benefits, paid education, sick leave and even life insurance benefits and profit sharing opportunities. Salon owners also tend to be willing to accommodate employees concerning schedule and number of hours worked.

Income levels surpass those of many other jobs open to people without advanced degrees-particularly in fields that tend to appeal to women, such as retail, restaurant and secretarial. Various sources place beauty professionals' income averages in the $32,000-$50,000 range. This figure can more than double depending on the person's salon, geographic location, hours worked, tips, expertise, retailing success and other factors. At his salon, Howse says people in their 20s have no trouble earning $45,000 to $50,000, while some veterans land well into the six figures.

Lifelong learners

Earning potential tends to be determined not only by number of years worked but also by professional growth. Ongoing training is a cornerstone of the industry. The better salons encourage-and frequently pay for-their staffs to take classes at advanced academies and go to trade shows, and state boards of cosmetology require continuing education credits for cosmetologists to retain their license. Some courses expand the professionals' technical skills, update their product knowledge and keep their fashion sense fresh. Others offer valuable instruction in business principles, "people skills" and life skills. Good salons provide their younger staffers with guidance necessary to navigate "grown-up" responsibilities like money management, time management, insurance, stress relief, nutrition and other topics that bridge the path to adulthood and help them succeed throughout their lives.

These early, nurturing career experiences may include a training period of up to 18 months as the new hires shampoo and assist seasoned stylists. Some salons put them on the floor earlier, but partner them with a mentor or have them work in the station next to the salon owner or manager. It is understood that it takes a little time for new stylists and estheticians to gain the technical skills and confidence to interact with clients on their own. Stylists who work for salons with long training programs earn less at the beginning but have greater potential to hit the higher income levels in the long run.

Put faith in their talent

But before all of that, there's beauty school. As with other post-high school coursework, the time spent in beauty school is often looked back upon as "some of the best days of my life." Students bond with each other and with their own future.

Like any schooling, cosmetology programs represent an investment in someone's future and a statement of support. The return on this investment can be very high. Encourage your son or daughter to take time to choose the right environment from among the wide variety of available educational facilities. It's a personal decision that will be the first step of a fascinating life's journey.