It's a busy weekday at Pivot Point International, where three students sit down with an instructor and talk about the cosmetology program for beautyschooladvisor.com. Their 1500 hours of coursework lasts 10 months, with cosmetology classes held five days a week, 8:30-5:00. The first class, called Phase I, lasts eight weeks and covers the basics of cutting hair. For the four weeks that follow, they do "Clinic," which means they're in a salon setting and work on real clients as well as mannequin heads. After that, four weeks of class rotate with four weeks of Clinic for the full 10 months.
Participants in this discussion:
- Chloe Lewis, 20, is two months into cosmetology school and just left Phase I to begin Clinic. Chloe first spent two years in college and has an associate's degree in psychology.
- Morgan Howard, 29, is in the middle of his cosmetology program and plans to graduate in about five months. Morgan has a bachelor's degree plus a master's degree in social work and worked in a variety of careers before deciding on cosmetology. He believes his cosmetology career will stick.
- Jamie Gordon, 28, will graduate in two months. Ever since high school Jamie had been working in night clubs. She thought she'd try cosmetology.
- Raquel Garcia has been an instructor for five years. Before coming to Pivot Point as a teacher, Raquel worked in salons for 18 years and also has experience educating for product companies. She was recently given responsibility to supervise 30 other educators.
Raquel:
What's your normal day like?
Chloe:
I'm in Clinic, so I come in and set up my station. I usually have one or two clients, and the rest of the time I practice on mannequins.
Morgan:
I'm in classes, where sometimes we drill on techniques. I like the repetition. You do it over and over so when you're working on a client you're just on autopilot and you can chat with the client.
Raquel:
What do you think of the people you've met here?
Jamie:
There's been a wider range of ages and personalities among the students than I expected.
Morgan:
I'll stay in touch with some of the people I've met. I spend time with them outside of cosmetology school.
Raquel:
What about homework?
Jamie:
There's not much homework. It's kind of optional and mostly review. We're in class so much that everything is covered that way.
Raquel:
Well, the homework you get often isn't book work, but you're supposed to work on mannequins or friends.
Jamie:
I do hair on lots of people around home. They give me, like $20.
Morgan:
I do hair for friends. I don't take money, but I trade out the labor.
Chloe:
I've wanted to be a hairdresser since sixth grade, so I've always done hair for family and friends. I still do, and I accept tips! I blow-dry and curl hair in my special way my friends call the "Chloe Flowy." People love it! I'm glad I can make people happy.
Raquel:
What was it like when you first started cosmetology school?
Jamie:
The first thing you learn is cutting. They put scissors in your hand right away. A weft was the first thing I ever cut.
Morgan:
A weft is like a tail cut off a horse.
Chloe:
Or like a hair extension.
Raquel:
We start you out with small pieces because you have to learn how to cut lines-straight, curved-before you can do a whole head.
Jamie:
The first months were scary. I worked in nightclubs for nine years, so just getting back into cosmetology school was an adjustment for me.
Chloe:
The attendance part is hard for me. Twice I forgot to clock in, so those days weren't even counted!
Raquel:
We try to make it like the real world, and salons don't tolerate absence. If you have attendance issues, you won't last at a salon. What else has been hard?
Jamie:
Most people pass the clinical tests, but the written exams can be tough.
Raquel:
We design a lot of our tests to meet state standards to keep the school accredited. For students who need extra instruction, we just started offering a 45-minute study hall with an educator. You can ask questions and get help in areas you missed or didn't understand.
Jamie:
That's a good idea.
Raquel:
Tuition for this program is $17,000. How are you paying for cosmetology school?
Chloe:
I'm getting a Sallie Mae loan. I filled out the FAFSA form.
Jamie:
I moved back home. My parents help me pay, plus I'm getting a grant and some scholarships. I did a lot of investigating online to look for financial aid. I qualified for some kinds of funding and not for others. I had to get recommendations from salon owners.
Morgan:
I moved back home, too. I gave up adult autonomy to go to beauty school! For tuition, before I started school I stockpiled my income from working.
Raquel:
What's been your favorite course?
Jamie:
Color!
Morgan:
Clinic I was pretty cool. I liked learning fundamental cutting.
Raquel:
At cosmetology school, you do both cutting and coloring. Do you think you'll specialize once you're out working?
Morgan:
Ideally, no specialty at first. I'll look for a salon that will let me do both. I'm leaning toward styling and designing, but I don't know enough about the business to make an intelligent choice at this point.
Jamie:
I've been loving to color my own hair since I was a kid. My hair has been every color! So I thought I should make it lucrative for myself and really focus on coloring. Anyway, I don't style that well-I can't even braid hair. But I cut and color well.
Raquel:
What has surprised you about cosmetology school?
Jamie:
I've learned tons! Being here has reinforced that I want to do color, but the big surprise is that now I also think I'd like to teach someday.
Morgan:
The surprise for me was how quickly you can connect with some of the teachers. They're very generous with their knowledge-really honest about what they know about the industry. That's a big difference from my experience in college and working in the professional world.
Raquel:
You're like some of my other students who came to beauty school after doing something else first. They tell me, "I did what my parents wanted me to do, but I've always wanted to do hair. So now I'm doing what I want to do."
Morgan:
For me, the connection with hair has been immediate and profound. It's based on will and desire. You get to make people pretty.
Raquel:
Are you building a clientele while you're in cosmetology school?
Jamie:
You get more clients the longer you're here because you can do more services, like chemical services. I have at least two clients a day, sometimes three.
Raquel:
Clients frequently are sad when their student graduates.
Jamie:
Some of mine are taking down my cell phone number. They might find me when I'm working at a salon!
Raquel:
We like when that happens. We always have more clients to take their place. Pivot Point also has a career services program targeted to junior and senior level students. And we educators all came from salons, so we know a lot of people in the industry. So what's been the best thing about beauty school?
Chloe:
Getting prepared for my future. I honestly believe I'm right for this. I'm so excited to begin working, and I love people! I really like the customer service part.
Jamie:
I didn't come in with a dying passion to do hair. I was going to see how I liked it. But now I have that passion. I was terrified to touch clients. I was scared in class-I'd be jittery and shaking. I think my teachers wondered what was wrong with me! But now I have a great comfort level.
Morgan:
What's best is seeing past school into a profession where I'll be able to synthesize all my skills and everything I've learned so far. It will all come together. I got to this point honestly. Ten years ago I wouldn't have had the maturity or the vision to do this.
Raquel:
Clients can feel it when you're genuine.
Chloe:
It feels so good when you know that clients trust you-like when they fall asleep, I know they're not worried about how their hair will turn out! I knew I could style hair, but I never really saw myself cutting hair. Now sometimes when I'm cutting a client's hair I glance in the mirror-and there I am, a real hairdresser!
Raquel:
You guys have no idea the fun you're about to embark on.
