Program Spotlight: Beauty School and Cosmetology School

1) What Is Cosmetology?

Licensed cosmetologists are dedicated professionals who provide a variety of services that are meant to help others look and feel great. Services that fall under the field of cosmetology include hair care, nail care, skin treatments, and the like. Services might also include advice on personal care, recommendations of products, or consultations on health and wellness.

Cosmetologists might specialize in a variety of areas and can find work in several different types of facilities. A beauty school graduate can often find a rewarding career working in one of the following areas:

• Beauty salons
• Barber shops
• Day spas
• Resort spas
• Massage parlors
• Nail salons
• Nursing homes
• Residential care centers
• Hospitals
• Skin care centers

2) On-Campus and Online Education in Beauty and Cosmetology

If you opt to pursue a beauty school or cosmetology school degree in a traditional classroom setting, you can plan on plenty of hands-on training. Throughout your education you'll practice trimming and cutting hair, learning about products, and working on techniques while getting real-time feedback from instructors.

On the other hand, attending online cosmetology school is a good way to update your credentials or to bone up on the business skills you need for a career in management. Online programs in cosmetology business are perfect for licensed cosmetologists looking to expand their career options.

Whether you choose on-campus education or online education, you'll learn how to use the tools of the trade, how to relate to your clients, and how to build a strong client base through your expertise.

Associate's Degree in Cosmetology

An associate's degree in cosmetology can prepare you to handle everything concerning beauty. From hairstyling to manicures and skin care, an associate's degree in cosmetology offers instruction in everything related to one's personal appearance. Associate's degrees can be generally completed in around nine months, depending upon the beauty school or cosmetology school you attend. Many schools offer classes at night or on weekends, allowing you to earn your degree while meeting your other work and family responsibilities.

Associate's Degree in Cosmetology: Management Degree

Earning a management degree in cosmetology can help you open the door to your own salon. With a strong focus on business, advertising, marketing, computers, and sales, management programs combine the art of cosmetology with the science of business.

Certificate in Cosmetology

A cosmetology certificate program offers the chance to learn basic beauty techniques, including hair care, nail care, and skin treatments. Once you earn your certificate, a licensing test is required. Once licensed, many cosmetologists begin an apprenticeship under a master hairstylist. Some go on to work in the field, while others might choose to further their educations and obtain an associate's degree.

Specialty Certificates

Those who choose to pursue a certificate program in one aspect of cosmetology, such as nail care or skin treatment, can often receive a certificate in only a few months. Specialty certificates are typically very focused, allowing you to spend a limited amount of time in the classroom before beginning your new career. However, such strict specialization might limit your opportunities to branch out in the future.

3) What Can You Do With a Degree from a Cosmetology School?

There are many career options for those who hold a beauty school diploma or cosmetology degree. Choosing the career path you want to pursue can help you target your education to meet your personal goals.

Hairstylist Careers

Hairstylists help clients look their best with hair trimming, hair dye, extensions, perms, relaxers, and other styling tools that can transform a person's overall appearance. Hairstylists go beyond the simple haircut and aim for enhancing a client's personal style. Hairstylists might work for themselves, rent a chair in a salon, or work for a hairstyling chain.

Barber Careers

Barbers focus on haircuts, trimming, and facial shaving. Barbers might be licensed to color, highlight, or bleach hair, and they might also offer tips on hairstyles, hairpieces, or scalp treatments. Barbers often have a mostly male clientele. Some own their own shops while others work in salons.

Nail Technician Careers

Also called manicurists or pedicurists, nail technicians work exclusively on a client's nails. They provide manicures, pedicures, hand and feet treatments, nail polishing, and artificial nails. They also provide advice on how to take care of nail health at home, and sometimes offer specialty treatments, such as hand or foot massage.

Esthetician Careers

Estheticians are also known as skin care specialists. Estheticians help clients determine their skin types and treat any skin problems they may face. These professionals help cleanse and beautify the skin through a variety of methods, including facials, head and neck massages, and full-body treatments. They might also remove unwanted body hair by waxing, plucking, sugaring, and using other techniques. Some estheticians are also licensed to administer laser treatments for hair removal.

Salon Owner Careers

Owning your own salon means running a very busy business. Aspiring salon owners can opt for a cosmetology management degree or take courses in business, marketing, sales, advertising, and management in order to build the skills they need to run a successful salon. Salon owners often work long hours, and are responsible for everything from hiring new workers to handling advertising budgets--but they also reap the rewards of being their own bosses.

Salon Coordinator Careers

The salon coordinator ensures everything in the salon runs smoothly. A salon coordinator might set appointments, schedules, inventory, and new orders, all the while answering the phone, stocking the shelves, and running the register. A salon coordinator is often considered an office manager, and has the business savvy to prove it.

Massage Therapist Careers

A massage therapist seeks to heal and relax clients through the use of touch. Massage can relieve muscle strain, heal some sports injuries, reduce stress, and promote general well-being. Massage therapists might work in sports medicine facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, salons, and even shopping malls. Many massage therapists own their own businesses.

Beauty Supply Sales Associate Careers

An important part of a cosmetology career is knowing how to use the wide variety of solutions, treatments, and products available to the beauty industry. Selling the products, and offering professional advice to the cosmetologists who buy them, is the job of the sales associate. These professionals often work in large retail stores that cater only to licensed cosmetologists.

Cosmetology Teacher Careers

Teaching cosmetology puts you on the cutting edge of new trends, techniques, and products. It allows you to offer expertise to students who then move on to focus on their own new, challenging cosmetology careers. Cosmetology teachers must be adept at speaking in front of large groups, managing classroom time, offering academic advice, and motivating students.

Electrologist Careers

Electrologists are trained in the use of an electrolysis machine, a device that emits a small electric pulse designed to remove unwanted hair from the body. The pulse deadens the hair follicle, significantly slowing the growth of new hair. Electrologists who hold a cosmetology degree are more likely to land jobs with high-end salons, where the demand for their services continues to grow.

Shampooer Careers

Shampooers perform the job their title implies--they shampoo and condition hair. They often work in large salons where the hairstylists don't have the time to shampoo and condition their client's hair themselves. Shampooers do not have to have formal training and are not required to hold a license.

4) Trends in Beauty and Cosmetology Careers

A study ordered by the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences in 2007 found that 53 percent of salon owners had job openings, and that the number of skilled professionals in the cosmetology industry fell short of the consumer demand. The same report found that between 2003 and 2007, the number of salons had increased by 18 percent.

Today, that growth has not only held steady, but is expected to increase in the years to come. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts much faster than average growth for many cosmetology careers. Employment for hairstylists and cosmetologists is expected to grow by 20 percent through 2018, about twice the average for all occupations.

During this same time period, manicurists should enjoy an increase of 19 percent, while barbers should see an increase of 12 percent. The largest growth is expected for estheticians, whose employment opportunities are expected to grow 38 percent.

Salary Trends for the Beauty and Cosmetology Field

The national average salary of cosmetologists, not including tips, was $38,843 in 2008. Nail technicians made a bit less at $33,148, while skin care specialists made slightly more at $40,126. Colorists made an average of $46,402, while massage therapists made $33,738. Cosmetologists who provide a broad range of services can increase their annual wages by offering more options for their clients. The more experience and skills you have, the more likely you are to pull in a higher paycheck. Also, it's important to note that, tips and commission can make up a significant portion of a beauty industry professional's paycheck.

Some large salons offer benefits to their employees. However, self-employed cosmetologists often do not receive medical benefits, sick days, or paid vacations.

5) Skills of Successful Beauty and Cosmetology Technicians

Throughout the course of beauty school education, cosmetologists are expected to develop a strong set of skills that can help them interact with their clients, manage their time, and run their own businesses. Here are just a few of the skills that beauty school graduates need to succeed:

• An understanding of art and fashion. In the right hands, a head of hair can be transformed into a work of art. Understanding fashion trends, knowing the latest styles, and being able to predict what will be hot in six months is a skill that cosmetologists hone over time.
• Interpersonal skills. No matter their specialization, cosmetologists have good reputations for making clients feel welcomed. Talking to a client and getting to know her as you style her hair, manicure her nails, or provide some other treatment is crucial to building the business relationship. The more comfortable a client is with you, the more likely he or she is to become a repeat customer and return for future treatments.
• Business savvy. Whether it's attracting clients to a chain salon or running a small company, business skills are an essential part of the cosmetology career. Salon owners often have to build a wide business sense, including skills in advertising, sales, employee management, and revenue.
• Cleanliness. Cleanliness is not only a mark of a careful cosmetologist--it's the sign of one who is dedicated to keeping clients healthy. Cleaning workstations, sanitizing implements, and providing a pleasant area for the salon experience is one of those key points that can make or break a salon's reputation.
• Neat personal appearance. Cosmetologists are often a walking billboard for their own services. By trying out the hottest new hairstyle or treatment and showing off the results, cosmetologists can silently entice their clients to try the same. A neat personal appearance tells potential clients that you are serious about your career.
• Sales skills. Salons often sell hair treatments, beauty supplies, and at-home kits that allow a client to maintain his or her new look until the next appointment. Cosmetologists must also become adept at pulling in new clients, as well as retaining the old ones. Strong sales skills will go a long way toward client retention and retail sales.

6) Certification and Licensure for Cosmetologists

With the exception of shampooers, all cosmetologists must hold a state license. The requirements for licensing vary from state to state. Some states offer reciprocity agreements that allow cosmetologists licensed in one state to work in another without having to obtain a new license, but those agreements are currently few and far between. It is always a good idea to thoroughly investigate the licensing requirements of the state in which you will be working.

Before you can get your license, most states require a degree or certificate of completion from a beauty school or cosmetology school, and some states have set hours of education that must be completed before you can sit for the cosmetology exam. You must then earn a passing score on the state licensing exam before you can begin work.

The exam usually consists of a written test, but a practical skills test might also be required. In some states, the cosmetology license is combined with the barbering license. Most states require separate licenses for those who work in specialized areas, such as nail technicians and estheticians.

Finally, most states require continuing education in order to keep your license up-to-date. Also, most states require you to display your license prominently at your work station and renew it on a regular basis.