Lacking job satisfaction? Whether it’s feeling unchallenged or not enough career prospects, most of us have contemplated a career change at least once.
If you love making people feel great about themselves and you’re creative, a cosmetology career change might be just what you’re after. Now a 532 billion dollar industry, it’s a great time to consider a career change into beauty.
How Do I Know if a Career Change Is Right?
The only person who will truly know if a career change into cosmetology is right is you. Trust your gut. If it’s something you’ve been thinking about for a while, but haven’t yet had the courage to do, chances are it could be a great fit.
Besides the above advice, a good indication that a cosmetology career is right for you is being passionate about beauty. The age-old idiom of “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life” couldn’t be more true. If you love doing your own, or other people’s, hair and makeup then this career may be perfect.
This isn’t to say a cosmetology career is easy. Your passion needs to be combined with a good work ethic as well as other skills.
These other skills include things like attention to detail, good communication, and great listening skills. There’s no perfect candidate for a cosmetology student. The industry is varied and unique and leaves a lot of room for individualism.
Our best advice if you’re still figuring out whether starting a cosmetology career is right for you is to speak to local cosmetology schools. They’ll be able to advise you on previous alumni and what cosmetology courses may interest you.
Cosmetology Courses
If you’ve decided you’d like to start looking for a new career, the next step is figuring out which cosmetology course to do.
There are dedicated courses for individual elements of cosmetology. By this we mean, if you want to focus on being a hairstylist only, then there’s definitely a dedicated cosmetology program to train you.
If you’re not sure which aspect of beauty you love the most, you’ll likely opt for a full cosmetology program. These courses cover a full range of cosmetology skills, including:
- Hairstyling
- Hair coloring
- Hair relaxing and chemical waving
- Skincare
- Makeup
- Eyelash application and extensions
- Hair removal
- Manicuring
- Pedicuring
Obviously, the benefit of choosing a dedicated field within cosmetology is that the course can be completed faster. But opting for a full cosmetology course means you open more doors for your career change.
As well as checking what your chosen cosmetology course offers, you should check the facilities of any potential cosmetology school. A good cosmetology school should have a dedicated teaching center and clinic area with great facilities for you to learn with.
Cosmetology schools should be upfront about costs so you can plan in advance. Don’t worry if you’re not flush with cash. There’s a good amount of cosmetology scholarships and financial aid available, which schools should be able to advise you on.
Many cosmetology schools also allow for payment plans. These help students work within their budgets and pay off fees in sizable chunks over a period of time. So don’t be too daunted if you see a fee larger than you could afford, a good school will be happy to help you figure out finances.
Cosmetology Careers Salary
A simple question with a million different answers. It’s difficult to state what you could or will realistically earn in a cosmetology career. This is mostly due to the vast nature of the industry, as well as your individual location.
At a basic level, it’s estimated the average cosmetologist in the US earns $10.64 an hour. But this figure isn’t that simple. As much of the role is tip orientated, many cosmetologists will earn far more than their official wage.
Additionally, salaries within cosmetology will vary depending on your location. For higher-income areas, you can expect to be paid a higher wage to cover living costs. So a cosmetologist in San Francisco, California would earn more than a cosmetologist in Des Moines, Iowa.
Salaries will obviously hugely vary based on experience and skill. More experienced cosmetologists would be looking around the $20 an hour mark, or around $50,000 annually.
As a growing industry, there is no shortage of cosmetology jobs across the US. Pre-Covid, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the industry will grow a further 10% between 2014 and 2024. This has obviously been impacted by the pandemic, as all industries have, but once the vaccination is widely distributed growth is expected to return to normal.
Perks of a Cosmetology Career Change
Especially if you’re feeling frustrated with your current career, there’s a huge amount of perks in a cosmetology career. We’ve already mentioned above the huge amount of varied opportunities available, but that’s not all.
The industry has a large number of self-employed people. In other words, be your own boss. Set hours that suit you, helping clients you love.
This makes it a great career choice for working parents. It allows you the flexibility to fit work around your children’s schedules.
Another perk is the number of people you’ll get to meet. Extroverts in particular thrive as cosmetologists as they get a stream of new and returning clients to chat to and build relationships with. The varied clients mean work is often busy, interesting, and challenging.
Our favorite perk is the level of creativity it allows for. While not every client will want trendsetting styles, it’s become more and more mainstream. It allows for something different every day and keeps your work engaging and fun.
New Role, New You
Hopefully, this article has helped you figure out whether a cosmetology career change is right for you. If it is, we wish you all the luck in the world with your exciting new career! For further career advice, make sure to check out the rest of our blog.
