A Career in Cosmetology Can Be a Beautiful Experience in Changing Lives

I began my professional cosmetology career when I was 18 years old. I had received an exceptional high school education at Notre Dame College Prep, but upon graduation, I was undecided about what profession I wanted to pursue. A friend of mine introduced me to cosmetology, and while I had no experience in hair care. I was creative, had a passion for music and art, and so decided to give it a try.

At first it didn't look good for me as I was voted by all the girls in my class as most likely never to succeed. It was a challenge in the beginning, but I fell in love with the creativity and self-expression and the rest they say is history.

I graduated, opened a salon, then a second, a third and so on. By the mid 90's I had hundreds of salons and spas, 31 schools, and a product company, I had achieved success in an industry I knew nothing about before I entered it.

What does this mean to you? It means that if I can achieve all of that with no particular talent, having never combed anyone's hair before my first day of school, filled with self-doubt, without a college education and having been fired from my first 3 jobs, anyone with dreams, desire, and perseverance can become successful in this wonderful industry.

There are only a few qualities you must possess to succeed in a career in cosmetology.

The first is an appreciation—an appreciation for fashion and people, which brings me to the secondly quality and that, is people. You must have skill to work with people and just be a real people person. Being artistic is not enough in this business since every one of our hairstyles come with a person who has needs and wants an ear—this is a people business. Therefore, we need to be good listeners, have a level of understanding and compassion. Clients do not know the difference between a good style or a great style or service but they do know if someone is nice, has good customer service, and cares about them.

If you love yourself and share yourself with your clients, they will feel your passion and your mission.

Getting Started

Begin by selecting the right cosmetology school. This is important because you want to identify a school that has the same culture and beliefs that align with yours. In the state of Illinois students are required to attend for 1,500 hours. All schools have that same requirement, yet the curriculums are vastly different so investigate the skills that you will be taught. Learn about the educators, the owners, completions and the success of their graduates so you can be certain the school you choose meets your standards.

What to Expect

Be aware that during the first 6 to 8 weeks of school you will not be working on clients, but rather mannequins and models to develop your skill. You will be learning the art of haircutting, hair color formulations, highlighting, chemicals, manicures, pedicures and even Brazilian Keratin Treatments. Once you are comfortable, you will progress to working on clients. After several month of working on clients, attending classes, taking theory, and completing 1,500 hours, you will graduate and prepare to take the state board exam.

What Next

Once you become a licensed professional, you will be in a position to grow, learn your craft, and develop your business and people skills. It is important to be on a salon team that will give you guidance, as well as important to go back to your school to take advantage of continuing education. You will be building a clientele and earning while you are building your salon and business skills. There will always be professional industry shows and seminars to attend so you will never stop learning and growing as trends and styles change.

During this early period you can set your sights on any number of goals from being a top stylist, manager, salon owner, spa owner, product consultant, beauty sales consultant, educator, celebrity stylists, all the way to becoming a large chain salon owner. Who knows, you might even own your own School or International Product Company. Some of the biggest names in the beauty business started out as beauty school owners.

Along the way you will have touched numerous lives. Woman will meet husbands, brides will march down the aisle, children will have their first haircuts, girls will be beautiful for their proms, job promotions will be issued to your clients based on their performance and the self- image you have helped create for them. You will have helped shaped thousands of clients and you may even have 3 generations of clients beginning with a girl, who become a bride, then a mother, and then grandmother, faithfully remaining your client while you are serving 3 generations of her family.

Dream Big, Work Hard, Fall in Love with what you do and you will have a wonderful life. In closing watch the movie ‘It's a Wonderful Life". You will see how one person can make such a difference in the lives of others. I can tell you that because it's happened to me and will happen for you. Beauty Changes Lives.

Editorial provided by John Amico, Owner and Director of John Amico School of Hair Design.