Is Cosmetology School Worth it? 12 Things I Wish I Knew Before Beauty School

Is Cosmetology School Worth it?

If you like people, have a passion for hair, and want a flexible career that allows you to be creative in your art, cosmetology school is worth it!

Here are 12 things I wish I knew before beauty school that made cosmetology school worth it to me.

If only I could go back and tell myself these things before I began my career. Not that I would change anything, but sometimes I wish someone had told me a few things.

Is Cosmetology School Worth it?

1- Cosmetology School is Hard Work!

Is Cosmetology hard to learn? Yes. It can be. But not always.

Cosmetology school is not a walk in the park.

It takes a lot of dedication, commitment, and brainpower to complete.

Is Cosmetology School for Me? 5 Questions to ask yourself and a few things to consider

Depending on your state, cosmetology school is completed by the number of hours that you were clocked in at the school before you can take the licensing exam. This usually ranges from 1200 to 2100 in the United States. If the program is only 12 months long, specifically for cosmetology, you learn about hair, skin, and nails.

What’s the difference between Barbering and Cosmetology?

The hair portion includes learning about the internal and external structure of hair strands. As well as cutting techniques and chemical treatments such as color and perms.

The skin portion includes theory, diseases, and which of those you can and cannot treat. As well as beauty treatments such as facials, body wraps, waxing, and makeup basics.

The nail portion of the cosmetology training program includes learning about the diseases and conditions of nails, manicure and pedicure techniques, as well as acrylics and gels.

Each individual category of this training takes a week. For example, perms one week, the next, roller sets, the next, texture styling, and so on. So you’re cramming a lot of information into your brain every day and every week.

Which means that you take a test almost every single week.

Not only does it take a lot of brainpower to work in the hair industry. But it’s physically demanding as well. Standing for 6-14 hours per day takes a toll on the body. And most of those hours are talking to people. Which can be mentally draining. All of this begins in Cosmetology school.

Cosmetology school is not easy. It’s a lot of work that you should be ready for if you were considering attending joining the industry.

In my personal and professional opinion, it is worth it! Every minute, every ache, and every difficult client doesn’t add up to the satisfaction and pleasure of helping others feel beautiful inside and out.

Cosmetology school is worth it. I did know that when starting school. There were days when I doubted. But yes, it’s worth it!

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2- You might not feel confident to work in a salon after school

I didn’t feel ready to work in a salon when I graduated.

When I attended cosmetology school in 2013, I personally felt motivated to push my limits and set the bar high. Both academically and technically.

I took my training seriously and practiced intensely for when I graduated and would be working in a salon and not have my instructors to check my work.

Though as soon as I graduated I thought I was prepared. But I wasn’t.

Unfortunately, many schools are ranked by their graduation statistics and by how many of their students pass the state boards exam.

This means the school needs to rank high on this list to make money. And that focuses mainly on training students to pass their boards. Which, don’t give me wrong, if you don’t pass boards you can’t work in a salon, because you won’t be licensed.

But once you do pass the state board exam, and you begin work in a salon a lot of times you feel in over your head. Overwhelmed.

How to Choose a Salon Confidently After Graduation

To get the most experience possible and to learn as quickly as you can I advise beginning work in a salon or barbershop that…

👍 Has very heavy foot traffic.

👍 Where you can ask questions of your peers that are experienced in the field. Watch their work.

👍 Test out their techniques on your own haircuts and services. I promise you will do just fine.

8 Tips To Succeed in Cosmetology School

However as invincible as you might feel when graduating from Cosmetology school you do not know everything you need to know about working behind the chair.

Or, if the opposite is true and you feel completely in over your head and already drowning before you even have a salon lined up, face your fears! It will not be as bad as it feels in the moment.

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3- It’s better when I bring in my own clients (not as hard as you think)

When attending cosmetology school and it gets hard and you start wondering “Is Cosmetology School Worth it?”, this is the third thing I wish I knew before beauty school that most beauty schools tend to not bring very much foot traffic a.k.a. walk-ins.

The new customers that come to Cosmetology school tend to not come back, or only be there because the haircuts are inexpensive. Therefore if you would like to gain as much experience as you can while in school it is definitely beneficial to bring your own clients.

If you are in a position where all of your friends work and are unable to visit you or you live far away from family it may be very difficult to find models to bring for yourself to work on on the salon floor.

Ask your instructors, the front desk, and whoever is in charge of your school if there are discount incentives that you might offer to entice clients to come in specifically request you.

This may be a 50% discount or a 5% discount, most schools have incentives to bring clients in but not all schools are very good about getting the word out that they offer these discounts.

If and when you have permission to use these discounts make business cards for yourself and always have them with you.

Take them to the grocery store and to church, be friendly and introduce yourself, casually give them a business card and say if they need a haircut or a color service that you offer a discount if they come in and specifically ask for you.

Do not pressure these people to come in. But some will come in! These are clients that will help you get the experience that you want while you were still in school, working under the supervision of your instructors.

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Be aware that the word “client” means they pay for the service. And “model” means that they don’t.

Do not confuse the two when asking friends to “model” for you on the salon floor if they will in fact need to pay for the service.

4- The walk-in clientele at Beauty School

Another thing I wish I knew before beauty school is that the walk-in clientele are not even close to the kind of clientele you will experience in a professional salon.

We briefly touched on the subject of bringing in your own clientele and models to practice on in school. But there are a few things you should know about the client who regularly visits beauty school salon floor.

Do not be surprised if some receive a service, haircut or color, and tell you that it’s perfect but once they check out complain that the service ruined their hair and they want it for free. Do not be surprised if some of the people who sit in your chair are just looking for cheap and easy.

It’s a harsh reality of what happens in Cosmetology school. As much as it sucks, I do not want anyone to be taken by surprise.

In the end, even when it feels impossible to be able to complete your training, still, cosmetology school is worth it.

If the client has never been to a beauty school before they very likely will be nervous, and completely unaware that the services take much longer than other salons. Do not feel bad if a haircut takes you hours. It’s just part of the training.

Always! Always get written permission from your client before they sit in your chair for any service in Beauty school! Make sure that the front desk has a waiver with your client’s signature on it. This legally protects you and the school from any trouble that a troublesome client may have afterward.

Another thing about clients that regularly come to Cosmetology school is there are not very good at leaving tips. So do not expect to receive very much money in tips while working on the salon floor.

5- Sometimes bring your own tools

Most of the time, all of your tools will be provided in your kit at the beginning of school.

But you are almost always welcome to bring your own tools as well to add to your own kit.

If you find a different kind of brush or a different kind of blow dryer that you prefer or that is of higher quality than the one you might have received in your kit, feel free to bring it to school.

Make sure to take your new tools home with you or if you leave it at the school that is locked away and it will not be stolen.

Sometimes the tools received in your kit don’t last the duration of your schooling. Which sucks. And you have to pay for their replacement out of pocket.

Or, these tools of your own that you might choose to invest in will also be an out-of-pocket expense.

But there’s an upside! Once attending Cosmetology school you will have access to the professional stores and all of the professional products and tools available there!

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6- I wish I knew before beauty school that I wouldn’t build friendships that would last

Many, like me, anticipate making lifelong friendships in Cosmetology school. There are many articles and reviews out there saying that they have made lifelong friends in Beauty school. However, this is just not accurate.

Go to your personal hairstylist and ask if they are still in contact with anyone that they went to school with. More likely than not they will say no.

There are the occasional few that still are friends, even work together, but they are few and far between. And to be honest, though having friendships in school is nice and makes your time there more enjoyable… you are not attending cosmetology school to make friends, you were there for your education.

Drama happens, especially in the Hair industry. Cosmetology school is not an exception. Neither is Barber school actually! There will be those that you do not get along with. But don’t let that stop your education!

If you happen to make friends while attending school, that’s great! If you don’t, that’s OK too.

The best advice I was given before attending Cosmetology school in 2013 was this, “Don’t forget that it’s okay to walk away. If there’s drama or a conversation that you don’t want to be a part of, just walk away.”

And it’s true.

7- Find your strength- you won’t be great at everything

A Cosmetology course includes learning skills in hair, skin, and nails. Have you ever heard the phrase “jack of all trades but master of none”?

Though hair, skin, and nails are all in the same category, very likely you will not be a master of all of them at once.

If you show a propensity, or natural talent, during one of your courses then continue to feed and practice your skill until it is perfect. That can be your specialty!

Of course, continue to practice the areas that you struggle but very likely you will find your strength and become the master of that.

For example-

For some, their strength is color. Formulations, color corrections, bonding techniques, it just clicks for them.

This was never me. My strength was cutting and updos. I continued to practice my strengths and later became a Master Barber. But I can still do color! I am not ashamed to say that it is not my strength.

This, I wish I knew before beauty school. And I wish someone had told me “it’s okay if your strength is not what you expected to be.”

Just don’t forget to keep practicing in areas where you struggle. 8

8 Tips to Succeed in Cosmetology School

Tip 8- About instructors…

Beauty school Instructors are awesome. Most of the time.

Sometimes you will come across the one instructor that doesn’t seem to care, or seem interested in investing in your education. Which is what they’re there for right?

Unfortunately not all the schools are easy to work for or pay their instructors enough. The turnover rates for Beauty school instructors are surprisingly high. Some schools, though not all, will hire instructors with little to no experience behind the chair at all.

The instructors at my beauty school each had a specialty to teach. Which was incredible!

We had a color instructor. A skin instructor. A cutting instructor. A texture instructor (perms and waves). A nail instructor. And a business instructor. All of which could teach in any subject, but they all knew their strength and would teach specifically on their strength.

Now, on the salon floor, the students outnumber the instructors by a lot!

So please be patient with your instructors when they are helping another student and you must wait for them to help you.

Do not assume that they don’t care, or that they’re lazy. But remember that they are busy and have to keep track of every service that every student is doing under their supervision at the same time. Sometimes they’re watching four different colors while helping another client haircut.

They’re outnumbered and it can be overwhelming on busy days.

For some, they say YES! 100%!

But for others, not so much. They say it’s less important. Or they’re on the fence about it.

I wish I knew before beauty school the truth about social media and the hair world.

Yes, it’s important to take photos of ALL of your work. Yes, it’s important to have a social media account and post your work.

No, it will not make you more money through social media itself. Instagram and Facebook will not make you money. But the clients that follow your progress and see your work WILL make you money.

If you have photos of how you have improved and of the work that you are the proudest of, YES! Post it on social media!

Do not expect social media to grow your clientele though. Following other stylists and starting following chains is fun and all, and helpful for your own education by being challenged by others’ work and their strengths. But you won’t be doing their hair.

Social media is important for your digital portfolio. So when you are building your clientele, your clients can follow you and keep track of you if they lose your business card and still have a way to contact you.

However, I caution all of you out there to be careful about what else you post on your professional profile pages. If you use a personal profile page, remember that all of your clients can see your personal information. Remember to remain professional.

10- Cosmetology School is Worth it Even Though it’s Expensive

I wish I knew before beauty school how expensive it is. There is a 50/50 ratio of those who expect beauty school to be less than college or expect it to be roughly the same price.

The truth is… It does cost less than college. Because it’s only 12 months long.

But it does cost about the same as a year of college. In 2013, I paid $24,000 for my Cosmetology training.

But it was worth it! You truly do get what you pay for. I strongly advise against choosing a Cosmetology or Barber school just based on it being less expensive than another. Though you may pay more, you will receive a higher quality education.

Should I go to Beauty School? How to choose the RIGHT Beauty school for you.

But here’s the thing…

Is it worth going to cosmetology school?

Yes, it is. You will make the money back within a year if you get a job in a good salon.

If you are passionate about people and love making people feel beautiful. The satisfaction of just that, on top of the cash you earn and bring home is worth every hour spent at Cosmetology school.

You’ll never work another day of your life.

11- Reciprocity, transferring a license from one state to another

Can I even do that?

YES! You absolutely can.

I wish I knew how easy it was. No, easy is the wrong word. Simple. There are a lot of steps but they aren’t difficult.

I wish I knew that I can be licensed in all of the states if I wanted to! But I just don’t have a need for that.

Once graduating Cosmetology school and completing the state board licensing exam it is not terribly complicated to apply for reciprocity in another state.

How to Transfer My Cosmetology License

Simply go to the state’s website, where you are moving to. And search for Cosmetology reciprocity. It will give you a list of what documents the state requires to transfer your license. However, be aware that the process sometimes takes several months. Depending on the state.

Can you do this before you have your license? Yes.

Transferring your Beauty school hours from one state to another is also possible. And fairly easy.

If you have finished your Cosmetology hours, simply contact the new state boards to schedule your licensing exam in the new state. They will tell you which documents you need to bring with you.

If you have not completed your school hours yet, find a new school in the new state to complete your hours. And then you may apply to take the state board exam in the new state.

12- You’re a pro even before you take the state board exam- act like it and take it seriously

I have heard others say after taking the exam, “I wish I knew how hard state boards were going to be.” And “I just didn’t take school seriously.”

Don’t make that mistake.

You are a professional!

You are learning your trade. And performing steps to complete your training to become a legally licensed professional in the field for yourself.

Is that not serious? I believe it is. Take yourself seriously!

FAQs Is Cosmetology School Worth it?

Are there any disadvantages of cosmetology school?

Only a couple of disadvantages to consider when asking yourself is cosmetology school worth it.

It’s physically demanding. Standing all day isn’t for everyone.
Clients can be hard to deal with sometimes
There’s hair everywhere! All the time! Cosmetology and the hair industry in general can be a messy and dirty job.
If you’re not a people person, cosmetology school might not be for you. As a hairstylist or barber you have to talk to people all day, every day.

What is the hardest part of cosmetology?

To be honest, the hardest part is being taken advantage of. By both the salon and by clients.

Know your boundaries, the value of your work, and don’t allow yourself to be low-balled. It’s okay to tell clients that you aren’t comfortable doing their hair anymore or tell the boss that you can’t work as much as they are demanding you to work.

But within the cosmetology sphere itself? Men’s haircuts and makeup are the two hardest parts of cosmetology.

However, some have a propensity for makeup, and others men’s haircuts. The hardest part truly depends on what you think is the hardest.

What Branch of Cosmetology Makes the Most Money?

Makeup artists and color or blonde-ing specialists make the most money because of their precision and the time it takes them to complete their services.

If I’m shy, can I be a cosmetologist?

Of course! Just because you feel bashful doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t be an excellent cosmetologist expressing your creativity and art in hair.

Though if you can stretch out of your comfort zone and find some general topics to talk to your clients about it would definitely help.

Beware of your shy-ness being mistaken for lack of confidence. When you are confident in what you do and the skills you have, it rubs off on your guests. It oozes into the consultation and they feel as confident as you make out to be. So if you aren’t feeling 100% confident, then pretend you’re confident until you truly are.

Conclusion – Is Cosmetology School Worth it? 12 Things I Wish I Knew Before Beauty School

If you have chosen Cosmetology or Barbering to be your career, that’s a big deal! I’m proud of you!

Study hard. Perfect your strengths. Practice in areas where you struggle. Prepare yourself to be as ready as you possibly can be for when you are on your own in the hair world.

YOU WILL DO AMAZING!

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