My daughter wants to be a hairdresser/ cosmetologist (babies, girl, accident)
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Don't fall into the trap of thinking that she has to go to college right after high school ... what if she went to cosmetology school, did hair for a few years, then got tired of it and decided that at age 30 she was ready to do something else. She would be just like a million other people who changed careers. Make sure she knows that doors are always open for her and that you will not be the one to shut them in her face.
OP, other's have pointed out that a hairdresser can make a decent living.
When I was your daughter's age I insisted I wasn't going to college (was the first in my family.) I was going to be a "secretary." A wise counselor insisted I take the college prep courses in addition to the typing and shorthand courses to keep my options open. Yeah, I'm old and took shorthand. A few years later I wanted college. She can change her mind.
I see a need for it, but she also needs to know that much of her work will probably involve older ladies and she may not enjoy that - or maybe she will, I don't know. But many older ladies aren't all that exciting when it comes to hair styles.
I disagree….it depends on what sort of salon she works in. I personally go to a low key neighborhood type salon and yes, the clientele skews older. Most of the customers have been going there in excess of 30 years so we’re all growing old together.
One of my granddaughters was a cosmetologist and she worked mostly with younger clients doing a lot of that baylage color or whatever it’s called. She also did wedding and special occasion makeup. She finally got out of the business because there was too much drama. Some of it, I think, was probably her doing.
There is a cosmetology school here where I live. The daughter of a friend starts her class September 1. She's been looking through all the text books and is getting a little nervous. But her mother's cousin is a beautician and said it isn't as hard as it looks but you still need to buckle down. Tell your daughter to get some good study habits.
I like this cosmetology school because my wife and I can both get haircuts for $9 each!
Agree. All depends on the skill level. Not everyone has the aptitude to cut and style hair. It's not easy. In fact it can be quite difficult.
But if a hair stylist is very good they can command top dollar and people will pay.
I went to school for cosmetology at a part-time vo-tech school during my last two years of high school. I was great at color and perms. I sucked at cutting hair, though, which is sort of the cornerstone of the profession. I did some damage to some poor old ladies who came in to get their $1 Friday haircut at the school.
So after high school, I went to secretarial school instead.
Cosmetology is not a job for idiots. You have to pass a state exam, which includes a written test showing knowledge of the bones in the head and face, hygiene and sterilization practices, how to identify certain diseases, etc., as well as demonstrating proficiency on the practical side.
I agree with you but I can also see her point. Maybe she wants to get into fashion? Or even something like art or interior design or something like that?
She does need to know the pros and cons - after awhile (not now). The pros are that she will own her own business. The cons are the same. If she wants health care or benefits, she will be responsible to provide those - or not. She will be on her feet all day every day. She will need to either provide a station (which isn't cheap) or she will have to pay rent somewhere. This is regardless of whether she has the money -she will owe it anyway.
I see a need for it, but she also needs to know that much of her work will probably involve older ladies and she may not enjoy that - or maybe she will, I don't know. But many older ladies aren't all that exciting when it comes to hair styles.
She is going to own her own business regardless (most likely) so a business degree wouldn't be a complete waste of money or time. In fact, it would probably be a great help, no matter what she eventually decides to do.
Why do you say old ladies, Kathryn? My 31-year-old daughter spends bucks on her hair, doing different colors, changing her style every so often, etc. I got a keratin straightening while she got her hair done teal and mint at this place called Buffe the Hair Slayer a few years back. I was the oldest one there, in my late 50s. Young women get extensions, do color, different cuts all the time, and they spend money! Just to get a blowout is $40. Do young women in Texas really not get their hair done? I find that hard to believe! Those hotly totsy little cheerleaders don't wake up looking like that!
Yup, OP, send your kid to cosmo college. She can learn about hair and make-up and skin care. (Esthetician.)
There's decent $$ in any of these skills. (Not millions per session, but she could do VERY well, for herself.)
Notice that is in italics for a reason. This is about HER. NOT you.
Just be happy that she has chosen a vocation that she enjoys, and can get PAID FOR. Also, she can perform these skills in any State (provided she has the license to practice in that State.)
My niece does this for the "Hollywood Elite." (One of her clients did very well a few years ago, and thought very highly of my niece.) To the tune of a $100,000 tip. So, yeah, THAT was unexpected... (Maybe I should hit her up for a loan!)
I was going to say this as well. If she is ambitious and loves her work, she will always be able to make a decent living.
My daughter wanted to go to cosmetology school too when she was a high school freshman. Now she has a BA in psychology and works for a marketing company. So you never know.
Funny you say that. I was just thinking the same. The two jobs have a lot in common.
A good stylist needs to know how to deal with peoples' mood, sensitivity to touch, ability to receive suggestions, create pleasant atmosphere. It's not just about washing, drying and combing. I frequently tell mine she's like a good therapy session for me and that I think the world of her skills.
It shows in my compensation, too.
I get how difficult it is as a parent to know just how much pressure to put on our children to assure they find what we think will be a good direction. In the end, though, most of them are going to hit and miss and find their own way once they leave home. Wouldn't we all just love to save them from the misses? But that's how they are going to learn what works for them and what doesn't.
My DD (with the IQ through the roof, of course) started her chef's career selling hot dogs at sixteen. The stubborn kid just would not go to school. Not even to several culinary schools I took her to visit. It really worried me.
I'm glad she stood her ground. She knew what would make her happy.
It took many years and changes but she now owns two small businesses and has an over-the-counter product in the works. I'm proud of her and, more important, she's happy.
She needs to find out if your school system has a Vo-Tech program in Cosmetology she can attend, typically in 11th and 12th Grades.
If it does, and if it's similar to ones I know about, she'll graduate from high school pretty much ready to take the state tests and be licensed.
As an aside: this is one of those "trades" everyone says should be offered in high school rather than more academic classes yet we also see here a major impediment to that.
Thirty-nine percent of college graduates say their degree wasn't worth it; 34% of college graduates age 22 to 65 with a bachelor's degree or higher work in a job that doesn't require a degree. (I'm one of them.) We're thoroughly glutted with graduates.
Are we glutted hair stylists--or mechanics or welders or "secretaries"? My mechanic and hair stylist have a backlog of weeks, and it's very hard to find good admin help. Two secretary friends raised their kids on their own; I'm an admin assistant and had my mortgage and all other debt totally paid off at 46. My current hair stylist owns his own salon and so did the previous one. Dad was a welder and made a good living at it; some welding jobs pay six figures now.
If your daughter wants more academic education than cosmetology school offers, there's nothing stopping her reading books or watching lectures in her spare time.
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A few years later I wanted college. She can change her mind.
