Education in Cosmetology: How Will it Work for Students?

“Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” – Coco Chanel

There are many ways for us to interpret beauty. Some may hear the word “beauty” and think of glorious orange sunsets, while others may think of a supermodel working the runway. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that means different things to every one of us.

No matter how you define beauty, one thing is for certain. Beauty is a good thing. We can all find it in different things but we all find beauty as a strength, advantage, or even a good outcome.

With that in mind, we can do different things to achieve beauty, one of the most common methods is with a new haircut or maybe some makeup. All are attempts to gain a point in the beauty scale.

These attempts are handled in a broad definition of cosmetology. Cosmetology is the professional skill or practice of beautifying the face, hair, and skin. This belongs to one of the many degrees found in a modern college.

Cosmetology is not exactly a famous choice for diplomas due to its nature and concept of revolving around makeup and hair care. However, cosmetology is more than just slapping some powder on your face.

What is Cosmetology?

As mentioned, Cosmetology is the professional skill or practice of beautifying the face, hair, and skin. Most people think of salons or expensive makeup, but cosmetology isn’t just about the materials.

Cosmetology is about understanding how these tools and materials can be maximized to have the desired effect. Whether you’re looking for a light happy tone or a heavier strong vibe, cosmetology provides a way for you to achieve these aesthetics.

People may look down on cosmetology but these people tend to neglect all of the concepts a cosmetologist has to understand. One can consider cosmetology as the art of applying science.

Art is shown in the gentle application while science is observed with the production of the materials.

Without art, then the materials will simply be slammed onto someone’s face like a birthday cake. Without science, then the materials may not have the desired effect and may even cause allergic reactions or worse.

Education in Cosmetology

Understanding all of these different concepts takes time, effort, and usually a formal education. This does depend on where you are and where you intend to work. To give you a good idea, cosmetologists in the US are regulated with a board exam.

This board exam can be taken at the ages of 16-18 and only requires a high school diploma. While lawyers have law school, cosmetologists and beauty specialists have beauty school. However, you can get the needed credentials from a junior or a vocational school.

There are many steps to becoming a certified beauty specialist. It takes more than understanding the right shade of lipstick. This is often helped with various schools, tutoring, internships, and even practice tests.

Yes, just like any other certification exam, this one requires preparation. Although the concept of cosmetologist practice tests may seem confusing, it works just as any other practice test would. Cosmetologist tests check your mastery, understanding, and overall grasp of the beauty world.

These practice tests are an attempt to simulate the actual licensure exam. These simulations will give you a better idea of where you currently stand in terms of understanding the needed concepts.

Additionally, the practice tests give you a good idea of what is to come in the actual licensure exam. There are many ways to prepare for a test or an examination but a simulation is one of the most effective ways out there.

Through a practice test, you get to see your knowledge, weaknesses, and you get to shake off some nerves.

What Can You Gain from Studying Cosmetology?

Now that you have an overview of what it takes to be a certified cosmetologist or a beauty specialist you might be wondering “What do I get from all of that?”. This is a fair question, education in cosmetology isn’t free after all.

Gaining a formal education in cosmetology can lead to several things such as job opportunities, your salon, a new makeup brand, and much more. Here are a few of the things that you could get from investing in education for cosmetology.

The following benefits are generally enjoyed by those with a formal education in cosmetology. There are certain cases where they aren’t applicable but overall this will give you a good idea of what you’re signing up for.

1.   Working with Passion

This deserves to be the first benefit because if you studied cosmetology you probably have a passion for it. However, if the idea of beautifying other people doesn’t excite you, there are still many more benefits.

In case you do have a desire to make people beautiful, then congratulations, you get to make a living from your passion. This is an opportunity that not a lot of people get, maybe because of financial situations, location restrictions, or some other challenge.

Working with what you love is a unique opportunity and you get to make the most out of what you love.

In addition to pursuing your passion, obtaining insurance coverage is a crucial aspect of working in the cosmetology profession. Insurance protects both you and your clients from unexpected incidents, providing financial security and peace of mind. Whether it’s liability insurance for accidents, professional indemnity insurance for claims of negligence, or property insurance for your equipment, having comprehensive coverage demonstrates professionalism and enhances client trust. Consider checking out Beauty Insurance + for specialized liability coverage tailored to beauty professionals.

2.   Set Your Schedule

Now that you have adequate credentials you can set up your salon, be a freelancer, or whatever you choose. You get to decide where you want to work and how you want to work.

This kind of freedom isn’t usually available in other kinds of jobs. This resembles a more entrepreneurial kind of workload. You have to work on only what you want to work on for the amount of time you choose.

Having a say in whether or not you are free for the weekend may seem like a small thing but it is still an amazing benefit.

3.   Flexibility

Other than deciding your work schedule, you get to decide where you work.

This can be compared to a student that graduated with a diploma in Biology. This person can work towards being a scientist, veterinarian, or even go to med school. Biology is a broad topic that provides the credentials for a lot of possible futures.

Following the same principle, cosmetologists can decide if they want to focus on hair care, skincare, being a general beautician, or esthetician. You get to focus on whatever you fancy, there is a reason why you spent all of that time studying.

You get to use whichever topics you learned in school for the better. This is more than what most could say in regards to what they studied.

4.   Connections

You are in a field that involves making people look better. Cosmetology involves people and whenever a subject revolves around people connections are formed.

You get to meet new people whether they be trainers, customers, coworkers, or even bosses. If getting your dream job with your work schedule wasn’t tempting enough, there’s the added mix of meeting random people.

Humans are naturally social creatures and you don’t need to stop this habit when you’re working on someone’s skincare routine. Being able to interact with other people has a bunch of benefits on its own.

Key Takeaways

There are a lot of good and beautiful things in this world and we get to decide what to focus on. You can choose to study Biology and look to make a vaccine, or you could study law and protect the innocent.

No matter what path you decide, it is up to you to make the most out of it. Taking cosmetology may not be for everyone but it may be for you. Whether it’s the flexible work schedule or the interactions with people that interest you, cosmetology is a wonderful field.

You can choose to study whatever you want for whatever goal you have in mind. Just remember that the world is a beautiful place and you get to add on to it.