So…I’ve been thinking off and on lately about going to cosmetology school and becoming a stylist. And last night, I began really looking for information in the area on how I get this done. Looking at local cosmetology schools, sending for brochures, and most importantly…checking out on whether I can even afford to do it.
I’ve been interested in the field for quite a while and it will give me a chance to take a trade and grow with it. That’s something I’ve been wanting for a long time. Taking something I love, move forward with it and grow both as a professional and financially.
My current job, although I love what I’m doing, has placed a paycap on my position and thus I have no more growth in what I’m doing financially. The only way I can get past the cap is to go into supervision or management positions and I am dead certain that I don’t want management. I’m task-oriented. I want to get out there and do it, control my tasks, and not have to delegate menial tasks to folks who could care less.
I’ve had other aspirations before this. Sign language interpreting, computer tech, commercial art…but I’ve had considerable doubts concerning whether I’ll actually ENJOY it, be fully capable or my out and (hate to say it) obvious gayness impeding my client availability. But this prospect seems fully open to me and I’m really excited about putting this together for myself. I’m very confident in my abilities and am optimistic about enjoying it.
When bringing it up to the beau yesterday (he’s mentioned in the past that he thought that I would do well at it), he brought up a point that I have noticed about myself that I was unaware he realized about me…and it made it that much more real for me.
I tend to have a bad relationship with the number 5.
I’ve only had 3 prime jobs my whole career. I tend to stay in one place for a while (I love consistancy). But the tying factor for my first two jobs is that I left them both in my fifth year of service, am currently in my fifth year at my retail job and he even pointed out that this is still our fifth official year together as a couple and we’ve had hardships where the prospect of parting ways was given (and in some ways still possible).
Seeing it now makes it much more real and makes me worry if I’m just looking for the right things for my life and that’s the magic number saying if it’s not right by this time I need to move on….or am I just flakey.
This prospect is gonna require an investment on our part and I want to be sure that I want to do this. I truly believe I want to do this, but part of me nags that I’ll be done with this after 5 years and then what…
My friend says that 5 years is the average timeframe folks stay at any particular job/environment/etc before looking for a change. So at least I’m not the only one experiencing this…at least I hope.
I still plan on looking into this…my friend also knows a gay couple who own their own salon, makes a great living, and she’s willing to set me up talking to them about it.
I’m a little apprehensive though, just because I still know very little but my own gut feelings. I’ve never cut hair before but I have worked with color a number of times. Just in that experience I know I can do pretty well.
I really am searching for stability in a trade I enjoy. The potential to grow and achieve by skilling myself in what I enjoy. I don’t want to delegate, I want to do. And this could be my opportunity to express myself, put myself into a field where I can develop my own merits, reputation and rely on my own talents (or lack thereof, we shall see if I get to schooling).
Anyone have any insight on this career choice? Pros/cons? Any imformation will be most helpful.
A Bit of Ste - Revisited 
Your friend is right, these days most people don’t seem to go beyond 5 years in any given position. They may stay with the same company and move around, or change companies and jobs. I’ve found over my history that 6 years was the longest I was in one place, but 5 was more the average. But, in my previous working life I found my jobs fell into one of two categories, either creating a department from scratch, or going in to rescue a disaster area.My sister went the hairstylist route (cosmetology, et al), but after teaching for a year, pretty much lost interest in it (but, she tends to last at most 6 months in any one thing).I know from dating a stylist before that you’ll spend a lot of time on your feet during the day (so work on your back muscles). And those with a knack for it (a rare find in some towns and cities) can really develop a loyal following. And people skills are vital to the position (and a wicked sense of humour too).In my 20s, one stylist really stood out for me. His name was Leslie, and it was my long hair/big hair era 🙂 He convinced me to go blonde, as blondes may not have more fun, but definitely got more offers 🙂 Anyway, Leslie was an artist with a pair of scissors in his hand. And he took me and another one of his young clients out with his boyfriend and him one night to introduce us to the gay scene in the city. He did such a fabulous job that my Mom started going to him as well. He’d book off the entire morning, and we were his only two clients for the morning. She said that it was the only time that people at work would compliment her on her hairstyle.I don’t know what it’s like there, but up here you have to go through exams and be licensed by the province before you start out in this career. It took my sister a year to go through the schooling and exams before she got her license. Of course, now having MS excludes her from persuing that career path now, as she cannot hold her arms up for any great length of time.Again, I don’t know how it works there, but up here you lease your chair in a salon unless you go out on your own. If you get in a good place, you can make a good living at it. After Leslie passed away, I found another place to go to for many years, and they are still around and successful, but I do not work downtown any longer, so it’s a bit of a trek to get there.Talk to others in the industry to see if it’s something you would enjoy doing. If you have a natural talent for it, you can be wildly successful.I know myself, the difference between the barber shop at the end of the street, and going to a talented hairdresser is greatly different. If I know I have to go for a photo portrait, I go to a hairdresser. If I just want a quick snip to take off the excess length, the barbershop at the end of the street is good enough. The difference is noticeable, and the price is worth it. Besides, if I keep going at my current rate (being the grumpy old fart that I am), I’ll just have to go in for a polish and buff once a month (also known as combing your hair with a facecloth). ;-)Another area to consider perhaps is esthetician. The one lady who worked in one salon, before she retired, taught me the best way to do my own nails. Saved me a lot of money over the years :-)Then there’s always the method of dividing a sheet of paper in half, and listing pros and cons of any career. Think about what you really want from it, what kind of money you would like to make, and the hours you would like to invest in getting there.I’d be interested to know what you decide. I just have a feeling that you would be great at anything you put your hand to.
yeah it’s pretty much the same here, the schools range from 45-a little over a year with certification being a must. I don’t mind the time in school because I know I have quite a bit to learn and my current job will definitely last me until then. I’m not unhappy with the job, just the paycap. And they’ll work with my schedule if I’m taking classes. I’ll definitely keep you informed on my decisions and progress. Like you said, it comes down to what I want to do…and moving forward, to get it done.Sometimes the biggest distance is between idea and actuality.
My mom became a hairstylist/makeup artist in the early 80s, hoping it would be financially sound enough to help support our family while my dad went to school to see if he could get out of blue-collar work. While she works like crazy, it’s always remained a support salary and never blossomed into the kind of thing I would say is a great source of middle class income. And she’s good, too. She has a full slate of clients, overbooks and all that, but the market where she lives just won’t support prices that would make her have a comfortable stand-alone salary.With that said, I think Knoxville is a larger market and the income potential there might be MUCH greater. Honestly, if you’re looking for something like that, it might be the most important thing for you to look into before investing a career change in it.
Do whatever you think will make you happiest. If it’s sign language interp. don’t worry about the whole gay thing. I don’t see that being a factor, altho I may be naive. If its cosmetology then do that.Just be happy!
Well, a few years ago I did apply to work at the Tennessee School for the Deaf and I know I didn’t pass that with flying colors. I was asked blatantly “If I saw two boys sharing the same bed, what would I do?”…now that’s a random question for someone. I replied with a bland, “I would advise them to move back to their beds and notify whoever I needed to according to policy.” I didn’t get a callback. Not that it would impact my interpreting jobs, but the Deaf community is a very proud and demanding community.I’ve just been kind of apprehensive mostly because of my receptive skills. The reason I applied to the school was to help with that, working with Deaf kids using sign on a regular basis would definitely help me out.I actually went by a local beauty school today to gather info but they were closed, will be open tomorrow though ^^Gosh, I hate that term “beauty school”, gag…but i’m excited about the skills i’d be learning 😛