The economy may be quickly shrinking, but that doesn’t mean that all businesses are suffering. In fact, beauty schools are doing a pretty good job of staying afloat during this tough economic crisis, as more and more beauty-obsessed individuals ditch the cubicle for the beauty salon classroom in a variety of beauty school concentrations.

I’ve always had a love of makeup. And I think this economy has kick-started those who have felt the same way — into a new career where they can pursue their passion and make a different life for themselves. While they may be changing their paycheck just a bit (cosmetologists average between $30,000 and $48,000 before tips, according to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools, AACS), they are pursuing something that can have a large payout in the long run, especially if they own their own salon or spa.

Take this recent NY Times article, for instance. It’s interesting to see all the beauty school professionals talking about beauty school popularity. Lynelle Lynch of Bellus Academy says in the article, “The industry is much more sophisticated than it once was.” This is definitely true as I believe the industry has moved away from the negative stigma that once was associated with the beauty industry. It takes a quite skilled, creative, and dedicated individual to pursue a beauty career. And an even more daring person to change careers entirely.

Beauty school isn’t just about the particular trade you’re about to study. It’s also about getting a well-rounded education that will give you the skills to really go out and conduct business. Classes in ethics and business practices are generally included in a curriculum that also emphasizes the history and chemistry of your desired profession. It’s quite a diverse field and students work hard to learn both on paper in the classroom and on mannequins (and eventually people) in the salon.

The NYT article also brings to light the fact that beauty schools are increasing in locations and enrollment:

At this time in 2008, Bellus Academy had 180 students; today it has 240. The number of students at Empire Beauty Schools, which has 89 locations, was up 17 percent from April 2008 to April 2009; enrollment at Paul Mitchell Schools, with 91 locations, increased 14 percent from May 2008 to May 2009.

Additionally, the AACS suggests that this is a wide open field. In fact, in January 2007, there were practically 1.7 million individuals employed in the beauty industry. And it continues to grow. “Salon owners reported 484,660 job openings were filled during 2006,” says the AACS. “This represents an average of 1.3 openings per salon. Nearly 40 percent of all new positions were filled by inexperienced workers.”

This all just goes to show how many opportunities exist within the beauty industry. There is lots of potential to get the job you desire. If you’ve always had a passion for beauty careers then maybe it’s time to consider the career change. Schedules are flexible so continuing to work and taking night classes is certainly possible. You just need to find the right school for you. Let us help you begin your search and even do some research about some of these accredited programs.

-Amanda Fornecker

Tags: Beauty, beauty career, beauty school, career switch, Careers, cosmetology, makeup, makeup career

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 12:29 pm and is filed under Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.