A beauty or spa career might be just what you need to consider as the economy continues to stay at a slower rate. People are always trying to look their best, no matter what. And although some services may be slowing down, others will always continue to be in demand.

Take hair stylists, for instance. Would you really cut your own hair? I definitely could never do such a thing. And maybe I don’t go every six weeks any more, but I continue to go and tip my hair stylist. It’s a necessary service that requires a skilled professional.

Nail technicians are also in demand, as regular manicures tend to not be as expensive in a regular salon. While I may not be able to afford it every week, I know that I cannot do as good a job as a licensed nail technician and definitely ned to call in the experts for a big event, where I like to look my best.

Makeup artists and estheticians are always necessary because they have the latest tips and tricks. If they can teach me that my oily face still needs a moisturizer, then I think it is useful to work with these professionals.

These are just some examples of beauty professionals that have influenced my life. Although services may be down, they are still certainly alive and well and will always, in my opinion, be necessary.

Not sure what spa or beauty career is for you?? Check out beauty career program descriptions, as well as spa career beauty descriptions!

-Amanda Fornecker

At SpaBeautySchools, we’re all about beauty, wellness, and education. That’s why I was delighted to hear that Identity Magazine was hosting an essay competition that supports what we stand for.

In order to “Feel Beautiful Everyday”, Identity encourages its readers to “Accept, Appreciate, and Achieve” everything they are. Through their essay competition, current female students over the age of 21 (undergrad or other) can enter for a chance to win $500 toward education expenses.

All you need to do is answer one of their questions in about 500 words. To learn more about the competition, visit Identity Magazine and enter by August 1, 2009, 11:59 p.m. EST. You must be enrolled in a program (this includes beauty school and other career schools), as the winner’s check will be made out to the school. This is a great opportunity for women in school so get going — the deadline is next week!!

-Amanda Fornecker

While many of us have heard about hypnotherapy classes given by reputable hypnotherapists to stop smoking or lose weight, were you aware that there are hypnotherapy certification programs for individuals who want to make a career out of hypnosis? Like other alternative health and wellness courses, hypnotherapy classes are typically offered from beginner to advanced. These alternative healing programs range from hypnotherapy to clinical hypnotherapy — covering a broad range of mind-spirit techniques to help individuals with a number of behavioral and emotional issues.

Common hypnotherapy classes include NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), clinical guided imagery, inner child healing, past life regression, emotional clearing, hypno-healing, intuitive healing, Gestalt therapy, and music therapy, among other methods unique to hypnosis. Far from what many of us may have seen on comedy shows demonstrating grown adults clucking like a chicken, hypnotherapy is a real and effective form of alternative healthcare that has helped thousands of individuals overcome stress and anxiety, the battle of the bulge, quitting smoking, and other negative behaviors.

Focused studies in hypnotherapy classes involve in-depth training and practical applications of the power of suggestion, interviewing techniques, goal setting, awakening methods, stress-reduction strategies, teaching self-hypnosis, Ericksonian techniques, quantum healing, hypnotic regression methods, chronic pain relief methods, and other success-wellness techniques.

I had so much fun last night at Mom It Forward’s #GNO. What is this, you may ask? #GNO is an event held on Twitter on Tuesday nights and stands for “Girls’ Night Out.” Each week, participants gather together on Twitter.com to have a discussion about a particular topic. The topic? Having the family and bringin’ home the bacon, a.k.a. lifelong learning!

I was a supporting panelist last night on #GNO and talked about the beauty industry and the perks of earning a beauty or wellness degree. Flexible schedules and a 46 percent self-employment rate in the beauty industry are key benefits to fitting into busy lives. In fact, I think I may have convinced myself that I want to go to beauty school.

So where can I and all my other loyal followers get started? The Moms Back at School site is just the place to do so. And you don’t have to be a mom to get in on the action – I’m not.

Take it from @HeatherO …

Don’t worry if you missed the Twitter Lifelong Learning event. You can read some follow-up posts and follow us on Twitter for more info. Or, to get in on a school search right now, head to Moms Back at School.

Thanks to all those who participated and made this such a successful event!

-Amanda Fornecker