Exploring My Dream Career: Cosmetology

As a kid we all wanna grow up to be something that sparkles in our eyes when we see it, but as we get older some of those dreams fade away, we start to wake up and realize what job really fits with our personality. My dream for all my high school career has been to do Cosmetology, I wanna go to a beauty school and do hair and help women feel beautiful and confident about themselves, love who they are on the inside, outside, and feel confidence in who they are.

What is cosmetology and why did I choose it? Cosmetology is a beauty treatment. There are different groups of cosmetology but General Cosmetology in the United States mainly focuses on Hair manicure/pedicures. When I was a little kid I used to dream of doing people’s hair, I would use my baby dolls and barbies as customers and try and fix their hair until it was hot and in style and clean. I have decided to be in the cosmetology field because I like to help other people with their needs and beauty and also try to help with my own. I am aware that in doing this I will be working with many different race groups and many different hair types from long, short, soft, rough, smoothed tangled, nappy, thin, thick, straight, and curly hair. I feel I can help anybody as long as I have the mindset to do so. In some cases people go to cosmetology school or beauty school to work for somebody but I want to have my own salon where I make women feel safe and comfortable i wanna make it homey and let them relax and tell me about their day.

Cosmetology school takes up to 8 months to 4 years it will cost about $13,852. To enter beauty school you must reach the age requirement of being at least 16 and must have high school GED or diploma. ​Starting wage starts out at $9.14 and overtime you can increase your pay to $30.00 that is not including tips. ​I have some t​alents that are also required for cosmetology field that will help me succeed in the cosmetology hair field like business skills, communication skills, good grooming habits, a sense of creativity and technical skills. ​ Requirements to get into beauty school are you must continue education afterwards you must also have education in cosmetology, creativity, interpersonal skills, and customer service, active listening, positivity, dexterity, good grooming habits, time management. I could gain experience from a junior college in my hometown called howard college. I am very capable of doing well and learning new things when it comes to something I love. ​Many people enroll in hair school to learn the basic fundamental skills to become an outstanding candidate in the field. A cosmetologist’s creativity skills, business skills and communication skills need to be very effective. Other skills are required as well, but without the most basic skills a cosmetologist will not do good in the industry. 

How can you own and be in charge of a business if you do not know any of the basics? How can you work on someone’s hair and knowing it could be permanent without knowing what style would most likely fit their face and personality? As a student wanting to be in the cosmetology field sometimes you have to let your client know its okay to try different trends and styles and be different and that not every hairstyle is meant for everybody. As new trends are invented and start to be what is popular from previous years we will need to get used to working with different kinds of hair because we have all different kinds of races in my family and it is not as easy on one person’s hair like it is the others. You have to try and get to know the people and make them want to tell others about you and keep customers coming. You have to be nice a respectful and take care of their hair for them or they will give you a bad review and people will stop going. You do not go to college for cosmetology you basically go to beauty school and do classes it is not gonna be easy to do with no job and trying to afford beauty school and a place to stay and eat. I wanted to always do hair because I am really girly person I love self care and helping people look like a new person and feel like nobody can compare to them I have an aunt who does hair and I enjoy helping her mix chemicals see what is popular and new in style.

In conclusion everybody has a dream and wants to be an adult but being on your own is hard and a struggle and the life you had as a kid will never be the same as the life you will have as an adult that is why I am going to save my money and focus on the best life and best version of myself to make sure I get the life I want without being miserable cosmetology is something I will always love and admire it is what keeps my soul happy.

Works Cited

1. Carruthers, J., & Hood, K. (2017). Milady Standard Cosmetology. Cengage Learning.
2. Cleveland, S. (2016). Start Your Own Hair Salon and Day Spa: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Success. Entrepreneur Press.
3. Federation of Cosmetology and Barbering Schools. (n.d.). Become a Cosmetologist.
4. Krupp, E. A. (2014). Career Opportunities in the Beauty Industry. Rosen Publishing.
5. Milady. (2020). Theory Workbook for Milady Standard Cosmetology. Cengage Learning.
6. Pate, M. L., & Pate, M. L. (2019). How to Open a Successful Hair Salon. ML Pate Consulting.
7. Rodgers, L. R., & Wilson, M. (2017). The Salon and Spa Professional's Guide to Noncompete Agreements: A Salon and Spa Business Development Strategy. Milady.
8. Sires, D. (2021). Hair Salon Start-Up Business Plan: How to Start a Hair Salon (Entrepreneurship). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
9. Thompson Learning. (2013). Milady's Standard Cosmetology, 2012. Cengage Learning.
10. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Barbers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists. Occupational Outlook Handbook.