You can learn to style hair or perform manicures at a cosmetology school.
Vocational schools are meant to be a job-specific education for people who know exactly what they want to do for a career and merely need the knowledge and tools to make it happen. Cosmetology is one field in which many of the working professionals obtain their education through these types of schools. Many cosmetology vocational schools or beauty schools have multiple learning sites and can be found all across a region or across the country. Enrolling in a cosmetology program could have you working and earning money doing what you love in two years or less, depending on the particular school and program you enroll in.
Remington College
Remington College offers cosmetology courses at 13 locations across the South, Midwest and Hawaii. Remington's facilities are set up to function as a full-service salon environment in which students get plenty of practice through lab work and traditional classroom lessons. Students learn about fashion trends; practice hair care, nail care and make-upon real clients as well as mannequins; and get the training hours required for licensing in their state.
Students receive all supplies with tuition en route to a diploma upon graduation. Remington assists with resume development, interviewing and job placement, but does not guarantee employment.
Paul Mitchell
The late Paul Mitchell was among the world's most famous hairdressers. He helped develop trends in hairstyles over many decades prior to his death in 1989. He also founded a chain of salons. Although Mitchell is no longer with us, his salon techniques are still being taught at the Paul Mitchell Schools of hair design.
Students of the Paul Mitchell School can choose to work behind the chair creating artistic hairstyles at a salon, or graduates may feel the need to open their own salon or spa, take on a career in fashion or work as a hair and make-up artist in the television and film industry. The school has facilities in 38 states, and students will learn in a salon-style environment and come away with an education from a school whose name is always recognized.
Empire Beauty Schools
Empire Beauty Schools consist of more than 100 schools in 22 states where 20,000 future cosmetologists are in training at any given time. It is among America's largest cosmetology schools. The Empire group has been teaching students of the beauty industry since 1948 and is the owner of all the Regis Corporation schools.
This Pennsylvania-based school trains future beauticians in specialized career fields such as esthetics, nail technology, cosmetology educator training and make-up artistry. Students enjoy an education in a state-of-the-art salon classroom where a real world environment provides training in marketing, retail and business skills all while learning to perform professional services in a salon.
Aveda
The Aveda Institute promises to help its students grow as artists, business people and individuals. Their curriculum teaches the technical skills and business skills necessary to make a good living as a hairstylist, make-up artist, nail artist or other salon professional. Aveda also works closely with hiring salons.
According to the school's website, between 50 and 75 salons visit Aveda each year in search of new talent. In addition, Aveda operates its own salons throughout the world, which offers high salary positions to students completing the course.
Incomes in Cosmetology
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, cosmetology jobs had a mean annual wage of $27,070 in 2009. Upper income jobs in the field reached around $43,000 per year.
Tags: Paul Mitchell, business skills, Empire Beauty, Empire Beauty Schools, make-up artist, Remington College