Deciding what career path you want to follow as you finish high school and begin to choose potential colleges is not easy. It can be difficult to find a job where you’ll be happy while making a decent income. Fortunately, beauty careers can provide both of those opportunities if you’re interested in makeup, cosmetology, or esthetics. But how do you go from indecisive and unsure of your future to a sought after beauty professional? Keep reading to learn about the steps that you need to take to get started on the path to having a successful beauty career.

Decide You Want a Career in the Beauty Industry

Choosing a higher education option is a big deal. Make sure you’re interested in the beauty industry and that you can see yourself doing makeup or working with hair or skin. To figure out if that’s where your passion and interest lies, do research! We have so many awesome blogs full of information about everything you need to know about being a makeup artist, a hair stylist, or an esthetician, so check those out.

You can also read about all the cosmetology programs and esthetician programs The Academy offers, which details all the classes you can take. Once you know all about the skills and techniques you can learn and all the opportunities you can have at The Academy, you’ll be able to decide if a beauty career is for you.

Select Your Beauty Program

Now that you know you want a beauty career, you need to decide what you’d like your beauty license to be in. The Academy is the only beauty school that offers programs in which you can learn makeup while simultaneously studying either cosmetology or esthetics. If you’re into hair styling, cutting, and coloring, then cosmetology is for you. If you’re a bit more into beauty health like skin care, then esthetics would be a better fit. Fortunately, you also get to study makeup artistry regardless of what area of licensing you choose.

There is so much to learn in every program, so be sure you read through each program carefully to choose the right one for you. Besides makeup, all programs also offer business courses, so you’re guaranteed a business education no matter your program. Once you know which area of the beauty industry you’d like to specialize in, it’s time to apply!

Apply to The Academy

The application process for The Academy is super easy. First, complete the application form and submit the application fee. Then, you’ll get to schedule either a virtual or in-person admissions meeting. After the application is processed and admissions choose to accept you into The Academy, you’ll be contacted to talk about final details including enrollment deadlines and expectations. The admissions process gives you a chance to see The Academy and experience the excitement of taking a big step into your future of having a successful beauty career.

Complete All Four Rotations at The Academy

Congrats! You’ve been accepted to The Academy! Now what? You’re well on your way to becoming a sought after beauty professional, but first, you have to get through all of the rotations at The Academy. These rotations focus on the fundamentals of each area of licensure, such as sanitation, anatomy, physiology, and the basics of the core skills estheticians and cosmetologists need to know. As you get further into the program, courses evolve into more hands-on learning where you practice your skills and techniques on real people, such as classmates, instructors, and clients in the student salon.

All four rotations are designed to set students up for successful beauty careers by providing students with the required number of practice hours estheticians and cosmetologists need (this number can vary from state to state). Every course students take during the rotations arms them with all the best practices and techniques to ensure their career success.

Network Through the Career Concierge

As you get closer to graduation and you complete your required hours, it’s time to start thinking about what comes after graduation. You’re so close to that beauty career, and here’s how you can get it kickstarted: networking and career services! The Academy sets up tons of awesome events throughout your time here as a student where you can meet other beauty school graduates and beauty professionals with their own businesses and success stories. Meeting these fellow beauty enthusiasts can help you find your place once you’ve obtained your license.

The Academy’s career concierge helps you find your dream job as a beauty school graduate. If you’re not ready to start your own business or being a solopreneur isn’t the life for you, then the career concierge is the place you need to be. We have specialized personalized career counseling to help propel you into the career of your dreams. The career concierge provides a variety of career services that will help connect you with business professionals in beauty, film, or special FX. Some courses also offer resume and portfolio building and marketing yourself as a freelance beauty professional.

Become a Successful Beauty Professional

After graduation, every aspiring hair stylist or esthetician needs to pass two state board exams before they can obtain their license. You can read more about that process on our blog, but the beauty classes in each program also prepare and teach students how to pass the exams and receive their official state cosmetology or esthetics license. Once you’ve checked those exams off the list and you have your license, you’re just about done!

All the networking you’ve done with other beauty professionals and clients in the student salon will pay off now as you search for the right place to put all your education into practice. There are so many places in need of hair stylists, estheticians, and makeup artists. With the networking and resume and portfolio building you’ve done, you’ll have no trouble landing a successful beauty career. Another option is to become a solopreneur–this means you launch your own business, which comes with a lot of awesome benefits.

That was a lot for a list, so let’s recap just a bit. First, find your passion–whether it’s in hair styling, makeup artistry, or esthetics, there’s a beauty academy out there for you. Next, find the best beauty program that has the education you want, and apply for that school. Once you’re enrolled, have a great time learning and practicing new skills while networking and meeting awesome new people. Finish your education strong by passing your state board exams and obtaining your cosmetology or esthetics license. Then, apply to the job positions you want or start your own business. You’ve got this!

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