WBBE: What Is Cosmetology School Really Like?

 In the latest installment of my series based on the misfit nature of me and my profession, I thought I'd let my readers know what it's really like inside the doors of a beauty school. 

Should you go to cosmetology school? My short answer is no, but that's just me. I'll tell you a few of the good things and the bad things about cosmetology school so that you can make your own decision, or rejoice in the fact that your educational pathway didn't lead you through the doors of cos school.

 Bleaching my little brother's hair was definitely a highlight.

The Good:

- The Clients. If you've read this post, you already know that I get a kick out of listening  to the crazy thing my clients sometimes say. I've also had clients who speak Mandarin or Spanish, and I've gotten an opportunity to practice conversation with them.

- Tips. Not all schools allow students to accept tips, but mine does, and those can put a serious dent in the tuition. This is the first time I've worked in a profession where you get tipped--it's pretty fun!

- Education. There is a lot more that goes into the hair business than I would have thought, and I've learned quite a bit about haircuts, color, and perms in just a few months. The way cosmetology school is set up, you learn largely through the real life experience of practicing on real people who are paying for the service. That's quite a bit of pressure, but whenever a client asks you to do something you don't know how to do yet, your instructor will show you what you need to do in that real life situation. For this type of skill set, that's much better than book learning.

The Bad:

- Legalism. Rules, rules, rules. The letter of the law but not the spirit. State law requires that each student clock a certain number of hours in school--but how those hours are spent are up to each individual student on the days when we don't have many clients. At my school, we're only allowed to wear black and white--no black and white patterned or striped shirts allowed, they must be solid. And no white socks either--socks must either be black or nude. No doing hair for fellow students on Fridays or Saturdays--even if no clients come in on Fridays and Saturdays. Worst rule of all: If you miss a day, you are charged $5 for every hour that you miss above and beyond your 70 hours of allowed personal time--and it doesn't matter what the reason is. You could be hungover or going to your grandma's funeral, both situations are charged just the same.
- Things that are against the law. This may just be me, but I'm uncomfortable sitting among a group of minors making plans to get together and go out drinking in the evening after school. I don't enjoy it when the parking lot, and occasionally the school building itself, reek of marijuana. I know smoking cigarettes isn't against the law once you're 18--but I also don't appreciate being surrounded by the smell of stale cigarette smoke all day. I'm surprised clients don't complain about it.

- Working for free. When you think about it, that's really what cosmetology school is. Actually, it's paying to go to work. I pay for the privilege of working on clients 8 hours a day. Because the only way you can really learn how to do hair is by doing it, I understand why the system is set up that way, but it's especially annoying when we're also told to clean the bathrooms. I clean my bathroom at home, and if my job required cleaning bathrooms, I wouldn't mind that, but it feels odd when you're paying to be in school and during your hours there are told to clean the bathrooms. Most recently, students have been told to shovel the snow in front of the school. I would consider that more of an employee's job than the job of someone who is paying to go to hair school. However, for the most part, students are treated like unpaid employees of the school.

- Favoritism. Remember what I said about rules? Well, if you're a favorite of one of the top people in the school, you can wear whatever color socks you want, and they won't scold you for wearing a pink cami underneath your shirt.  They might even sign your time card so that you don't get docked 15 minutes if you clock in a minute or two late. My goal is to never be one of the favorites. I'm not sure that's necessarily a good goal, but oh well.