How to Win at Beauty School

Beauty school comes and goes quickly. In a blink of an eye you’re out the door looking for a job to put your license to use. Before I started beauty school, there were people who said it’s very different from college. I won’t argue that it’s not different, but it’s not that different. What a trade can do for you whether you had a previous degree or not, is amazing. If you get one and play your cards right, you’ll have the ability to take your career in your hands. Playing your cards right means you can “win” at beauty school and leave prepared for your job search or even have a job lined up after your license. Here’s seven ways you can “win” beauty school.

Take Everything Seriously

I have several degrees (lifetime learner over here), but I can say the journey becoming an esthetician has been the best experience outside of my journalism degree. I’ve been in many classes before, too many to count, and if you have a big head about your intelligence and how much “better” you are than other folks, then good grief don’t continue on with the program. There are people who think they can walk into beauty school and just coast because of their degrees. Don’t treat your chance to learn and become a skilled practitioner as a joke. Take every moment you’re in school seriously. Don’t slack, don’t be late and for the love of all things holy, study. 

What makes trade school different is just how quickly everything can go. My esthetician program is over in 8.5 months as a part-time student. Then I am on my own. I am soaking up everything about this experience and so should you.

Forget Everything you Thought you Knew

I used to write about beauty as a service and business journalist. There are many aspects about skincare, makeup, haircare, nailcare and more that I am familiar with intimately. However, I am not bringing that into the classroom as a way to not cloud my judgement. If you’re someone who will let outside forces (articles, experiences, other people) determine how you think about esthetics, you will have a hard time with your education. 

Staying off social media will absolutely help too because despite being a journalist who has to interact with social media, I don’t freaking use it! I’ll likely incorporate it into my promotional materials soon enough, but don’t go searching for a thing on social media that will make you doubt yourself or more importantly, make you compare what a professional is doing to a client vs what you’re doing as a student esthetician.

Speak with Faculty to Learn their Journey

Do you know how many people I’ve seen stay silent with their instructors? Too many to count. Open your mouth. Confused about a topic? Need more explanation? Want to learn more about a product or technique? You’ll need to muster up the courage to speak to the people teaching you everything you need to know about esthetics, especially because you’re paying your hard earned cash or taking out loans for all of this so ask questions often. 

Also keep in mind, speaking with faculty and asking questions will give you the ability to network with them and sometimes they’re inclined to help you even more when they see you’re serious about the work. I’ve learned about opportunities and conferences I would have never known about just by building a rapport with experienced professionals at my beauty school. You can do this too.

Network with Your Peers

Peer networking seems scary but it doesn’t have to be when you remember someone there could be your next employer or business partner. Networking can be as simple as speaking with your peers after class or during breaks. When you’re practicing your skills, use them as your practice partners and share what you learn with them. When you’re good at what you do, you should always share your knowledge with other people because we need good estheticians out here and it’s just good practice as you’ll do a lot of explaining products and practices with clients.

Practice Your Ass Off

Practice doesn’t make perfect, it makes you better. Practice on classmates, clients and your friends if they let you. Once you’re on the salon floor, you should do your best to get clients, keep them and set yourself apart from other esthie’s on the floor. Doing this now will make it easier for you whether you go solo or join a spa. Clients are what determines if you’re a practicing esthie or if you’re waiting on the sidelines. Of course, finding work takes more than skill depending on the state, it may take luck, but you can carve out an experience for yourself if you practice your skills.

Join Professional Associations

Do yourself a favor and join professional associations. Not only as a student, but also as a professional because associations are another great way to network, learn and get discounts on products. Currently, I am a student member of the Associated Skin Care Professionals and it’s only $15 per year. With this association, I am able to learn techniques and have access to toolkits that give me knowledge I can use in practice.

Learn How to Write a Resume

Finally, with everything you’ve done you have to have something to show for it all. Former career coach here, you need a really good resume to stand out. Your skills you’ve accumulated aren’t enough. You need to be able to explain how, when, how many clients you’ve worked on and what your results were. Did you advocate for your clients to leave a review? If so, what’s your satisfaction rate? Think holistically about what you bring to the table as an employee because it’s what will keep you getting jobs.