Career Center - Cosmetology

The Real World: Cosmetology School Graduate

Karafina Antonio thought she wanted to be a graphic designer. She went to college full-time for a couple of years and was still taking a couple classes each semester when she started working as a receptionist for the Zip Zap Hair salon in San Francisco. She soon became a full-time manager and decided graphic design wasn't for her.

Inspired by her colleagues at the salon, Karafina enrolled in beauty school. She's still working at Zip Zap, but now she's a hair stylist building a clientele of her own.

Making the Choice: Something for Everyone

Struggling with her lack of career direction, Karafina began to consider cosmetology school because she was responsible for payroll at the salon and could see the salaries for each beauty specialty.

Karafina recalls,"I saw how much people made and realized that cosmetology is a pretty well-paid profession. Since I didn't really know what I wanted to do, I decided to go to beauty school."

Now, having completed school and begun her career, Karafina says there’s something for everyone in the cosmetology industry.

"There are so many different ways to go in this industry," she explains. "No matter what kind of person you are, if you're creative and have an eye for what makes people look good, you can find your niche."

Cosmetology School: It’s Totally Worth It!

Karafina warns against thinking cosmetology school is going to be easy. She went part time for two years. She took classes five days a week from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., while working a full-time job.

"We had maybe two weeks off in the winter time," she explains. "It's pretty hardcore. Just being there focused on all that hair, make-up, nails and facials – it's totally exhausting. I wish I could have done it full-time to finish school within 10 to 12 months."

As grueling as beauty school can be, Karafina encourages new students to hang in there and get support. She and a group of friends she made while attending school helped push each other through. "You see so many people drop out each year. Stick with it. It's totally worth it."

She also recommends spending as much time as you can working on real clients while you're in school. "A lot of schools are open to do a salon day for walk-in clients. Do as much as you can no matter what it is. That's where you get to make your mistakes."

The Exam: Confidence is Key

Most cosmetology schools and beauty schools train students for the state's licensing exam. Since many licensing exams are notoriously out-of-date, you may learn techniques that you will never use in the real world. But—you will also learn important things, such as disinfection, sanitation and professionalism.

Karafina says that confidence is key to passing the state licensing exam, especially the practical portion where you have to demonstrate technique and procedure under observation. "The thing that can really get you is nerves," Karafina says. "But they're looking for you to look like you know what you're doing."

Going to Work: Real Education

"I think you really get your education once you're out of school and see how the real world is," says Karafina.

For many new grads, that means entering an assistant program. "You don't really learn a lot of technique in school," Karafina explains, "so if you're not sure of what you're doing, an assistant program is a great way to build knowledge. They pay you to be an assistant while giving you the education you want."

Karafina already felt very comfortable with cutting and styling, so she started as a junior stylist at Zip Zap immediately after receiving her license. "I did that for six months, but now I'm on regular pricing."

She's learning a lot working on clients. "That doesn't necessarily mean I've been messing up," she says. "You start to learn people's hair, what they want, what they don't like and how their hair reacts when you cut it. You work on new people and see what happens. People have so many different heads of hair, it's just crazy."

In school, Karafina thought she wanted to pursue both cutting and coloring. Now, she's focusing more on cutting, but she wants to do perms and straightening as well.

Building a Clientele: Everybody Knows Somebody

Karafina had business cards made right before she started working full-time on the floor of her salon. "That helps a lot when people see your own personalized card, rather than just a salon card," she explains.

She began building her clientele by taking walk-ins. "You do fifty walk-ins and everybody knows somebody," she says. "I do people's roommates, boyfriends, girlfriends and family members. If people see me more than two times and refer three or four people, I give them a free haircut to thank them."

She also gives clients multiple business cards, so they can hand them out whenever someone compliments their hairstyle. This kind of networking creates a thriving business.

Big Rewards: It's Not Just the Money

"I love that I chose this career," Karafina declares. "It's so rewarding – the things you can do for people. You see how happy they are with their hair and how much better they feel. They might be having a bad day, but you make them feel good."

Karafina also loves the possibility of setting her own hours and the interesting people she meets when they sit down in her chair. "You meet people you would probably never talk to on the street or meet in a bar."

Plus, her income is much better than what it was before cosmetology college. "Depending on what kind of stylist you want to be," she explains, "you can make tons of money. For me, I'm not making loads of cash like someone in a downtown salon, but I'm making more than I was making before, and it only gets better from here. The more years you work, the more money you can make."

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