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ENG 11129L
9/29/10
Essay #2 Final Draft Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder “Cosmetologists are often the initiators of style and change,” Brooke Seger, a cosmetologist from Indianapolis, Indiana, stated. Style and change is very much related to cosmetology because cosmetology is all about looks. Just to get an outlook on this occupation, a lot of important information includes salary potential, working hours, availability of positions, job duties, and required training and education. All of which are important aspects to carefully look over when deciding if cosmetology is the right career for you. The Occupational Outlook Handbook [OOH] reports, “Median hourly wages in May 2008 for hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists, including tips and commission, were $11.13. Median hourly wages in May 2008 for barbers, including tips, were $11.56. Among skin care specialists, median hourly wages, including tips, were $13.81. Manicurists and pedicurists earned $9.46, and shampooers earned $8.32 (Bureau of Labor Statistics 3-4).” This seems fairly the same, since this was reported in 2008, as this year, 2010. According to today’s cosmetologists, the salary depends on the workplace, although these wages seem very similar to any normal cosmetologist.
From my outlook, I think the hours are very flexible and random. I walk in to get a pedicure and I get in within 15 minutes. When I get my haircut, I usually call my hairstylist and state and time within a few days, or even hours. Kirby Waninger, my personal hairstylist from Jasper, Indiana, mostly agrees, although she says, “We are closed on Mondays, but we usually work long hours because clients want to Watson 2 come in after work, which is usually past five o’clock. That means sometimes I work until eight or nine o’clock at night.” Seger says, “The hours are not bad because they have to make an appointment, no walk-ins. We also have a closing time, which is five o’clock.” Long hours will most likely effect your social life also, but Seger also notes, “My hours really have no effect on my social life, except that it makes it better because I get to cut, color, and style my friends’ hair, and that makes us become closer. So, it’s a good thing.”
There are many different specialists for cosmetology, which provide a lot of different jobs that need to be filled. “Overall employment of barbers, cosmetologists, and other personal appearance workers is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations,” the OOH demonstrates, “Employment of hairdressers hairstylists, and cosmetologists will increase by about twenty percent, much faster than average, while the numbers of barbers will increase by twelve percent, about as fast as average.” Personal appearance workers will grow by twenty percent from 2008 to 2018. The cause of this is the major increasing population, which will cause the demand to go up for basic appearance services (Bureau of Labor Statistics 3). According to Kirby, it wasn’t difficult to find a job right away after she graduated from her cosmetology school. Actually, she did not like it at her very first salon, so she moved to a different one. She says she likes it there so much more.
Cosmetologists provide lots of beauty services. Most cosmetologists deal with hair care and make-up. Job duties are an important factor to carefully overlook when deciding on this occupation. “I shampoo, cut, style, and color hair daily. I do a lot of cutting, coloring, and styling on a daily basis,” Brooke immediately demonstrates. Normally, barbers and cosmetologists focus on enhancing their client’s appearance. Manicurists, pedicurists, and other skin care specialists focus on helping their

Watson 3 customers feel good about themselves (Bureau of Labor Statistics 1). Brooke quotes, “It’s important to know and understand the client’s likes and dislikes because that’s what we want to work with. It helps us find styles that enhance aspects of their personality.” This is a very helpful and optimistic statement because if the cosmetologist cannot figure out what makes the client happy, then most likely, the cosmetologist might upset the customer, and never see them again. For example, I got my hair done for a school dance by a random hairstylist. She hardly talked to me, let alone make eye contact, and it really turned me off and pushed me away. I hated the way she styled my hair, so I went to a different lady afterwards for her to fix what I did not like. Also, cosmetologists may give specific advice on how to care for their personal appearance at home (Bureau of Labor Statistics 1).
Often, cosmetology is a fairly easy department of care service to get into. Advancement usually results in higher earnings, which requires a cosmetologist to have experience and skill. “Most states require that barbers and cosmetologists complete a program in a State-licensed barber or cosmetology school. Programs in hairstyling, skin care, and other personal appearance services can be found in both high schools and public or private postsecondary vocational schools,” the OOH begins, “Full time programs in barbering and cosmetology usually last about nine months or more and may lead to an associate degree,” adds the OOH, and finishes with, “Most professionals take advanced courses in hairstyling or other personal appearance services to keep up with the latest trend (2).”
Cosmetology can be a very successful career, although sometimes you have to be extremely good at it to be highly successful. It is a field that continues to grow and is much needed around the states. Brooke Seger’s very last words are, “One thing that I would give as advice is that you have to be dedicated and want to help others with their personal look. As long as you have that, then you should be good to go.” Overall, the most aspects to look over in becoming a cosmetologist are salary potential, Watson 4 working hours, availability of positions, job duties, and required training and education. Cosmetology can be fun and a very exciting career to pursue, as long as it is right for you.

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Works Cited
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. “cosmetologists.” 2010-2011. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Web. 29 Sept 2010 (http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos332.htm)
Seger, Brooke. Cosmetologist. Personal Interview. 28 Sept 2010.
Waninger, Kirby. Cosmetologist. Personal Interview. 25 Sept 2010.