Cosmetology school graduates...come hither!

**icallitbliss** · May 7th, 2013, 10:22 PM

So today was my first day at cosmetology school. Honestly I'm seriously overwhelmed. I don't mind learning the science behind it and reading the textbooks, but putting the actual practice into play is kinda hard for me. I don't have the best dexterity, and learning how to properly part/section the hair into quadrants is causing me some grief. If I can't even do that, how can I do anything else? That's like the basics. I know it's my first day, but I'm just paranoid that I'm not good enough and that it takes special talent that you're just born with or whatever... We also did some hair "relaxing" today (with shaving cream, not actual chemicals) and I did okay on that, except again, with the sectioning. Ugh.

Anybody who has been through school have any advice? I don't wanna quit yet, but I think I have till the 13th to make a final decision. It's a lot of money, and I want to make sure it's worth it.

**melissa8989** · May 7th, 2013, 11:17 PM

I would'nt worry to much about the basics, it took almost everyone in my class a couple days to section quads right. It get as easy as breathing though after some practicce.

**AnqeIicDemise** · May 7th, 2013, 11:24 PM

If its important to you, don't quit. I'm not a cosmetologist but I am a trained chef. While I haven't worked in a kitchen in years (believe me, I regret it), I didn't give up altogether. I still cook and I try to keep my knife skills sharp. Its difficult though, with such a bad case of carpal tunnel.

But boy, I had SUCH a hard time with my knife skills when I got started.

While I had been cooking since I was about knee high, I was mostly self taught and followed direction from a woman who had severe physical issues due to a horrible stroke. Grandma couldn't really *show* me how to do a simple thing like chop onion. She could only tell me how and when words didn't suffice she'd be happy I got it somewhat small enough for the job she wanted me to do.

so I struggled. A lot.

I practiced. A lot.

Do you have any idea just *how much potato* I ate because I had to practice the seven-sided potato? I ate so many carrots my palms turned orange because I couldn't julienne them properly. I got sick of bell pepper. There was a time I couldn't even look at an onion without wanting to cry because I was so frustrated at not being able to come out with uniform, teeny tiny little fine-diced cube. While having a rather uneven but somewhat of the same sized onion bits don't matter in home cooking, it does in the professional kitchen. Critics can stain a restaurant's reputation because the pico de gallo salsa was not up to aesthetic standards. And damn it, I *wanted* to be the next wolfgang puck. (yeah, I'm a bit bitter that I'm stuck at home, but whatever. I need to get off my butt and rehabilitate my hands before I go into a kitchen again. I can hardly handle mincing an onion half-assedly for a simple meal let alone doing the volumes necessary for a restaurant. Stupid carpal.)

If its your passion, don't quit. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice until all you dream about is sectioning hair. Practice until you're sick of looking at a comb but your muscles have gotten so used to it you're sectioning bits of fur on your favorite teddy bear with your fingertips. You'll get so damned good at it you can section with your eyes closed! (I'm not kidding. I can now cut a red potato into the perfect little seven-sided footbal shape now with my eyes closed. I think its all that practice that has allowed me to do my hair by feel, honestly. If I try using a mirror, I fail.)

Now, if the sheer idea of practicing until your fingertips are sore is not the kind of thing you can fathom, then maybe this isn't for you. I mean, stuff comes naturally to some people and they're gifted. some of us don't have the talent but have the passion so we make up for it by working our butts of.

While I may not be in a kitchen and still hold on to my dream, I'm still cooking. Little here, little there... I cannot fathom life without a knife in my hand making meals for people to enjoy. I suppose that's how my grandmother felt when she'd sit in a corner and have me be her hands. I'll make it somehow, damn it.

**AnqeIicDemise** · May 7th, 2013, 11:29 PM

Oh, and another thing! There was a girl in our class who made water catch fire. She somehow got oil into the pot full of water and it caught flame. She worked her behind off but got kicked out of school when her loan got denied for the second year. It was a if the world was telling her 'don't do it! You can't cook'. She didn't give up. She became a dishwasher at a restaurant, then worked her way up as a prep cook.. she still can't cook a damn but boy, can she plate some scrumptious looking things.

Y'know what her job is now? She's a foot photographer. She just stages food and shoots 'em for food blogs and magazines. No one has to taste her horrible cooking. lol

So yeah, that's proof that even if going to school isnt' your thing but making people pretty and happy is what you're passionate about, you'll find a way to do it.

**Xxanderia** · May 8th, 2013, 03:40 PM

Does esthetics school count? I know it's not hair, but it's skin. And hair grows on skin.

I remember my first day when I started, I couldn't even make up the client bed correctly with the sheet folded just right. And now I'm learning about ultrasonic and chemical peels. It all just takes practice. At first none of us in my class could do much; we all just kind of fumbled around. But if this is something you want to do, and are passionate about, then stake it out a little bit longer and you will start to feel more comfortable.

**icallitbliss** · May 8th, 2013, 04:40 PM

Well, I did a lot better today. But then something happened in the lunch room. Keep in mind I'm 26 years old, and most of the girls in this school are like 18/19 and still have the high school clique attitude. Anyway, I was getting my stuff out of the fridge for lunch, and this group of girls were talking about a teacher, and I was trying to be social (cause I'm a little shy, so I pushed myself), and I said, "Oh, what teacher?" One of them muttered "Judy." This Judy lady is a morbidly obese woman who has a horrible attitude and everyone hates in the school. I'm not too fond of Judy, either, to be honest. Then one of the girls was like, "You're related to Judy, right?" And I was like, "Uh...what?" And another girl said, "Well everyone's been talking about it." And I was like, "Uhhh...WHAT would make you think I'm related to Judy? I don't get it." And then the whole group of girls started viciously laughing at me.

I didn't know what to do. I just kinda casually walked off and then found a corner and started crying by myself. Honestly, I've been through a lot the past couple of months dealing with severe depression and anxiety, and was feeling insecure about starting this school in general, so having that happen just made me lose it. Now I'm debating whether to quit. If it's going to be like that, I don't know if it's my cup of tea. I haven't dwelt with harassment like that since like junior high! I'd rather work behind a desk like my usual clerical jobs, and if there IS someone who is being bitchy (cause there always is someone horrible in any school or job), they at least talk BEHIND your back and not straight AT you like today.

I talked to one of the girls in my freshman class and she said very bluntly, "This is my dream. This is something I'm doing to support my family, have a career. I WANTED to do this." And I said, "I thought I wanted to do it, and sometimes I wasn't sure, but then that whole thing with the girls happened, and it kinda soured everything." She replied, "Why on earth would you sign up for something and not be sure about it. Either you like it or you don't. And truthfully, if you're insulted by the catty nature of the girls here, that's NOTHING compared to working in a real salon. I'm sorry that happened to you, but if you can't hack it, you probably shouldn't be here."

Do you think she's right? I don't know. I love hair and reading about it and studying it on my own time, but sometimes I think it was more of a fantasy than actual reality. I know I did *slightly* better today on the practical side, but if it's gonna be such a horrible environment...I don't even know. You might think I'm overreacting but I'm a really sensitive person. Everything makes me cry nowadays.

**icallitbliss** · May 8th, 2013, 04:41 PM

Well, I did a lot better today. But then something happened in the lunch room. Keep in mind I'm 26 years old, and most of the girls in this school are like 18/19 and still have the high school clique attitude. Anyway, I was getting my stuff out of the fridge for lunch, and this group of girls were talking about a teacher, and I was trying to be social (cause I'm a little shy, so I pushed myself), and I said, "Oh, what teacher?" One of them muttered "Judy." This Judy lady is a morbidly obese woman who has a horrible attitude and everyone hates in the school. I'm not too fond of Judy, either, to be honest. Then one of the girls was like, "You're related to Judy, right?" And I was like, "Uh...what?" And another girl said, "Well that's what everyone's been saying, everyone's been talking about it." And I was like, "Uhhh...WHAT would make you think I'm related to Judy? I don't get it." And then the whole group of girls started viciously laughing at me.

I didn't know what to do. I have NEVER talked to these girls before that, or anyone else besides the ones strictly in my class. I just kinda casually walked off and then found a corner and started crying by myself. Honestly, I've been through a lot the past couple of months dealing with severe depression and anxiety, and was feeling insecure about starting this school in general, so having that happen just made me lose it. Now I'm debating whether to quit. If it's going to be like that, I don't know if it's my cup of tea. I haven't dwelt with harassment like that since like junior high! I'd rather work behind a desk like my usual clerical jobs, and if there IS someone who is being bitchy (cause there always is someone horrible in any school or job), they at least talk BEHIND your back and not straight AT you like today.

I talked to one of the girls in my freshman class and she said very bluntly, "This is my dream. This is something I'm doing to support my family, have a career. I WANTED to do this." And I said, "I thought I wanted to do it, and sometimes I wasn't sure, but then that whole thing with the girls happened, and it kinda soured everything." She replied, "Why on earth would you sign up for something and not be sure about it. Either you like it or you don't. And truthfully, if you're insulted by the catty nature of the girls here, that's NOTHING compared to working in a real salon. I'm sorry that happened to you, but if you can't hack it, you probably shouldn't be here."

Do you think she's right? I don't know. I love hair and reading about it and studying it on my own time, but sometimes I think it was more of a fantasy than actual reality. I know I did *slightly* better today on the practical side, but if it's gonna be such a horrible environment...I don't even know. You might think I'm overreacting but I'm a really sensitive person. Everything makes me cry nowadays.

**Sylvestrix** · May 8th, 2013, 04:59 PM

I do NOT think she's right. If you're interested enough to try it out, that's a more than good enough reason for me, and it should be for them, too. I am incredibly thin skinned, so I know exactly where you're coming from with these remarks really upsetting you.

I went to school for silversmithing. My first day, I messed up so many times I wept through the entire lesson. Other students there who had done hobby classes before were not kind about it, and I spent months being mocked. When I finally made a good friend there, the next year she was accepted to an art school and totally turned on me. It hurt. I think no matter what you do, you will encounter catty people who just want to put you down and who'll try to destroy your confidence, but even if it seems impossible you have to try to ignore them and just work your damn ass off until you get what you want.

I was told straight out by one woman that I'd never be good at this, and that I should drop out. I didn't, and three years later I passed top of my year and got awards (and monetary gifts, pantpant!) from two major industry suppliers. I couldn't get into an art school to do my degree because I can't draw well enough. Galleries won't take my work because of this. But I love what I do and damn it I will make it work, because I want to. I sell my pieces online, I break myself trying so that I can take my work to craft exhibitions and get my work out there.

You don't have to work in a salon if that environment turns out not to be right for you- one of my mothers friends makes a brilliant living doing house calls- she tried working in salons and found that she hated the atmosphere. Now she works for herself, to her own schedule and does brilliantly without having to put herself in that toxic environment.

If this is something you might even think you want, then go for it and don't ever, ever let anyone tell you otherwise. <3

**AnqeIicDemise** · May 9th, 2013, 12:33 AM

Salons are horrible places to work for if you are thin skinned. So are kitchens, offices, hospitals and lots of other places too.

I understand being thin skinned. I was too for a while. in fact, at the current office I work for I nearly had an episode where I broke down in the lunch room too. (I barely managed it to the car) but I realized shortly after, they're little girls.

I'm a woman.

And a woman who can be mature about life. [eta] I mean, I'm 29 years old as of this Sunday. A married woman with a man who is not only respectful but thoughtful. I have a family who loves me and while my credit score is in the crapper, I'm not being garnished. Some of these girls I work with may be almost as old as I am but they too still have the mentality of a 17 year old high school senior. How sad is it that all they can think about is partying so hard they can't stay awake during work nor have the energy to build fulfilling relationships? Like one girl constantly whines about being single and wanting to settle down but she can't stop bar hopping, having one night stands or dating ex cons who, well, wind up back in the slammer. I have goals. I may not achieve them all at once but I'm persistent. I don't care about this little clique thing anymore. HS was ten years ago.[/eta]

After that point, it didn't matter.

You got to do what you got to do for yourself. If it means taking a break while you build up your skin, do it. But you can't force yourself to do something you're not ready for.

ETA2: I also second that house call idea. There's a local aesthetician who made house calls for about two years while she got the money necessary to rent a room at a place. She's renting out a suite along with two other massage therapists and is making pretty good money working on her own.

**ZeppHead** · May 9th, 2013, 10:18 AM

Years ago I was in cosmo school and it cost only 1500 then...but I dropped out. I have always loved hair, skin and makeup and I was very shy and that was what ultimately led me to leave. I wish I hadnt!! I still do my own hair, love hair and everything about styling and coloring and I want to go back and get my lisence...now I have a 15 month old and am pregnant and school costs WAAYY more than it did when I went. I wish I had the opportunity to go again, my life is just so busy and I no longer have the money for it, I hope you stick it out. If you love hair then do it. I know how hard it is, trust me!! I wish I was in your shoes, I wish you luck!!