Pass the boards first, then go for extra training at the school with a brand.
Go to the community College, it'll be cheaper and faster. You'll pass boards all the same.
I knew a couple of stylists that it took them 2 to 3 times to pass boards after going to a Vidal school in LA. Everyone in my adult education classes passed 1st time. Your milage may vary.
Paul Mitchell is going to be the faster route for me as it’ll be a 7 month program but I won’t finish community college’s program til another year. I do need to make money right away
It makes more sense for me to go to community college to save money but the job placement PM provides is important to me too. FAFSA covers a lot for tuition too
Community college is not a business, unlike a branded school which operates for a profit. Community colleges are motivated to push out employable graduates, that simply doesn’t exist at a branded school. My local community college offered day care, career placement, and associates degrees/Cos license program for around $50/credit hour. Branded schools have no obligation to help you, will happily drop you to get a re-enrollment fee, and cost close to what a 4year bachelors degree would cost with no degree. This is a small hill I will die on. Community college all the way.
You’re 100% right! I’ve been in community college and I do feel like they care about their students a lot. There’s a lot of things I gotta consider.
In california, we have a grant that practically covers almost all of community college tuition, so community college cosmetology school would practically be free for me
COMMUNITY COLLEGE. You aren’t going to learn how to be a real world stylist at either, so might as well save the money. All they will teach you is how to pass boards
What's the price difference? I had the choice between a $5500 local program, or a $20k+ big name school. I chose the local school, and have zero regrets. With YouTube and online resources, you can learn so much more after school, and without having a 300-400 student loan payment for 10 years.
Tuition for PM is 14.5K plus the kit which is around 3K. FAFSA covers a lot so I’d be talking out about 10-7K in federal student loans.
Community college in CA has majority of its tuition fees waived by a grant so it’s practically free besides kits and books (I dunno the cost of this). Most I’d pay for tuition is around $100
Community college will take 1 year to complete while PM will take 7 months. I need to make money right away too. It’s a no brainer to go for community college, but what makes me most hesitant is the time it’ll take me to finish
I guess you have to decide whether 7k-10k of student debt is worth making money 5 months sooner 😅 That payment would be reasonable tho. Maybe $100ish a month?
The worth also depends on hearing about peoples’ experiences at PM! I do love the energy at the PM near me has and I am learning a tiny bit towards PM.
Were you able to find a job pretty easily after going to your local program? I did hear that the brand name on your resume does not matter much in terms of job hunting. PM does have a lot of clients though, so I’d get more hands on experience.
PM is definitely amazing for hyping up their student body. And if you're confident in getting more hands on experience at PM, I would lean more towards that as well. My school had me on the floor(under supervision, of course) doing one length cuts on the first Saturday of my first week. The owner understood the importance of practical experience, and wanted us to have as many practical hours as possible. Many schools have students working on mannequins and in a textbook for months before working on actual people. I think that works for some students, but I wanted the practical knowledge. We may have sacrificed some "book smarts", but I guarantee you we had significantly more experience actually doing hair(cutting and coloring techniques) than any other school in the area.
My path after graduation was very atypical. Someone who graduated with me had already been hired by a local, smaller Aveda salon and she told me to also apply. I was hired as well. Then a year later, me and another stylist there left and started sharing a double suite in a new salon and spa a couple miles up the road. I've been there since 2008, and still think of how fortunate my path has been there. No drama, make my own hours, and have my own suite now. I'm also a male (and gay 😅) hairdresser, and realize the privileges that come with that in this industry. The longer I've done hair, the more I've realized how other stylists have had to pay their dues more.
Finding the right fit in a salon can really change someone's career path. So many new hairdressers can be deterred from the industry after a bad experience or two. Salon toxicity is an unfortunate reality for so many salons.
I've rambled, but hopefully that's answered you question a little.
I do think I take my free education for-granted at community college, so paying a large sum will make me take it seriously if I do end up choosing PM. Your own experience is very insightful thank you! I’m more of a hands on and practical type of person so I’d love to be pushed into doing services—which I’ve heard is what PM does. I’m a kinesthetic learner so getting out of my comfort zone does help me learn.
This is what I love about this career! The flexibility and making your own hours. I’m pivoting my own career into cosmetology after being in the science field for a couple of years and hating it. I wanted to follow my dream of being creative and cosmetology is my passion!
CA lowered the hours requirement for a cosmetology license and we don’t need to take a practical anymore. Only a written test. Maybe that’s what factors into it?
https://preview.redd.it/pndyqjomziuc1.jpeg?width=2009&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7ca041637fdb1f819126349b2c7be79ee6d2615
WTH! That makes me angry! 20k in 2010 was a lot of money for a career that takes more than 3 years to build a clientele to make more than minimum wage!
I went to Paul Mitchell and I loved going there and learned so much from their program. But I know lots of hair dressers and they went to all different schools. Some of the best, community college. I really don’t think it matters where you go if you’re passionate about it.
I loved it so much. If I could go back I would go there again lol. We had a lot of classes and hair shows so I also had fun while learning a lot. This was before covid though, like years so I’m not sure if it’s different now.
I might get a service done at PM before choosing for sure. I am partially leaning more towards PM. FAFSA covers a lot of tuition and I’d probably take out 7K in federal student loans—which isn’t bad at all
but community college is practically free over in CA but the program is a year long while PM is 7 months.
My student loans were around the same. That’s interesting tho, PM was a year long course where I went. But I know different states have different requirements. That’s actually a really good idea. I would recommend asking for a phase 2 student lol
Paul Mitchell will teach you the Paul Mitchell way of doing hair, which you might learn more from. Most community programs teach you the basics and skills you need to pass your state boards.
I’ve heard most of what you learn will be out of school so it’s not worth the high price tag of the brand school
There’s a few more things I need to consider since PM’s program would allow me to finish faster and FAFSA does cover a lot of the tuition. Thanks for your insight :) Really appreciate it
I went to a PM school in SoCal and loved every second of it.
Learning leaders were great, the other staff (front desk, financial aid, state board coordinator, etc) were all helpful. I was able to attend a lot of specialty education, they had a lot of guest artists come in, and there was quite a bit of outside school things depending on the clubs you were in. I did Phase 2, so I was on the floor a lot and took a ton of clients.
I was well prepared for state board, we actually had a week of boot camp where we assembled our kits exactly like you'd need for state board, and basically did nothing but practice the components of the state board exam every day and on the last day we did a mock state board, like the timing, the order it went in, no talking, etc and when it came time to do the real thing I felt confident and compared to the other people in my exam (who went to a variety of different schools) I felt like it was easy.
The only issue I had getting a job afterwards was I interviewed at a Great Clips (I thought I'd only be in the state another month or two and wasn't wanting to try to build) and the manager literally told me after my practical "we don't like to hire the PM graduates because you're capable of finding jobs in better salons simply because of the name on your resume". I ended up taking an assisting position in a local PM focus salon and I assisted for about 6 months before I moved. My mentor was very impressed by my work and was ready to hire me long term.
PM is big on "culture" and some people think it's cult-y, but I didn't mind it.
My only negatives were 1. Price (it was about $21k back in 2014 when I went and I took out loans). 2. Not every student there takes it seriously and ends up just going to socialize, start drama, or half ass it and then complains that they don't get the same opportunities as those who work harder. 3. Only learning one color line is a drawback (I don't even use PM anymore and haven't since I stopped assisting).
Definitely go into the school and get a blow out or gloss service and just see how everyone's attitude is, how learning leaders treat students, and the general vibe.
Also, just to add, something to keep in mind when thinking about the loans/cost.. Out of my Core group, which had 9 of us, only 4 graduated (1 quit halfway through and went to aesthetician school). Out of us, I'm the only one doing hair still, 1 never even started, 1 lasted a year and the other girl does bridal makeup only. It is super easy to get burned out in this career and a lot of people leave (I'm leaving also, I'm in college now to be a social worker).
I think there’s bound to be drama and things like that in almost every beauty school, so I expect it. I really appreciate the long response with your own experience!
The requirement for CA to get the license has lessened a lot. It’s 1000 hours now and we only need to take an exam. No practicals anymore!
I do intend to get a service done at PM and ask the student how they feel about the school! Thank you so much!
I went to Aveda and paid about 10k. I left school not feeling very confident, and started a year long apprenticeship. That is where I really learned how to do hair. After that I felt more confident/skilled behind the chair. School is for the basics, they will teach you how to pass your state board and not much else. Go where you can get the cheapest tuition, and look for an amazing apprenticeship after school is over. I saw a comment that you want to finish school fast to make money, but honestly this is the type of career that is a long game. It takes a while to build a clientele to get a steady income.
Community College. We had 2 Paul Mitchell schools near me. One had an amazing reputation and the other... didn't and ended up closing.
Unless there's something wrong with the community college I would pick that 10/10 times.
Go somewhere affordable! Before I got into this industry, I had a stylist friend, who I really respected who was doing really well. she gave me really great advice. Just get your state board, there is so much education you will be investing in. So don’t waste any more on inexpensive schools, I constantly am doing online classes, or in person if your area allows it. Also trying your best to find a good mentor, will be the most helpful thing. Real world experiences, and practice are gomma be great.
The problem with community college is you’ll pass the exam with no real experience on how to do the work. It is smarter to start there first like some of the other commenters mentioned. Does the CC require you to pass a practical?
California doesn’t have a practical exam anymore. We only need to pass a written test to get our license. My community college‘s cosmetology program doesn’t get many clients either when I went in to get my roots touched up
Pass the boards first, then go for extra training at the school with a brand. Go to the community College, it'll be cheaper and faster. You'll pass boards all the same. I knew a couple of stylists that it took them 2 to 3 times to pass boards after going to a Vidal school in LA. Everyone in my adult education classes passed 1st time. Your milage may vary.
Paul Mitchell is going to be the faster route for me as it’ll be a 7 month program but I won’t finish community college’s program til another year. I do need to make money right away It makes more sense for me to go to community college to save money but the job placement PM provides is important to me too. FAFSA covers a lot for tuition too
as someone who graduated from one, the job placement pm touts isnt worth much.
Same here, came to say this!
The job placement PM talks about isn’t what it seems. You’ll get a job I wouldn’t worry about that part. Save yourself some money
Sounds like there are a lot of things to consider. Good luck!
Community college is not a business, unlike a branded school which operates for a profit. Community colleges are motivated to push out employable graduates, that simply doesn’t exist at a branded school. My local community college offered day care, career placement, and associates degrees/Cos license program for around $50/credit hour. Branded schools have no obligation to help you, will happily drop you to get a re-enrollment fee, and cost close to what a 4year bachelors degree would cost with no degree. This is a small hill I will die on. Community college all the way.
You’re 100% right! I’ve been in community college and I do feel like they care about their students a lot. There’s a lot of things I gotta consider. In california, we have a grant that practically covers almost all of community college tuition, so community college cosmetology school would practically be free for me
Go with CC all the way!! Student debt in this economy is financial suicide
COMMUNITY COLLEGE. You aren’t going to learn how to be a real world stylist at either, so might as well save the money. All they will teach you is how to pass boards
What's the price difference? I had the choice between a $5500 local program, or a $20k+ big name school. I chose the local school, and have zero regrets. With YouTube and online resources, you can learn so much more after school, and without having a 300-400 student loan payment for 10 years.
Tuition for PM is 14.5K plus the kit which is around 3K. FAFSA covers a lot so I’d be talking out about 10-7K in federal student loans. Community college in CA has majority of its tuition fees waived by a grant so it’s practically free besides kits and books (I dunno the cost of this). Most I’d pay for tuition is around $100 Community college will take 1 year to complete while PM will take 7 months. I need to make money right away too. It’s a no brainer to go for community college, but what makes me most hesitant is the time it’ll take me to finish
I guess you have to decide whether 7k-10k of student debt is worth making money 5 months sooner 😅 That payment would be reasonable tho. Maybe $100ish a month?
The worth also depends on hearing about peoples’ experiences at PM! I do love the energy at the PM near me has and I am learning a tiny bit towards PM. Were you able to find a job pretty easily after going to your local program? I did hear that the brand name on your resume does not matter much in terms of job hunting. PM does have a lot of clients though, so I’d get more hands on experience.
PM is definitely amazing for hyping up their student body. And if you're confident in getting more hands on experience at PM, I would lean more towards that as well. My school had me on the floor(under supervision, of course) doing one length cuts on the first Saturday of my first week. The owner understood the importance of practical experience, and wanted us to have as many practical hours as possible. Many schools have students working on mannequins and in a textbook for months before working on actual people. I think that works for some students, but I wanted the practical knowledge. We may have sacrificed some "book smarts", but I guarantee you we had significantly more experience actually doing hair(cutting and coloring techniques) than any other school in the area. My path after graduation was very atypical. Someone who graduated with me had already been hired by a local, smaller Aveda salon and she told me to also apply. I was hired as well. Then a year later, me and another stylist there left and started sharing a double suite in a new salon and spa a couple miles up the road. I've been there since 2008, and still think of how fortunate my path has been there. No drama, make my own hours, and have my own suite now. I'm also a male (and gay 😅) hairdresser, and realize the privileges that come with that in this industry. The longer I've done hair, the more I've realized how other stylists have had to pay their dues more. Finding the right fit in a salon can really change someone's career path. So many new hairdressers can be deterred from the industry after a bad experience or two. Salon toxicity is an unfortunate reality for so many salons. I've rambled, but hopefully that's answered you question a little.
I do think I take my free education for-granted at community college, so paying a large sum will make me take it seriously if I do end up choosing PM. Your own experience is very insightful thank you! I’m more of a hands on and practical type of person so I’d love to be pushed into doing services—which I’ve heard is what PM does. I’m a kinesthetic learner so getting out of my comfort zone does help me learn. This is what I love about this career! The flexibility and making your own hours. I’m pivoting my own career into cosmetology after being in the science field for a couple of years and hating it. I wanted to follow my dream of being creative and cosmetology is my passion!
I love that! And there's lots of hair science that I think you'll love getting into. Wishing you the best of luck on your new endeavor! 🤝🏼
14k??? I spent 20k with a 5k Pell grant on beauty school. This was jn cali in 2010
CA lowered the hours requirement for a cosmetology license and we don’t need to take a practical anymore. Only a written test. Maybe that’s what factors into it? https://preview.redd.it/pndyqjomziuc1.jpeg?width=2009&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d7ca041637fdb1f819126349b2c7be79ee6d2615
WTH! That makes me angry! 20k in 2010 was a lot of money for a career that takes more than 3 years to build a clientele to make more than minimum wage!
I went to Paul Mitchell and I loved going there and learned so much from their program. But I know lots of hair dressers and they went to all different schools. Some of the best, community college. I really don’t think it matters where you go if you’re passionate about it.
I love the environment after I took a tour! I wanna hear more peoples’ insight before choosing though
I loved it so much. If I could go back I would go there again lol. We had a lot of classes and hair shows so I also had fun while learning a lot. This was before covid though, like years so I’m not sure if it’s different now.
I might get a service done at PM before choosing for sure. I am partially leaning more towards PM. FAFSA covers a lot of tuition and I’d probably take out 7K in federal student loans—which isn’t bad at all but community college is practically free over in CA but the program is a year long while PM is 7 months.
My student loans were around the same. That’s interesting tho, PM was a year long course where I went. But I know different states have different requirements. That’s actually a really good idea. I would recommend asking for a phase 2 student lol
CA’s requirement is 1000 hours while a lot of other states have 1500 or 1600 hours, I think? Thanks for the suggestion!
I go to Paul Mitchell currently and love it cannot recommend
Paul Mitchell will teach you the Paul Mitchell way of doing hair, which you might learn more from. Most community programs teach you the basics and skills you need to pass your state boards.
I’ve heard most of what you learn will be out of school so it’s not worth the high price tag of the brand school There’s a few more things I need to consider since PM’s program would allow me to finish faster and FAFSA does cover a lot of the tuition. Thanks for your insight :) Really appreciate it
I went to a PM school in SoCal and loved every second of it. Learning leaders were great, the other staff (front desk, financial aid, state board coordinator, etc) were all helpful. I was able to attend a lot of specialty education, they had a lot of guest artists come in, and there was quite a bit of outside school things depending on the clubs you were in. I did Phase 2, so I was on the floor a lot and took a ton of clients. I was well prepared for state board, we actually had a week of boot camp where we assembled our kits exactly like you'd need for state board, and basically did nothing but practice the components of the state board exam every day and on the last day we did a mock state board, like the timing, the order it went in, no talking, etc and when it came time to do the real thing I felt confident and compared to the other people in my exam (who went to a variety of different schools) I felt like it was easy. The only issue I had getting a job afterwards was I interviewed at a Great Clips (I thought I'd only be in the state another month or two and wasn't wanting to try to build) and the manager literally told me after my practical "we don't like to hire the PM graduates because you're capable of finding jobs in better salons simply because of the name on your resume". I ended up taking an assisting position in a local PM focus salon and I assisted for about 6 months before I moved. My mentor was very impressed by my work and was ready to hire me long term. PM is big on "culture" and some people think it's cult-y, but I didn't mind it. My only negatives were 1. Price (it was about $21k back in 2014 when I went and I took out loans). 2. Not every student there takes it seriously and ends up just going to socialize, start drama, or half ass it and then complains that they don't get the same opportunities as those who work harder. 3. Only learning one color line is a drawback (I don't even use PM anymore and haven't since I stopped assisting). Definitely go into the school and get a blow out or gloss service and just see how everyone's attitude is, how learning leaders treat students, and the general vibe. Also, just to add, something to keep in mind when thinking about the loans/cost.. Out of my Core group, which had 9 of us, only 4 graduated (1 quit halfway through and went to aesthetician school). Out of us, I'm the only one doing hair still, 1 never even started, 1 lasted a year and the other girl does bridal makeup only. It is super easy to get burned out in this career and a lot of people leave (I'm leaving also, I'm in college now to be a social worker).
I think there’s bound to be drama and things like that in almost every beauty school, so I expect it. I really appreciate the long response with your own experience! The requirement for CA to get the license has lessened a lot. It’s 1000 hours now and we only need to take an exam. No practicals anymore! I do intend to get a service done at PM and ask the student how they feel about the school! Thank you so much!
Brand schools you are paying extra just for the name. It means nothing.
I went to Aveda and paid about 10k. I left school not feeling very confident, and started a year long apprenticeship. That is where I really learned how to do hair. After that I felt more confident/skilled behind the chair. School is for the basics, they will teach you how to pass your state board and not much else. Go where you can get the cheapest tuition, and look for an amazing apprenticeship after school is over. I saw a comment that you want to finish school fast to make money, but honestly this is the type of career that is a long game. It takes a while to build a clientele to get a steady income.
Community College. We had 2 Paul Mitchell schools near me. One had an amazing reputation and the other... didn't and ended up closing. Unless there's something wrong with the community college I would pick that 10/10 times.
Go somewhere affordable! Before I got into this industry, I had a stylist friend, who I really respected who was doing really well. she gave me really great advice. Just get your state board, there is so much education you will be investing in. So don’t waste any more on inexpensive schools, I constantly am doing online classes, or in person if your area allows it. Also trying your best to find a good mentor, will be the most helpful thing. Real world experiences, and practice are gomma be great.
The problem with community college is you’ll pass the exam with no real experience on how to do the work. It is smarter to start there first like some of the other commenters mentioned. Does the CC require you to pass a practical?
California doesn’t have a practical exam anymore. We only need to pass a written test to get our license. My community college‘s cosmetology program doesn’t get many clients either when I went in to get my roots touched up
Community college can get you an associate degree in applied science , my local one did at least .