How to Pick a Cosmetology College near Owatonna Minnesota
Now that you have made a decision to train as a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Owatonna MN, the process starts to search for and enroll in the ideal school. It’s imperative that the school you select not only furnishes the necessary training for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your initial search, you might be rather confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. We’ll discuss a little bit further regarding that in the next segment. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Owatonna home. Tuition will also be an important factor when reviewing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it’s not necessarily the best choice. There are many other considerations that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the cosmetology schools you are considering later within this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a bit about what cosmetology is, and what types of courses are available.
Definition of Cosmetology
Cosmetology is an occupation that is everything about making the human anatomy look more beautiful through the use of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that a number of cosmetology schools are regarded as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but really a cosmetic can be almost anything that improves the appearance of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, most states require that you go through some form of specialized training and then become licensed. Once you are licensed, the work environments include not only Owatonna MN beauty salons and barber shops, but also such venues as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have acquired experience and a customer base, establish their own shops or salons. Others will begin servicing clients either in their own homes or will go to the client’s residence, or both. Cosmetology college graduates are known by many titles and work in a wide variety of specialties including:
- Hairdressers
- Hairstylists
- Beauticians
- Barbers
- Manicurists
- Nail Technicians
- Makeup Artists
- Hair Coloring Specialists
- Estheticians
- Electrolysis Technicians
As earlier stated, in most states working cosmetologists have to be licensed. In some states there is an exemption. Only those conducting more skilled services, for instance hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people working in cosmetology and less skilled, which include shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.
Cosmetologist Degrees and Certificates
There are essentially two avenues offered to get cosmetology training and a credential after completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs normally require 12 to 18 months to finish, while an Associate’s degree commonly takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in all of the main areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are offered if you want to focus on just one area, for instance hair coloring. A degree program will also probably incorporate management and marketing training to ensure that graduates are better prepared to operate a parlor or other Owatonna MN business. More advanced degrees are not common, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are offered in such areas as salon or spa management. Whatever type of course you decide on, it’s important to make sure that it’s approved by the Minnesota Board of Cosmetology. Many states only approve schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded agencies, including the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will review the advantages of accreditation for the school you select in the upcoming segment.
Online Cosmetology Classes
Online cosmetology classes are convenient for Owatonna MN students who are employed full time and have family responsibilities that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended through a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional cosmetology programs are frequently fast paced since many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours away from your home or commuting back and forth from classes. However, it’s vital that the school you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it’s impossible to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Cosmetology Training Courses
Below is a list of questions that you need to research for any cosmetology training school you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Owatonna MN residence, in addition to the price of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together several of those supplemental questions that you should ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Program Accredited? It’s important to make certain that the cosmetology college you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not available in 55060 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Owatonna MN businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any cosmetologist school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Check rating companies for reviews along with the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Owatonna MN salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. Finally, contact the Minnesota school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? Some cosmetology schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s essential that you enroll in a school that focuses on your area of interest. If your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your desire is to launch a hair salon in Owatonna MN, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator. Choosing a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you need.
Is Any Live Training Provided? Learning and perfecting cosmetology techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty school furnishes little or no scheduled live training, but rather depends predominantly on using mannequins, it might not be the best option for acquiring your skills. Therefore look for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from a beauty program, it’s crucial that she or he gets aid in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide help develope relationships with Owatonna MN businesses that are seeking qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and find out which salons and businesses they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? The majority of cosmetology schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students also. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an alternative before you find out what financial help may be provided.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Owatonna MN?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Owatonna MN area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
Owatonna, Minnesota
Owatonna (/ˌoʊwəˈtɒnə/) is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,599 at the 2010 census.[5] It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August.
Owatonna was first settled in 1853 around the Straight River. The community was named after the Straight River,[6] which in the Dakota language is Wakpá Owóthaŋna. A popular, but apocryphal, story is that the town is named after "Princess Owatonna," the daughter of a local Indian chief who was supposedly healed by the magic waters of a nearby spring.[7] The earliest the Owatonna area was settled was in 1854 and platted in September 1855, but it was incorporated as a town August 9, 1858, then as a city on February 23, 1865.[6]
In 1856, Josef Karel Kaplan emigrated from a village southeast of Prague Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) Dlouhá Třebová, and selected a quarter section (160 acres (65 ha)) of land near the town of Owatonna. Kaplan described Owatonna as having just 50 small homes, but predicted 100 within a year, along with a railroad. With just four stores and a pharmacy, Owatonna quickly prospered and grew to 1500 inhabitants in just 5 years. Kaplan wrote about the Owatonna area in letters donated to the Minnesota Historical Society. In them he described often seeing Indians – people with "tough constitutions...brown skin and good dispositions", explaining: "When you read about battles between whites and Indians, it is the whites who are to blame." In 1866, Kaplan helped organize the Catholic Cemetery, and a year later, the National Bohemian Cemetery of Owatonna[8]
Enroll in the Right Beauty Vocational School near Owatonna MN
Finding and enrolling in the ideal cosmetology school is imperative to obtain the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to compile all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to contrast schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the academy and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you begin with that base, and address the additional questions supplied in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are ready to launch your new career as a professional cosmetologist in Owatonna MN.
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