Become a Cosmetologist | Cosmetology Schools Saint Helens OR

How to Choose a Beauty College near Saint Helens Oregon

nail technicians training at Saint Helens OR beauty school Now that you have made a decision to train as a cosmetologist and attend a beauty school near Saint Helens OR, the process begins to find and enroll in the right school. It’s essential that the program you choose not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your initial search, you might be a little bit confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. We’ll discuss a little bit further concerning that in the following segment. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Saint Helens home. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when assessing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it’s not always the best choice. There are several other factors that you should weigh when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the cosmetology schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let’s talk a little bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of training programs are available.

What is Cosmetology

Saint Helens OR makeup ar4tist applying makeup Cosmetology is an occupation that is everything about making the human anatomy look more beautiful through the application of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that a number of cosmetology schools are described as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but really a cosmetic may 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 type of specialized training and then become licensed. Once you are licensed, the work settings include not only Saint Helens OR beauty salons and barber shops, but also such venues as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have acquired experience and a client base, establish their own shops or salons. Others will start seeing customers either in their own residences or will go to the client’s home, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many names and are employed in a wide range of specialties including:

Hairdressers
Hairstylists
Beauticians
Barbers
Manicurists
Nail Technicians
Makeup Artists
Hair Coloring Specialists
Estheticians
Electrolysis Technicians

As previously mentioned, in most states practicing cosmetologists have to be licensed. In certain states there is an exception. Only those performing more skilled services, for instance hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, which include shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.

Cosmetologist Degrees

Saint Helens OR hairdresser cutting hair There are essentially two avenues available to receive cosmetology training and a credential after completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) program, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs generally require 12 to 18 months to finish, while an Associate’s degree usually takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in each of the major areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are offered if you prefer to concentrate on just one area, for instance hair coloring. A degree program will also likely include management and marketing training so that graduates are better prepared to run a parlor or other Saint Helens OR business. Higher degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such areas as salon or spa management. Whichever type of program you decide on, it’s imperative to make certain that it’s approved by the Oregon Board of Cosmetology. Many states only approve schools that are accredited by certain respected agencies, such as the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will cover the advantages of accreditation for the school you select in the next section.

Online Cosmetology Classes

student attending cosmetology school online in Saint Helens OR Online cosmetology classes are advantageous for Saint Helens OR students who are employed full-time and have family commitments that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of online cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed through a desktop computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional beauty schools are typically fast paced since many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a considerable portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not spending numerous hours outside of your home or commuting back and forth from classes. However, it’s imperative that the training program you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So don’t forget if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Beauty Schools

Questions to ask Saint Helens OR beauty schools Below is a list of questions that you will want to investigate for any cosmetologist training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Saint Helens OR home, in addition to the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have put together several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.

Is the Program Accredited? It’s necessary to make sure that the cosmetology college you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable in 97051 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Saint Helens OR employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation? Each cosmetologist school that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Saint Helens OR salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not considered. And last, check with the Oregon school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus? A number of cosmetology schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you choose a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your ambition is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your desire is to launch a hair salon in Saint Helens OR, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Choosing a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Practicing and perfecting cosmetology techniques and abilities requires lots of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty school offers limited or no scheduled live training, but rather depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for other schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from a cosmetology academy, it’s imperative that she or he receives assistance in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help develope relationships with Saint Helens OR employers that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Assistance Offered? Many beauty schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and learn 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 available to students also. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not eliminate it as an alternative before you find out what financial assistance may be provided.

Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Saint Helens OR?

If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Saint Helens OR area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.

Mount St. Helens

Mount St. Helens or Louwala-Clough (known as Lawetlat'la to the indigenous Cowlitz people, and Loowit to the Klickitat) is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Portland, Oregon and 96 miles (154 km) south of Seattle, Washington. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a friend of explorer George Vancouver who made a survey of the area in the late 18th century.[1] The volcano is located in the Cascade Range and is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, a segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire that includes over 160 active volcanoes. This volcano is well known for its ash explosions and pyroclastic flows.

Mount St. Helens is most notorious for its major 1980 eruption, the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States.[2] Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed. A massive debris avalanche triggered by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale caused an eruption[3] that reduced the elevation of the mountain's summit from 9,677 ft (2,950 m) to 8,363 ft (2,549 m), leaving a 1 mile (1.6 km) wide horseshoe-shaped crater.[4] The debris avalanche was up to 0.7 cubic miles (2.9 km3) in volume. The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument was created to preserve the volcano and allow for its aftermath to be scientifically studied.

As with most other volcanoes in the Cascade Range, Mount St. Helens is a large eruptive cone consisting of lava rock interlayered with ash, pumice, and other deposits. The mountain includes layers of basalt and andesite through which several domes of dacite lava have erupted. The largest of the dacite domes formed the previous summit, and off its northern flank sat the smaller Goat Rocks dome. Both were destroyed in the 1980 eruption.

Select the Right Beauty School near Saint Helens OR

Saint Helens OR barber blow drying client's hair Locating and enrolling in the ideal cosmetologist college is essential to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel certain about your decision. Make sure to compile all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the institution and program you decide on are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional cosmetologist in Saint Helens OR.