Should I go to Cosmetology school?

I went to marinello,save your money (especially if you are going to do hair in southern Cali) I usually do my reasearch but because of marinello's past reputation and my anticipation after under grad...I signed up within a week. Tony and Guy was the same price and I wish I did research and went there. Look into paul mitchell, aveda, and vidal sasson as well or you can also check salons for apprenticeships ...I know the the aveda salon in beverly hills always advertises on craigslist for applicants. There is alot of money to made in the beauty industry in southern Cali and going to the best schools and getting the best education and continued education will open many doors for you. ....assist also (top stylist usually go to the top schools first) if you don't want assist when you graduate..at least assist while in school if your program allows...go to hair shows and go to the classes also go to the classes at cosmoprof and maly's...network network network..In southern Cali it's not about what you know all the time it's about who you know...hence celeb's paying thousands for jacked up hairstyling

I can give you an honest opinion about cheaper schools versus bigger name schools. Yesterday I went to the IHS show here in new jersey and was watching the student competitions. Yo could CLEARLY see the difference in skill from the smaller tech schools and the bigger ones. The small schools were no competition. Their level of skill was mediocre at best. The kids from Tony & Guy were killing them.
Now I volunteered to enter the student weave competition while i was in the audience. I hadn't pre-registered, no model, no tools, no idea! But I wanted to represent Paul Mitchell, so I sucked it up and started thinking of ideas. With the skill i had and the drive, I won first place. So trust me, schools make the difference. The other contestants had weeks to prepare, and obviously couldnt pull it off...
This is a career move, not a job.
I know a guy in NJ who owns two salons and pulls in 6 million a yr in profits.

Take a look at some of the programs offered by the cosmetology institutes in Inglewood (http://www.marinello.com/beauty-schools/southern-california/inglewood.aspx) . Institutes like Marinello are accredited and offer financial aid to those who qualify as well. In fact, I heard that Marinello offers flexible class schedules, so you can continue working (and support your mother) while studying as well. 

Edited by janequinn12 - Jan 31 2013 at 7:45am