Become a Cosmetologist | Cosmetology Schools Marriottsville MD

How to Find the Right Cosmetologist School near Marriottsville Maryland

nail technicians training at Marriottsville MD beauty school Now that you have made a decision to become a cosmetologist and attend a beauty school near Marriottsville MD, the task starts to find and enroll in the ideal school. It’s imperative that the school you pick not only provides the appropriate training for the specialty you have decided on, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be a little bit puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. We’ll speak a bit more about that in the upcoming segment. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Marriottsville home. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when evaluating possible schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it’s not necessarily the best option. There are several other factors that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the cosmetology schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let’s talk a bit about what cosmetology is, and what types of courses are available.

Definition of Cosmetology

Marriottsville MD makeup ar4tist applying makeup Cosmetology is a profession that is all about making the human body look more attractive with the use of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that a number of cosmetology schools are regarded as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but actually a cosmetic may be almost anything that improves the appearance of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, almost all states require that you take some kind of specialized training and then become licensed. Once you are licensed, the work settings include not only Marriottsville MD beauty salons and barber shops, but also such places as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have gotten experience and a client base, launch their own shops or salons. Others will begin seeing customers either in their own residences or will travel to the client’s house, or both. Cosmetology college graduates have many professional names 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 a few states there is an exception. Only those performing more skilled services, for example hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to get licensed in those states.

Cosmetologist Degrees

Marriottsville MD hairdresser cutting hair There are basically two pathways offered to obtain cosmetology training and a credential after completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) program, or you can pursue an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs normally take 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate’s degree commonly takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in each of the main areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are available if you wish to focus on just one area, for example hair coloring. A degree program will also most likely feature management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to run a salon or other Marriottsville MD business. More advanced degrees are not common, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such areas as salon or spa management. Whichever type of program you choose, it’s essential to make sure that it’s approved by the Maryland Board of Cosmetology. A number of states only approve schools that are accredited by certain respected agencies, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will cover the benefits of accreditation for the school you select in the upcoming segment.

Online Beauty Training

student attending cosmetology school online in Marriottsville MD Online cosmetology classes are convenient for Marriottsville MD students who are employed full-time and have family commitments that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended via a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are often fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you’re not devoting many hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it’s vital that the training program you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s impossible to acquire the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So don’t forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Cosmetologist Trade Schools

Questions to ask Marriottsville MD beauty schools Following is a series of questions that you should investigate for any beauty training program you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Marriottsville MD residence, together with the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have put together some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Program Accredited? It’s essential to make certain that the cosmetology college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable in 21104 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a criteria for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Marriottsville MD employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation? Each cosmetology college that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Check rating services for reviews together with the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Marriottsville MD salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, 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 looked into. And last, check with the Maryland school licensing authority to find out 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 particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s important that you decide on a school that focuses on 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 start a hair salon in Marriottsville MD, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator. Selecting a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Studying and mastering cosmetology techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy provides limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends heavily on using mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for cultivating your skills. So search for other schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance? When a student graduates from a beauty program, it’s essential that he or she gets assistance in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance maintain relationships with Marriottsville MD employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered? Most beauty schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not discard it as an alternative before you find out what financial help may be provided.

Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Marriottsville MD?

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

Howard County, Maryland

Howard County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area. However, recent development in the south of the county has led to some realignment towards the Washington, D.C. media and employment markets. The county is home to Columbia, a major planned community of approximately 100,000 founded by developer James Rouse in 1967.

Howard County is frequently cited for its affluence, quality of life, and excellent schools. With an estimated median household income of $108,844 in 2012, Howard County had the third-highest median household income of any U.S. county in 2013.[3] Many of the most affluent communities in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, such as Clarksville, Dayton, Glenelg, Glenwood, and West Friendship, are located along the Route 32 corridor in Howard County. The main population center of Columbia/Ellicott City was named second among Money magazine's 2010 survey of "America's Best Places to Live."[4]Howard County's schools frequently rank first in Maryland as measured by standardized test scores and graduation rates.[5]

The name of the county honors Colonel John Eager Howard,[7] an officer in the "Maryland Line" of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, commander notably at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina in 1781, among others. He was the fifth governor of Maryland from 1788 to 1791. His home was the mansion "Belvedere", located at the present-day intersection of East Chase and North Calvert streets, north of Baltimore Town in an area also called "Howard's Woods", where Baltimore's Washington Monument was later erected and the neighborhood of Mount Vernon was developed in the 1820s.[8]

Select the Right Cosmetologist Vocational School near Marriottsville MD

Marriottsville MD barber blow drying client's hair Selecting and enrolling in the ideal cosmetology college is important to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel positive about your decision. Make sure to consolidate all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the institution and program you decide on are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions provided in this article, 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 examination, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your career as a professional cosmetologist in Marriottsville MD.