How to Choose a Cosmetology School near Homer City Pennsylvania
Since you have made a decision to become a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Homer City PA, the task starts to locate and enroll in the ideal school. It’s essential that the program you choose not only furnishes the proper instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you may be rather unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. We’ll speak a bit more regarding that in the next section. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Homer City residence. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when evaluating potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it’s not always the best choice. There are a number of other qualifications that you should weigh when comparing 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 kinds of training programs are available.
What is Cosmetology
Cosmetology is an occupation that is all about making the human body look more beautiful with the application of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that a number of cosmetology schools are referred to as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the term cosmetics, but actually a cosmetic may be anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, almost all states mandate that you undergo some kind of specialized training and then become licensed. Once you are licensed, the work settings include not only Homer City PA beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have acquired experience and a customer base, open their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing customers either in their own homes or will travel to the client’s house, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many titles 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 already stated, in the majority of states working 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 working in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.
Cosmetology Degrees and Certificates
There are primarily two pathways available to receive 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 ordinarily takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in each of the main areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are available if you prefer to concentrate on just one area, such as hair coloring. A degree program will also most likely include management and marketing training so that graduates are better prepared to run a parlor or other Homer City PA 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 course you go with, it’s imperative to make certain that it’s certified by the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology. Many states only recognize schools that are accredited by certain respected agencies, such as the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will cover the benefits of accreditation for the school you decide on in the upcoming section.
Online Beauty Classes
Online beauty programs are advantageous for Homer City PA students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are typically fast paced given that many courses are as short as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you’re not devoting numerous hours away from your home or travelling to and from classes. On the other hand, it’s important that the program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it’s difficult to gain the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.
Questions to Ask Cosmetologist Training Courses
Below is a series of questions that you should look into for any cosmetologist training program you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Homer City PA residence, in addition to the price of tuition, will probably be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably 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 should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have collected several of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final decision.
Is the School Accredited? It’s important to make certain that the cosmetology college you pick is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for getting student loans or financial aid, which often are not available in 15748 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Homer City PA employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Each cosmetologist school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews along with the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Homer City PA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to propose others that you had not looked into. And last, check with the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances filed 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 specific specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you select a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your objective is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your dream is to launch a hair salon in Homer City PA, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.
Is Plenty of Live Training Provided? Learning and perfecting cosmetology skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty program furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best option for developing your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that provide this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from a beauty program, it’s crucial that he or she gets assistance in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish aid develope relationships with Homer City PA businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Offered? Many beauty schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students too. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not omit it as an alternative before you find out what financial assistance may be provided.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Homer City PA?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Homer City PA area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
Homer City, Pennsylvania
Homer City is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,707 at the 2010 census. Homer City is located in the Indiana metro area. The community was named for the famous Greek poet Homer by founder William Wilson in 1854. It was incorporated as a borough in 1872.
The two treaties of Fort Stanwix (of 1768 and, after American independence, of 1784) secured the westward expansion of Pennsylvania into the region where the Borough of Homer City is now located, on land inhabited by the six Indian nations. With white settlement these new territories were initially organized as part of existing counties in eastern and central Pennsylvania. White settlers were few in the eighteenth century and encountering Indians still very much a part of daily life. Any degree of stability and safety came only after the Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794). Indiana County was carved out of Westmoreland and Lycoming counties in 1803 and divided into three townships: Wheatfield, Armstrong, and Mahoning. The confluence of Two Lick and Yellow creeks (present-day Homer City) was a contender for the seat of government for the new county, but instead the "extraordinary overtures" of George Clymer, a local landowners and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, saw the county seat situated instead in what would become the Borough of Indiana. Center Township - the unincorporated area surrounding present-day Homer City - was created from a portion of Armstrong Township in 1807, its landscape dotted with larger and smaller family homesteads (farms) and an increasing number of mills and trading posts.
Parts of Center Township were settled early on by Scots-Irish Presbyterians as in other parts of Indiana County, but Methodist families of English and Welsh descent came to dominate the Homer City area, and they remained prominent in its civic and commercial life well into the twentieth century. William Wilson laid out the village of Homer in 1854 naming it after the Classical Greek poet. For several years, however, its post office was designated Phillips Mill (or Mills on some maps), a name derived from that of early settler Armour Phillips, Sr. When the village became a borough in 1872 - with the consolidation and annexation of neighboring parcels - more and more it was referred to as Homer City.
Pick the Right Cosmetologist School near Homer City PA
Finding and enrolling in the right cosmetology program is essential to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel positive about your decision. Make certain to compile all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the academy and program you pick are accredited and have excellent reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional cosmetologist in Homer City PA.
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