Considering a Career as an Esthetician?

3 THINGS TO CONSIDER

Being an Esthetician is an exciting and fun career, and it definitely never gets boring because esthetics regularly reinvents itself. This is why licensed Estheticians must make continuing education a priority, even if their state license does not require it. This career involves active products and electrical machines, so it's a place where lack of proper education can harm people and ultimately ruin an Esthetician's career. So taking the proper steps from the very beginning of your esthetics career journey is essential.  

A question I have been asked often throughout my consultant career is: How do I choose an Esthetician licensing program? The answer, of course, is: Research your options very carefully.   

1. Very important...but often missed.

If you are considering a career as an Esthetician and are researching various licensing programs, my advice to you is this: Regardless of how fabulous a school's esthetics curriculum might appear, be sure to consider their "pass rate" for first time Esthetician licensing exam candidates. In other words, find out how many of the Esthetician students sitting for the licensing exam for the first time actually pass the test on their first try? 

Esthetician licensing programs have really only one mandatory responsibility which is to prepare the student to successfully pass the state licensing exam, ideally on their first attempt. Otherwise, the esthetics student will be stuck in school (which can be costly) until they finally pass the exam. So if a licensing program you are considering does not have a high pass rate for first-time exams, that's a red flag.

Be sure to ask about the pass rate of any program you are considering. Or look for an online source that will provide that information. 

2. The license(s) of your state

It's important to familiarize yourself with the official licenses offered in your state. For example, only a handful of states offer a "Master Esthetician" license, and zero states currently offer a "Clinical Esthetician" or "Medical Esthetician" license. However, you may see these categories included in a licensing program's curriculum (which may increase the price). I'm not suggesting the extra training isn't good, just be aware of the high probability that no such license exists.   

In California, our training requirement is 600 hours (which is not enough. That's why I got my NCEA Certification...but that's a story for a future blog). After we have completed the 600 hours training, we are then eligible to sit for the Esthetician licensing exam. Which I did, and which I passed the first time. So that is a success story. However, the school I went to was definitely not the prettiest or even the cleanest. Nor was it the most modern or up-to-date. And none of the teachers were currently working in the real world of esthetics. But in my area, this beauty school's Esthetician licensing program had the best "pass rate" for first-timers which is exactly why I chose it.

3. You have your Esthetician license...now what?

Once I had my Esthetician license, I was then qualified to enroll in a multitude of post-graduate training offered to licensed Estheticians, which I did immediately. This is where you will be exposed to other Estheticians, manufacturers, trade shows, pro products, tools and equipment that goes far beyond what you had access to in your Esthetician training program.   

Just remember that earning your Esthetician license is simply the first step into the real world of esthetics. It is the key that opens the door to the advanced education and hands-on training that awaits you and will shape your esthetics career. 

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