To assist or not to assist?

To assist or not to assist?

That’s a popular question I hear from students and new graduates. I think a lot of it has to do with where you are located. In some states it’s popular. In others, not so much.

Where I’m from assisting is very popular and the norm when you graduate cosmetology school. We are not a booth rental state, and because of that stylists are employees unless they want to be a salon owner or own a suite.

From my experience, I felt like I had no choice other than to assist. When I graduated from school I felt lost and confused. I got a great education but I wasn't prepared to work on real clients. Cosmetology school prepares you for state boards and sanitation. You learn the real stuff out in the wild when you start working.

I learned very quickly that school is way different than reality and clients don’t flock to the salon to see you.

Assisting is a great way to learn the ins and outs of the industry. I loved it!

You’ll most likely wear every hat in the salon meaning you’ll have a lot of different job titles. This prepared me for salon ownership. When I was first starting out, I did everything! I’m not gonna lie, I hated it more often than not while I was in it, but when I look back I realized that it was helpful and I actually enjoyed it.

You name it, I did it. Without those tedious jobs that I didn't want to do, I don’t think I would’ve been prepared for salon ownership. These jobs taught me, how to clean the salon properly and what to look for in order for it to be up to standards for clients, how to do inventory, how to answer the phone, customer service, marketing, how to give a proper shampoo, color theory, cutting theory, and more!

If you go the route of not being an assistant I would highly recommend finding a mentor or a salon business coach to help guide you as you go. This business can be pretty tough and I don’t feel like school prepares you for the hard times. Your first year is always the hardest, you’re going to have a lot of learning curves and unexpected things happening.

The pros of being an assistant:

• You get paid for being there

• You learn while you work

• You’ll get guidance and hands-on education

• You’ll learn more ins and outs of the industry even if you hate it while you’re in it, it’ll pay off in the long run

• The salon typically gives you clients from their overflow so you can start to build your experience

• The salon will do the marketing and provide your products

The cons to being an assistant:

• The pay is not usually great. No startup jobs are.

• You’ll most likely work a lot of hours/days and potentially have no control over your schedule

• You’ll start to get body pain you may not have experienced before. For me, it was feet, neck, and back.

• You’ll probably cry a lot ( I know I did! Haha)

• You most likely won’t get to pick and choose what services you offer

• You typically don't get to choose what products you use

The pros to being a stylist right after school (not assisting):

• You’re in control of your schedule

• You get to choose your prices

• You will most likely be choosing who you want to service

• You get to choose what color and products you use

The cons to being a stylist right after school (not assisting):

• It will be expensive. There are a lot of start-up costs whether you are booth renting, or renting a suite/commercial property

• You’ll have to pay your bills whether you have clients or not and are on vacation or not

• It can be a learning curve with customer service such as dealing with unhappy clients

• You have to be self-motivating and self-sufficient to keep yourself accountable and growing

• If you don’t have clients you don’t make money

• You take care of everything such as towels, cleaning, inventory, customer care, marketing, etc.

I love our industry because there are so many different routes and paths for all of us!

I chose the assisting route because that was all I knew and I’m so glad I did. I assisted and trained for a while before I was comfortable being a full-time stylist. I honestly loved it so much I might even do it when I retire! I worked at an amazing and supportive salon that taught me everything I needed to know. I worked there as an assistant and stylist for close to 10 years. When the time felt right for me to open my own salon they were loving and supportive.

There is no right answer to what you should do after school. Try different opportunities and experiment!

Tell me in the comments below what path you have chosen or are thinking about choosing.