What do you do if your daughter wants to drop out of college and go to cosmetology school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know your kid best and school is not necessarily for everyone. I had a classmate in college, super smart, full ride to college on the pre-med route. Figured out that he didn't really want to be a doctor after shadowing a surgeon during his freshman summer and dropped out. Went to LA to join his brother's band, got messed up and went to learn to become a hair stylist. He's now a pretty successful hair stylist and has done work for various celebrities for magazines. He's also into the real estate investment business now. Not saying a college degree is trash, but it's not a requisite to become sucessful.

PP here, what didn't hurt was that he had a super addictive and perfectionist mentality. By no means would he have flunked out out of college. He never coasted and needed to be on his A game. He was stereotypical Type A personality. Hell, he was valedictorian in HS. I think your DD needs to have her mind screwed on straight first to make the jump.

[Anonymous]

I would have her really look at the curriculum involved in Cosmetology school. If she thinks she's just going to walk in and start learning how to cut hair and wax eyebrows on the first day she's mistaken. There is more to it than that. Look at the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you seen what DCUMers pay for hair services? If your daughter is talented she can do really well.

The woman who cuts my hair is a college graduate and seems perfectly happy doing what she’s doing.

My cousin did this.

She is very talented at what she does and have been very successful. She sets her own hours, makes enough money to be the main breadwinner of her family, and any time they need a little extra she just schedules an additional color appointment, blow out or hair extensions.

She works at high end salons in the midwest and has been flown to NYC multiple times to do hair for NY fashion week.

She i
just started having kids and has been able to tailor her hours to work with their schedules. She is a busy as she wants to be and as liesurely as she needs to be.

Her dad wanted her to get a business degree so she could run a salon but she held firm that she only wanted to be a stylist. Smart move. She gets all the creative rewards, flexiblity, plenty of money and none of the stress of running a business.

If she is good enough to be a stylist at a high end salon it is a great life and solid career choice.

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who owns her own salon. She makes BANK. But she did get a 4 year degree, and then went on to get her cosmetology license. She built up a huge roster of clients and worked in a trendy salon. There she teamed up with another talented stylist who also had her own huge roster of clients and then went out on their own. They charge a lot, but they are GOOD. And they only hire the best people, so everyone who goes into their salon comes back.

The downside is that you are signing up to work most weekends. Saturdays will be her busiest day of the week for the rest of her life.

I'd let her do it, but I'd actually suggest she get a business degree first. That way if she wants to be her own boss one day, she has the background.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if she does a business degree first so then she has a backup that is also related to cosmetology as she could start a business or at least be business savvy enough to do well.

She doesn't vwant a business degree. She has always struggled with math so accounting would be a significant hurdle. I just fear dropping out will really narrow her world.

I just posted about my cousin.

Don't make her get a business degree. Support her in getting as much extra training as she can in the types of hair procedures and beauty treatments that women spend buckets of money on.

Things like hair extensions, different highlighting techniques, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My eyebrow girl probably makes $200k a year.

NFW.

[Anonymous]

I think OP is right to have concern and to wish for a degree first. It does matter.

It doesn't seem like cosmetology is this kids dream.

And I'm sure there are tons of hairdressers making bank, but what about when she is 50? Can she support herself until retirement and save well for retirement without eventually owning a salon or marrying someone who can support her.

Insurance, disability? Probably won't be paid if she hurts herself or has a child on maternity leave. Valid concerns we would all have for our child.

I worked in restaurant mgmt for a long time and it is the same with great servers and bartenders. They can make hundreds in a day, but can they do it for 40-50 years? Have to think about the future.

Daughter should get degree, then cosmetology so she has ability to open a business and be successful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is right to have concern and to wish for a degree first. It does matter.

It doesn't seem like cosmetology is this kids dream.

And I'm sure there are tons of hairdressers making bank, but what about when she is 50? Can she support herself until retirement and save well for retirement without eventually owning a salon or marrying someone who can support her.

Insurance, disability? Probably won't be paid if she hurts herself or has a child on maternity leave. Valid concerns we would all have for our child.

I worked in restaurant mgmt for a long time and it is the same with great servers and bartenders. They can make hundreds in a day, but can they do it for 40-50 years? Have to think about the future.

Daughter should get degree, then cosmetology so she has ability to open a business and be successful

What if she wants to be a SAHM? What would you tell her?

[Anonymous]

11:56 again, just to add, I bet OP would be totally cool with her being a SAHM. But OP doesn’t want to tell all her friends at yoga and the book club that Larla is a hairdresser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think OP is right to have concern and to wish for a degree first. It does matter.

It doesn't seem like cosmetology is this kids dream.

And I'm sure there are tons of hairdressers making bank, but what about when she is 50? Can she support herself until retirement and save well for retirement without eventually owning a salon or marrying someone who can support her.

Insurance, disability? Probably won't be paid if she hurts herself or has a child on maternity leave. Valid concerns we would all have for our child.

I worked in restaurant mgmt for a long time and it is the same with great servers and bartenders. They can make hundreds in a day, but can they do it for 40-50 years? Have to think about the future.

Daughter should get degree, then cosmetology so she has ability to open a business and be successful

What if she wants to be a SAHM? What would you tell her?

Not that poster, but education is something you can never take away from someone. It enriches them. It's just as valuable for sahm as it is for anyone else. She is a human being and not just a profession.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She has always gotten so-so grades and not been particularly motivated. We are a very education-oriented family. I know this will make me sound like a snob, but I fear her slipping down in terms of the lifestyle she will eventually have if she goes this route.

With your attitude you should teach her to be a trophy wife.

I must say this doesn't make OP sound education-oriented. Just money-oriented.

[Anonymous]

My hairdresser started a salon I home when she had children. As far as I can tell she makes and keeps $50 -$70 per hour, with zero overhead, no childcare costs and totally flexible hours. She also owns and manages her own investment property. She didn't need business courses to do any of this.

[Anonymous]

She should finish out the year so that if she wants to to back to school she's halfway done.

Would she want to transfer to an art school? That training would align nicely with cosmetology, and it could position her to have "a little something extra" in the way of knowledge and prestige as a stylist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My hairdresser started a salon I home when she had children. As far as I can tell she makes and keeps $50 -$70 per hour, with zero overhead, no childcare costs and totally flexible hours. She also owns and manages her own investment property. She didn't need business courses to do any of this.

How does she have zero overhead?

She has a massive electricity bill I'm guessing, supplies and tools (fancy shampoos, dyes, hair cutting scissors, etc... are not cheap). I get your point, but don't oversimplify it - she has expenses.

[Anonymous]

The dummies responding encouraging this are as bad as the idiots who claim dropping out of college isn't the worst idea while citing Bill Gates and Zuckerberg [genius IQ autistic computer whizzes who dropped out of HARVARD!].

Service industry is full of broken dreams and regrets and substance abuse.