TL; DR A rant from a scorned Cosmetologist trying to earn a living in a very unfair world. Everyone wants to make their way, saying “Nobody wants to work” is stupid and a gross exaggeration. That being said, I have a hard time encouraging others to follow trade with the experiences listed below.
Disclaimer: OP is a U.S. resident using her ghost account to remain anonymous. Any names of businesses and individuals have been changed.
Hello, good people of Reddit.
After hearing people say “Nobody Wants to Work” one too many times, I feel the need to rant. What a better way to post anonymously to a super online forum where everyone believes everyone is lying anyways. I can get this crap off my chest and maybe hope that people won't make the same mistake as I did.
Anyways, here's my story:
I'm a recent graduate of Cosmetology school. I started my journey in the summer of 2019, going part-time to support myself and my husband with a day job. I live in a town of 8k people on a good day, so jobs and opportunities are few and far between. This is mostly a location issue, but I have noticed that trade schools are few and far between. In my case, the closest school was an hour away. That school was also the cheapest one at $16,000 for a 1600-hour certification. With splitting my awake hours between working, schooling, and commuting, I couldn't find enough time to devote to scholarships, especially with all the hoops they have you jump through.With our industry being very visual, your portfolio was Instagram-Based, it was a requirement to graduate. Being Night school meant you didn’t get clients unless you brought your own, which meant Doll heads for Instagram. Even when you get through Hell that is school, with board tests and practicals, you aren’t guaranteed to find a job. My school was very much focused on jobs within a 20-mile radius, which didn’t work for me, living 80 miles away.I did get lucky and managed to score an apprenticeship barber program at the nearby military base. The barber title was in name only as both Cosmos and Barbers could work side-by-side. If I wasn’t working in the Receptionist position prior, I could almost guarantee they won’t have accepted me. Looking back, I should have said no, I was promised scholarships from the job (that only applied to full-time workers), a schedule that allowed me to go to trade school (which I had to fight for, multiple times), and a position to Lead Barber within a few years (They removed that option because we were too small). Work difficulties aside, people would actively avoid my chair because I was an apprentice. I know I had a lot to learn at the time, but I just remember the frustration I felt when they saw my tag and avoided me.What’s worse is one of the barbers, Rachell, would actively point out that I’m an apprentice. She claimed it was to support me, but when I asked her to stop and showed her why I didn’t want it mentioned, she flipped out. This was a common occurrence with us, no matter how gently I tried to put it and I was written up as failing to act as a team player.
I gaslit myself for an entire year, saying “I should try to be more sensitive” or “I’m feeling this way because I have school, I’ll feel better when I finish this.” I was on heavy anti-anxiety medications and became very sickly. This being post-Covid shutdown didn’t help, and the attitude of “Don’t come to work sick” was translated to “Go to work sick, unless Positive Covid test that we won’t pay for”. You can’t social distance while cutting hair and I was exposed to so many things. I got Covid three times, the flu twice and any number of other viruses within nine months. Despite having a doctor’s note every time, work threatened to drop me “because I was sick too often.”
I finished school and Rachell quit, and I was feeling better about myself. I had self-care routines and exercised often. I wasn’t commuting over 2 hours daily, and I was finally getting clients in my main shop. I felt confident and like I could take on the world, so I did the stupid thing and applied for a very part-time position as a Cosmetologist at a local parlor.
Big Mistake.
While the shop owners were courteous, my fellow Cosmos were mostly horrendous. Sally was an absolute drama queen and pushed to have her way, and only her way. She was absolutely insane. Once, she dragged the outside hose over, in front of the shop windows, and flooded the owner’s car while he was doing inventory in the back. I don't know why she did that, or even if there was a reason, but she wasn’t fired. Lori (one of the nice ones) and I decided not to bring our lunches inside the shop after that and to keep a close eye on our waters, for fear of poisoning. I can be very vocal about following the rules, so I certainly wasn’t Sally’s friend. However, the biggest blow to me hit later. When Sally’s client insisted Lori color her hair and that she would not, under any circumstance, wear a drape, I knew I smelled trouble. Lori did the absolute best she could with towels, but color bleeds. Lori showed me a neat trick of getting color stains out with hairspray, but it wasn’t enough. She was fired for getting color on the client's clothes. I quit the same day.
Fast forward a few months later, and I’m sick of this. I’m not even 3 years into this industry and I can’t stand it. I’m currently working in the shop that I apprenticed at, working with a very wonderful barber. Ashley has been so wonderful to me, but the clients are driving me insane. We are nothing but servants to them. Earlier this year, I was the only one working (Ashley was sick), and when opening the shop, I got sick. I called the supervisor to get permission to shut down while I wrangled the line of clients. An officer looked down his nose at me when I informed him the shop will be closed, sneered, and said, “Is there a chance we could get another barber in?” I wanted to scream, I was already humiliated by the fact that I had vomit down the front of my clothes and I had to deal with these clients. I told him, calmly, “No, I don’t believe that’s a possibility.” He stomped off like I had insulted his mother.Even leaving this industry is hard. I had done office work in the past and was quite good at it. In order to leave, I’ve started applying for other jobs. I’ve been doing this for three months and hadn’t gotten a job offer yet. If I mention what I’m doing now, the interview goes south. Nobody wants “an airhead hairdresser” to handle important tasks, like file sorting or answering calls. I’ve danced around my current occupation every since my first interviewer asked, “Why do you want to leave the barbershop?”. This guy worked in a different company, but the same base I did. Some of his guys are my regulars. I can just see his smug, bald-headed face, patting himself on the back for “Saving the barbershop.” I’m at the point where I want to say I’m a gold digger, but my man died, so now I have to work, just to get them to stop.
This industry is highly competitive and your co-workers aren’t your friends. Not everyone, but the few that are kind and fair are bullied out of existence.
Everyone thinks you’re a high school dropout with nothing left to offer. They look down at you, every day. There is nothing equal about our positions, and if you quit, they’ll find someone else to sneer at.
Clients want it their way, and want it now! “You need a 15-minute break? Too bad, I’ve been waiting here for 3 minutes and it’s my turn!” “What do you mean, you’re closing? I’m a paying customer!” “I’m leaving, I can’t wait 10 minutes for a 20-minute haircut.” I paraphrased the last one, but I have had clients walk out after 5-10 minutes in a disgruntled huff more times I can count.
You are either paying to be there, or getting paid pennies. Booth rent is a neat idea, but it sucks in the long term. If you’re getting paid commission, hope for hourly plus commission and pray it’s more than minimum wage and 10% of your services. NEVER do hourly versus commission, especially when your hourly is minimum wage. Oh, and I’ve had businesses think I’m stupid enough to accept an underpayment. ALWAYS double check your paycheck.
No matter what state, you worked hard for your license. Remember those anatomy tests? Remember Tricology? Remember all those infectious diseases you can lose your license for? You know so much more than they give you credit for.
Please, if you choose to stay inside this industry, take care of yourself. I'm three years in and practice good posture. I have regular Physical therapy, chiropractor and deep muscle massage visits to manage pain. I used to be PC gamer, I loved it. My wrists and arms hurt so bad it's the last thing I want to do.
Thank you for reading. Really, thank you. Remember to treat others with respect and please, tip your barber, hairdresser, or anyone else that keeps you looking clean.