Esthetic Endeavors | by Judith Culp
May 2009
Esthetic Endeavors | by Judith Culp
For estheticians there are many career opportunities beyond doing facials or waxing in a treatment room but many technicians never think to look beyond their local salon.
A treatment room is our comfort zone and sometimes we need a ladder to climb out of our comfortable rut and explore the bigger horizon beyond. Right now, in economic tight times, may be the perfect time to do this.
Sometimes our personal background leads us to natural career options. One colleague I know came into the industry from a nursing career. She wanted to deal with well people and see some positives instead of illness.
After running a successful day spa for a number of years, she went into retirement only to be lured out by a great offer to manage a spa. With her background, she was a natural to head a holistic spa or medi-spa.
One graduate is showing great adaptability and diversity to thrive in a time when many estheticians are finding the going tough. She had worked in the retail sector for several years before becoming an esthetician. Now she is regularly called on a “for hire” basis and commands a higher wage to work as a makeup artist for them.
In addition to doing esthetics in an upscale clinic part-time, she used a previously earned CNA to secure a position in a local medical clinic. That clinic is now considering adding medi-spa services that she is perfectly trained to head for them. She is already a known entity to them and her career options are headed upwards.
Some graduates have a mind set they never want to be in the commercial retail market. Others know how hard it can be to work on commission or get by with limited benefits commonly available from small privately-owned businesses.
Working for a major cosmetic corporation does have its “rules” that have to be followed, but they also have many upward possibilities, good benefits and a clearly defined hourly income. More and more department stores are recognizing the benefits an esthetician can bring to their line via services, superior knowledge base and skills.
While you may start as a counter sales person, those with the right attitude and spirit can move into offering services, or moving into management and beyond. They may become an educator or a buyer and move from local to regional to national.
Another colleague has used her years of experience and knowledge to secure an excellent teaching position that allows her to continue her income despite arthritis making it impossible for her to daily treatment room work.
Some technicians don’t care equally for all the skills they learn in school. Some don’t like waxing, others may not care for makeup. I know one who fell into this latter group but when the opportunity presented itself, she converted her skills into a significant revenue source for 20 years as a makeup artist. She was a woman with an open mind for possibilities and took advantage of them.
Recently I met a young woman who after graduating from an advanced esthetics training program set her sites on becoming a regional manager for a leading professional esthetics line. She managed to get a job as a local sales representative. Ten years later, she achieved her original goal and is now a regional manager.
Many manufacturers’ representatives have the opportunity to travel nationally or even internationally teaching and lecturing at skincare trade shows. If you like to travel and have a passion for sharing this could be a great opportunity for you.
These few examples show we need to think beyond some of our personal preferences and be prepared to capitalize on our strengths and knowledge. If we are also prepared to step beyond our comfort zone more and learn new skills more opportunities can open up.
If you have a multiple license (skin, nails, massage) you could travel the world and be paid to do it. Cruise lines want technicians that can take care of multiple aspects of their traveler’s needs. While you may be able to get on with fewer licenses, this is their ideal as they can really keep the technician busy. You would need to have at least a dual license to get on with most firms. Your reward will be making friends from across the globe and travel while you earn an income.
With the advent of hi-def cameras and their expanded use in television as well as film, more makeup artists and skin care professionals are going to be needed to make sure that makeup looks great to these very revealing cameras. Every skin flaw will show so facial treatments may be a requirement.
In talking with a local media person there is a lot of stuff that standard cameras don’t pick up including a coffee smudge on the anchor person’s lapel or a scratch or mar on the “set”. Hi-def won’t be so forgiving. On-air people are going to need to keep their skin looking fabulous and have the right makeup to work with the cameras. Classical pancake makeup just won’t do the job. Those technicians that have learned to use air-brush makeup technology, have good “skin maintenance” skills and are located where broadcasts/ filming are being done are going to have great new opportunities.
Some estheticians need to just work part-time due to family commitments. Don’t overlook your local Costco or other retail store. They pay well and you can share your knowledge about skin care products with consumers. If you want part-time and a good hourly wage it is certainly an option.
As the field of esthetics continues to evolve and grow there will be even more career opportunities available. As the level of education edges up, there will be a need for estheticians with advanced training (like those who are NCEA certified) to get positions teaching. Commercial lines like MAC, Estee Lauder, and Lancome are giving a higher priority to licensed estheticians when positions are available.
Medi-spas will give priority to estheticians who have taken their knowledge base beyond the fundamental level. The more we keep learning and expanding our knowledge diversity the more opportunities will be open to us. We just have to be open to change, diversity and taking more training. This is the perfect time to look for something new to learn and do it. Expanded knowledge will make us more valuable to someone.