Whether you have wild dreams of becoming a makeup stylist to the stars or you’re just interested in working in a spa, you’ll need to get your certification from beauty school to become a successful cosmetologist. Although it is a trade school and distinctly different from many regular college programs, beauty school can be difficult, and you must be ready for it.

Your journey toward being a cosmetologist can be a bit daunting if you’re not ready for it. Here’s a checklist that we’ve put together to help you decide if you’re ready for beauty school.

1. Do you have a real passion for hair and beauty?

You need more than just an interest in cosmetology to succeed in beauty school. If you’re interested in attending beauty school, you must have a real passion for the industry and are excited to do it every day as a career.

2. Do you have dedication and drive?

Motivation is an important part of succeeding in the beauty field. You’re always going to be learning, and it’s always important to keep that in mind as you work your way through. If you’re not willing to dedicate yourself to the process and give it your all, you may struggle more.

3. Do you work well with people?

You’ll work with people all through beauty school and the rest of your career. You’ll be training with real clients, which means you need to be sociable and maintain a friendly manner while working with them. Not only is it important that you enjoy meeting new people, but it’s also important that you know how to make someone comfortable one-on-one, whether that means chatting up a storm or staying comfortably quiet.

4. Do you keep up to date with hair and beauty trends?

Fashion designers, makeup artists, and cosmetologists are the same in that they’re always pursuing new trends and styles. Not only will you need to keep up with the newest styles in the cosmetology field, but you’ll also need to learn how to master something new every time it comes around. If you’re already invested in these trends, you might be in a better position for beauty school.

5. Do you enjoy hands-on learning?

As you learn in beauty school, you’ll start working with real clients very early on. You must be confident enough not only to go in and help real clients but also to ask for help from your instructors when you need it. Hands-on learning is one of the best ways to learn overall, and beauty school will test that process for you.

6. Can you give impartial advice to clients and think on your feet?

If a client comes in wanting a specific style and you don’t think it will work very well, you need to tactfully let them know this and come up with a creative solution that you think will still make them happy. That means you need strong, creative skills, but you also need to know how to handle breaking potentially bad news.

If you answered yes to all or most of these questions, we think you’re ready for beauty school. You can discuss your options with the team at Ogle School today. There are no limitations on who should go to beauty school, only the requirement that you love what you do and want to do it with more and more people.