When you’re starting to look into opportunities for a beauty career, you might not consider an esthetician program as much as a cosmetology program. For many, an esthetician education simply seems less marketable than a cosmetology education and, therefore, less of a good idea.

However, this really couldn’t be further from the truth. An esthetician can have just as many jobs in and around the world of cosmetology. While their education may differ slightly, their wealth of opportunities as beauty professionals are very similar. Here are a few skin care specialist jobs you might be able to take on with an esthetics license, so you can understand how beneficial this career can be for you.

1. Makeup artist

Makeup artistry is one of the more common careers that an esthetician may transition into. An esthetics education teaches you about color theory and methods of applying makeup to the skin, including using makeup to cover skin conditions. Makeup artistry is part of the education for most estheticians, so it will likely be a very easy move from general esthetics to makeup artistry.

2. Brand representative

A brand representative may be the perfect job opportunity if you are especially interested in brands. As an esthetician, you will be a skin care professional with the experience and knowledge of brand products necessary to sell a product to someone while also being truthful about what it does and how. Brand representatives are the people who bridge the gap between a company and a professional client. With an esthetics background, you can work with makeup artists, salon workers, and other pros interested in a specific product.

3. Makeup salesperson

Makeup salespeople are the individuals who sell makeup directly to the end consumer. A brand representative talks to a professional who would be using that product on a client. A makeup salesperson talks directly to the client, who would be using that product on themselves. You may work freelance or at a direct makeup sales location, like Ulta or Sephora. When you sell makeup directly to customers, you may make a salary, a commission, or any mix of the two, making it a completely viable source of revenue as a full-time income.

4. Beauty writer

With an esthetics background, you’ll have the knowledge and experience necessary to explain various makeup information to a broad reader base. Both online websites and in-print magazines will always have a demand for beauty writing. Whether you’re writing for beauty magazines, general women’s and teen’s magazines, or even a celebrity magazine breaking down the stars’ looks, an esthetics background can be incredibly helpful. You may also use information about different skin types to provide many options for readers in this career path. With your knowledge of beauty processes, you can work as a beauty blogger, an in-print copywriter, or anything in between.

5. Brand trainer

You might meet with a brand trainer if you’ve just signed on to be a brand ambassador. They have in-depth knowledge of all the products available through a specific brand, and they may also give the ambassador information about the “voice” of the brand, specific types of wording they should use when discussing products, and other preferences a brand may have. Your esthetics background should prime you to explain these topics, and it can also help you get a brand ambassador position, which may be a required previous position to become a brand trainer.

6. Beauty educator

Beauty educators help train future estheticians at esthetics schools. When you go through esthetics training, you’re learning from an educator. If you want to become that person, whether after you’ve already gone through a full career or as your primary career, you can go through educator training to learn how to break these concepts down and help your students get an esthetician license. This also opens the door for you to do more in studying beauty, as continuing education is important for educators to prepare newcomers for their licensing exams.

7. Hotel or cruise esthetician

Hotels and cruise ships are often considered the most desirable places to work as a licensed esthetician. Hotels and cruise ships are high-traffic work locations, bringing in a steady flow of new customers. The customers who come out of these locations also tend to have more disposable income, and you’ll be more likely to do high-dollar treatments like body treatments, luxury spa services, hair removal services, and other specialty skin treatments, which can help you earn more money when you work in these locations.

8. Salon or spa manager

As an esthetician, you may be thinking primarily about how you can work in a salon or spa and offer skincare services and client consultations. But you may not know you can manage others doing the same thing. Both cosmetology and esthetics programs can prepare someone for becoming a spa owner, especially once you’ve worked in a salon or spa for a period of time. You also get to choose the variety of services available when you own a spa, which can open the door for anything from beauty consultations to makeup applications to laser hair removal.

Final thoughts

Cosmetology and esthetics have individual niches, but neither is more restrictive than the other. They both provide several different opportunities for individuals interested in the beauty industry, and it’s more up to you what options you want to pursue in cosmetology school versus esthetics school.

However, the one important thing before you start looking into any of these careers is that you’ll need to go through an esthetics program at a beauty school and get your esthetician license. Get in touch with an Ogle School team member today to learn more about whether or not the esthetician career path is the right choice for you.