How To Balance Life and Beauty School

Over 130,000 degrees and certificates are awarded each year in beauty services. The beauty industry has a positive economic outlook, with steady global growth, making beauty school one of the most popular career paths.

Attending beauty school offers the benefits of a creative and flexible career path with opportunities for entrepreneurship, hands-on technical training, and a shorter timeline to complete education compared to a 4-year college degree.

One of the greatest challenges that students face when enrolled in beauty school is balancing life and curriculum. Beauty school is designed to prepare students for the industry and a sustainable career.

To promote a successful outcome, most beauty schools implement a strict attendance policy, with a workload that can feel demanding both mentally and physically, to support students in mastering multiple skills. Students must also prepare to pass both state and school-administered exams.

While the responsibilities of beauty school can conflict with personal life, there are strategies you can implement to balance curriculum and life.

Beauty School Requirements

• Complete training hours: Beauty students must complete the required number of hours for their program. These hours can range from 750 to 1,500, depending on the state and the specific course.
• Maintain a minimum GPA: Most programs require students to pass with a minimum of a “C” average (typically 70%).
• Pass final exams: After completing your training, you must pass a state licensing exam, which typically includes both written and practical portions.
• Additional requirements: Each beauty school program is uniquely designed, but most require theoretical and practical instruction in areas, including health and safety, and certain beauty services.

Overall, beauty school is a commitment that, if completed, can lead to a successful career path. Those who attend can expect to complete their training between 9-12 months on a full-time schedule. Those who choose to attend part-time may take anywhere from 18-24 months to complete their training.

Importance of Balancing Life and Beauty school

Before committing to beauty school, it’s essential to have a plan that helps you navigate personal life and beauty school. Ensuring balance while you go through your program is essential for many reasons, including:

Burnout and Stress

Both school and life can become demanding as you try to juggle studies and personal responsibilities. When we lack the ability to manage both areas effectively, this can quickly lead to burnout and stress, leading to mental fatigue and physical exhaustion.

Mental Health

Your mental health is a top priority, which is why it’s integral for students to learn how to balance their school schedule and other life responsibilities. When we have optimal mental health, we are more organized, focused, and improve our well-being.

Fosters Better Professional Skills

Whether you decide to become an entrepreneur or work for a salon, it’s essential to acquire professional skills that will help you excel in your role. One important professional skill is time management.

With that said, learning to manage your time now while enrolled in your program will strengthen this skill and help you set boundaries that will be beneficial later in your professional career.

Ensures academic success

If you’re feeling burned out, stressed, it will be more difficult to ensure academic success in your program. Taking a more balanced approach improves your concentration and motivates you to continue excelling through your program. This is necessary to master the technical and practical skills you’ll learn in your beauty program.

4 Tips to Balance Life and Beauty School

Although the requirements of beauty school can feel extensive, there are several effective strategies to help you manage more successfully. If you’re considering enrolling in a beauty school program, learn how you can commit to your beauty school schedule while still managing other areas of your life with ease.

Create a Detailed Schedule

Balancing life and beauty school starts with effective time management skills. One of the best ways to improve time management is to have a detailed schedule and stick to it. You can use a planner or app to set time for classes and study hours. You also want to include slots for work and personal activities.

When creating your schedule, it’s important to be realistic and leave time between tasks for unexpected events. Creating a detailed schedule gives you a clear idea of what your day, week, and even month will look like.

A detailed schedule also helps you set expectations and is a great way to keep you accountable for what needs to be completed.

Prioritize tasks

Balancing school and life often means that you have a lot of tasks ahead of you. To help you balance, a good strategy is to prioritize your tasks. Here are three common prioritization methods:

• Prioritizing based on level of importance: Prioritize your tasks based on which tasks are most important to complete. Then, allocate the appropriate time to complete it.
• Prioritizing based on the most time-consuming: Some tasks can be time-consuming, for example, studying for a big exam. Consider prioritizing tasks based on which tasks are the most time-consuming, so you won’t feel crunched for time later.
• Prioritizing based on the shortest deadline: If you have upcoming deadlines, consider prioritizing those tasks first to avoid missing the deadline.

Set boundaries

Setting boundaries is essential for successfully powering through your beauty school program, but also for your professional career. Be sure to set clear limits on your academic and personal life. When needed, learn to say “no” so that you don’t end up wearing too many hats and burn out.

Self care

Managing your personal responsibilities and the responsibilities of your program can feel overwhelming. But even when life responsibilities feel like they’re piling up, don’t forget about self-care.

Self-care is a restorative process that will revive you, keep you motivated, and make you feel balanced overall. Self-care looks different for everyone, but here are a few self-care activities you can add to your list:

• Yoga and meditation
• Exercise
• Engage in a hobby
• Plan a special outing
• Spend time with friends, family, or pets

Start Your Beauty Career at the Academy of Hair Design

Do you have a passion for beauty and want to make it a career? At Academy of Hair Design, we have over 50 years of experience teaching future beauty professionals. We provide high-quality instruction to help you develop your skills in cosmetology, esthetics, or nail technology.

If you’re interested in touring the school or learning more about the Academy of Hair Design, contact us today!