What I Learned in Beauty School: Esthetician

Kali ran an interior design business for six years, but after relocating twice, she started to consider a career in the beauty industry. "I thought I'd enjoy esthetician training," she said. "When I was thinking about beauty school, my mom bought me a facial, and afterward I knew it was what I wanted to do." At the time, Kali was also dealing with adult acne that started when she was twenty nine. "It was like a light bulb went on," she says. "It felt like 'me.' I took the tour of the school and enrolled the next week."

What was the most helpful thing you learned in beauty school?

It was helpful to learn about the culture and taking that outside of the school. The culture in the beauty industry is one of the best things about my job as an esthetician.

How would you describe your beauty school experience?

It was life-changing. After I graduated, I wanted to get out there and work, so I worked in a laser center for several months. Later I came back to the school for teacher training, and now I'm a learning leader for the esthetics program.

What was taught on your first day of beauty school?

On the first day we filled out paperwork and took a tour of the facilities, but I was ready to jump into it. On the second day we were learning skills hands-on, and by the third day we had covered five chapters, tested on a practical, and had learned the signature facial.

What was a challenging lesson that took you more than one try to get? How are you at performing that service now?

When it comes to skin, there are a lot of technicalities. You have to be very knowledgeable about skin types, including which ingredients are right or wrong for each skin type and why those ingredients are good or bad. It just took a decent amount of time to learn the scientific side of it, and now I'm very confident about it.

Kali says it's important to understand that esthetics isn't just about facials. "It's not easy, and it's not just about makeup training," she says. "Estheticians treat skin conditions and help clients with overall relaxation, and that's serious stuff, but it is a fun and rewarding career."