If you are a male model, you may be thinking about your future in this industry. Some models make long careers, spanning decades. Others just do it while they’re young. You likely know which one you are going to be, and there’s no shame in going either direction. Modeling is tough and competitive. Even if you have what it takes, you might not want to go down this path forever. For those of you who love fashion and beauty, but might want to step out of the modeling game, I have some specific recommendations.
Cosmetology school is a great way to become an essential part of other people modeling careers. Lots of them. Because you already understand what fashion is, have developed good taste, have an eye for beauty and interesting looks, you’ll be the perfect candidate for this career move. Cosmetology school is an affordable education you can be passionate about. Unlike expensive universities which may provide only limited returns to a very expensive education, cosmetology school is cheap. That doesn’t mean it’s also not quality.
Marinello Schools of Beauty are an example of cosmetology schools that work with the lives of real people. If you are just leaving a career in modeling (unless you were unusually successful), you probably don’t have a lot of money to spend on an expensive education. You, like so many Americans in different industries, want bang for your buck. You want to know that on the other side of your graduation, there is a specific job with specific compensation available to you. And you don’t want to wait forever.
Cosmetology school is fast. You’ll be in and out in 4 semesters or even less. Your entire degree may end up costing you less than what one of your liberal arts-educated friends paid for a single semester at a university. And you may get paid more on the other side of it! If you are leaving a modeling career behind you, you aren’t old. But you’re not a kid anymore either. You’ve got to make adult decisions about your future, and take practical steps to attain the future you want. If you want to continue in the field of fashion and beauty, this is the kind of decision that will allow you to do that.
Cosmetology school is affordable. I know I talked about this already, but I want to dig a little deeper to explain why. Let’s take Marinello, for example. Marinello has 60 campuses all around the United States. This decentralized alternative to the traditional campus is genius. Rather than having to pay for housing, students are within driving range. Rather than having to build a cafeteria and offer meal plans, students can live and eat at home. It also has a somewhat decentralized approach to teaching, as well. Rather than trying to cram every single bit of necessary knowledge into an overpriced textbook, trade schools like cosmetology school focus on practical (kinesthetic) learning methods. You’ll learn with your hands. You’ll learn by doing. Of course, you can learn this way at home, watching Youtube videos or whatever, but you won’t have the benefit of experienced teachers guiding your learning. They say practice makes perfect, but lots of people will correct that statement as say instead: perfect practice makes perfect.
So if you need out of the modeling industry, but you want to stay in fashion and beauty, cosmetology school may be your best bet. You can learn barbering, hair, nails, makeup, accessorizing, and even segue into design and other related fields. In the end, you may find that this is what you wanted to do all along. All thanks to affordable, practical, traditional trade schools like Marinello.
Images above backstage moments at Corneliani fashion show in Milano, photos by Maud Maillard.
