Career advice

[TrueBlueAngel]

Hi, I'm new here and looking for some career advice. I'm 43 and currently working as a nurse and confess that this is no longer a career choice for me. I am interested in nails and a career in this. I currently have my nails done and am a huge fan of shellac. I've looked at my local college website and they have a part-time manicure course starting in October, which sounds like a good starting point, running for 15 weeks. Then there is an acrylic nails course that I'd be interested in and, of course, I'd like to do shellac.
My questions are for you all, is are these the right courses to start with? Where can I learn and train in shellac? And from a financial point of view, is the income good? I'd expect the income to not be as good as in my current job, but I'm sure I'd be a lot happier in myself. And finally, at 43, am I too old?
I really hope you can help answer any of my questions. I'm actually quite excited at the thought of a career change in something I'm surprisingly interested in.
Thankyou.

 

[izzidoll]

Welcome to Salon Geek !

Let's get the age thing out of the way first......it doesn't matter! There that's it :biggrin:

If you want to train in and offer a service like Shellac then you need a manicure qualification, therefore your plan of action of going to College for a manicure course sounds good.
Once you have that qualification you can contact Sweet Squared who are the distributors off all things CND including Shellac. They have Educators all over the UK running courses, so hopefully there will be one near to you. Check out Sweet Squared website for their locations, and information On Courses.
With a Shellac qualification under your belt (and Insurance cover) you can start working on the public and start to recoup your investment.

Just a couple of years ago I would have said training in enhancements was crucial to running a nail business, but with the advent of power polish like Shellac and all of the soak off gel polishes out there it is now possible to build a business solely with them promoting natural nail care.
That said I would still advise you go on and do some form of enhancement training as it will come in handy, and if you are a creative person it will be more interesting and enjoyable for you to do, and of course great for any Shellac clients who break a nail

Making a living is perfectly possible, but will take time.
There are so many factors to take into account, location etc and will you be mobile or salon based. There are loads of helpful threads in the Biz Geek forum on marketing your business though.

 

[TrueBlueAngel]

Thankyou . I have already downloaded, completed and posted the application form to the college. Fingers crossed I get in .

Do you know if Sweet Squared do a course in the West Dorset area? I'd like to keep my options open and know what's out there. Also, can I do a Shellac course before or during my manicure course or must I wait until I have completed my course first?

 

[TrueBlueAngel]

Just to update on my thoughts on training and turning it all into a business, though please bare in mind, I'm a novice . I spoke to the local college and have a careers appointment tomorrow and have said what my thoughts are of the manicure course. Also asked for some business advice from my hairdresser and she has offered me a spot in her salon once I'm qualified and to help get me established. I'm not sure it would be successful full-time with her so I would think about going mobile too. My only concern is the financial side. I'm prepared for a drop in income but am worried about a lack of income altogether. Also as I don't have a business head for finances, I'll have to get advice there too. If I'm going to go through with this, I need to get it right.

 

[tjmadmum]

Hiya
Just wanted to comment on the age thing. I went back to college 2 years ago to get my Level 2 and 3 Beauty Therapy. Have also gone on to do other courses. I have only just qualified back in May and still learning the ropes but I am so glad I did it and I am 44! So go for it, age really doesn't make any difference. It will take time to build up your business as I am just finding out but I love what I do. Good luck! x

 

[TrueBlueAngel]

I'm gutted. I've just been to my local college to enrol for the manicure level 2 course, but as there is little interest, it is unlikely to go ahead
Any advice what I could do now? I was so looking forward to starting something new that really interested me.

 

[FlawlessBeauty]

There is no such thing as too old when it comes to hair, nails and beauty

I would recommend looking on the sweet squared site at their courses. They have a fantastic reputation and although it can look a little pricier that some other courses, it is actually a much better deal because everything is of the highest quality whereas a lot of courses use cheap tat, lol.

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