Welcome. Signing up for a training course is an exciting step. I "dabbled" for years before taking the plunge into professional training and it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done.
I suggest that you look around for brand specific nail salons that you can visit for a mani, so you can watch professionals in action. You'll get a lot of ideas about what makes an enjoyable treatment experience (and what doesn't), and you can ask the nail techs how they find the products.
Read through the forum and look for old threads there's some brilliant resource here, including experienced nail techs giving thoughtful answers about why they changed brand and what they like about some of the new and upcoming brands.
When you are a little more experienced you can go on a couple of one day product courses. This is great way to connect with some experienced nail techs and get some tips and ideas on tools and products. I've been trained in Artistic by a former OPI nail tech and got the low down on both brands. I've also had Cuccio training from a former celebrity nail tech who named dropped like crazy and told us all about working behind the scenes in fashion as well as the Essie brand..
Tools are what suit your hand. I go to 1-3 professional shows every year to look around, get a feel for trends and actually touch and experience new to me products, brands and tools.
When you're new you'll probably feel most comfortable working with wooden orange sticks with the tips wrapped with a whisp of dampened cotton wool. My favourite online shop for absolute basics is salon serve (Uk based).
The move to metal tools feels scary but you'll soon get the hang of them. My favourite all time cuticle tool is an OPI double ended tool. You need a professional certificate to buy this - I don't have an OPI trade account, I buy (in the UK) from Aston and Fincher. They offer 20% off days around the start of the academic year and occasionally at other times.
You'll need to practise French manicure - buy a few products from several brands to see how you get on with the bottles and the brushes. Also look for online blogs for polish reviews. I use these if I'm trying to decide between classic shades, very often you'll get a few "duff" colours in every range.
Keep popping into salon geek. There's a whole community to connect with. I run training courses in henna brows and I often train fellow geeks. We all say how much we value this forum.
Looking forward to hearing more from you as you train. Good luck
