Qualifications
A bachelor's degree in chattiness, a minor in listening, and a Ph.D. in small business ownership.
Okay, you actually need an associate's degree in cosmetology, completed in roughly nine (full-time) to fifteen (part-time) months from a nearby vocational school. Programs vary by state, but you're looking at an average of 1,600 hours of training. That said, in some states it's as little as 1,000 or as much as 2,300. Get your hours, make it through beauty school, pass your classes in "Application of Artificial Nails" and "Disinfection and Sanitation Practices," and you'll be a licensed cosmetologist...without any clients.
Hello, apprenticeship. One option is to sign away one to three years of your life in exchange for experience and a chance to build that cosmetology résumé. Then turn that apprenticeship into a job, or strike out on your own, license in hand, by renting a booth at a nearby salon.