Our Graduates
Jody
Graduated 1995
What made you decide on a career in Hairstyling / Barbering?
I wanted to do something “hands-on” where I would be around people. I always took a lot of art classes in high school and I liked interacting with people. Considering that I was not a book person and four years of college studying definitely did not appeal to me, I looked for something else to use my talents. Hairstyling was the right choice.
Where did you work after graduating from The American College of Hairstyling?
I started at City Looks Salon. I was there for eleven months and then went to another salon, Looks, for two and a half years. While I was there, I met several other women who were interested in working for themselves. We didn’t want to “share” anymore, so we opened our own shop! we now have eight hairstylists and one nail technician. it took about eight months to a year, after i graduated from hairstyling school, before I felt comfortable with my earnings.
Why did you choose The American College of Hairstyling?
Three reasons:
- First, the school gives a lot of hands-on experience. I was not practicing on mannequins all day.
- Second, the individual attention. I was not in class with fifty girls working on one mannequin head.
- Third, it was self-paced. I was doing perms and colors in three months after I started, where it normally took other students five months.
I just wanted to do hair. I didn’t want to do make-up and esthetics and all that. I just wanted to do hair, period.
Rick
Graduated 1988
What made you decide on a career in Hairstyling / Barbering?
My own barber suggested that I look into it. I’d been thinking about doing something different for several years.
What were you doing before you entered The American College of Hairstyling?
I was working for Fawn Engineering in Des Moines, in the factory.
Where did you work after graduating from The American College of Hairstyling?
After graduation, I went to work for a shop on 42nd street, called Productions. It’s no longer there. I wasn’t making as much money as I expected, so after a year, I came across the street to The Roosevelt Barber Shop. It wasn’t until I made the move that I started to get comfortable with the pay I was earning.
How many hours a week do you work now?
I work about 50 hours a week.
What advice would you give new students to The American College of Hairstyling?
Work hard. They need barbers out there. They really do
Di
Graduated 1998
What made you decide on a career in Hairstyling / Barbering?
Becoming a hairstylist had been a childhood dream since I was the age of five. I don’t know what first got me interested, but it was definitely a life goal.
What were you doing before you entered The American College of Hairstyling?
Before I started studying hairstyling, I went to college for a year at Northwest Missouri State University. My parents had urged me to attend the university for at least a year before following my dream of pursuing hairstyling. I kind of took an unusual path towards my goal, though. I actually have a cosmetology license and a barber’s license. I’m proud of the barber’s license. I had gone through cosmetology school in Missouri and earned my diploma before returning home to Iowa. However, the laws in Iowa required more hours of study than Missouri and I felt that I only had enough experience to “get by”, but not enough to really cut hair. I wanted to be proficient. So, I enrolled at The American College of Hairstyling, where I knew they start you right off cutting hair.
Where did you work after graduating from The American College of Hairstyling?
Great Clips on East Euclid Avenue, in Des Moines. I was there for one year, then transferred to the shop in Ames. After a year in Ames, I went to my current salon, where I could do everything (haircuts, perms, nails, colors).
What would you tell other people who are considering a barber’s license?
At least one out of every ten women in a salon has a barber’s license. I learned a lot more about cutting hair. Everything that I learned in Missouri, over a year at cosmetology school, I learned in six months at barber school: cut, style, rat, tease, foil, perm, color, shave and clipper cuts, you name it. And, knowing how to do clipper cuts saved my business because a majority of my clients are men. You’d be surprised.