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Thursday, March 14, 2019

How many cosmetologists does the world need?

Not as many as cosmetology schools churn out - and those are just the ones that actually graduate. But isn’t it odd that half of all would-be sugar babies want to go to cosmetology school, are in cosmetology school, or are practicing cosmetologists?

Could it be that cosmetology doesn’t pay well?

Rule #8: Every sugar baby is (or wants to be) a cosmetologist. (Or an artist, which pays even less.)

File this post under 'mentoring'. It's a really important one, and one that you really need to think through and make a difficult decision about.

Ready? Here goes:

In the U.S., the average cosmetologist makes just $29,590 per year (or $14.23 per hour, which isn’t even the minimum wage in some cities). Tips - if you earn any - only add 20% more, tops. That gets us to $17.08 per hour.

How well do you think you can live for $17.08 an hour? Assuming apartment rent is $850 (and a lot more than that for most cities... at least, if you want a decent place where theft, muggings, and murders don’t happen every day), a monthly payment on a cheap car is $250, food is… well, let’s do the math:



Category
Amount
Balance
Monthly income
$2,732
$2,732
Rent
($850)
$1,882
Utilities
($200)
$1,682
Car payment
($250)
$1,432
Gas
($120)
$1,312
Food
($480)
$832
School loan
($280)
$552
Health insurance
($440)
$112
Other expenses
($100)
$12
Entertainment
($12)
$0

How much entertainment can you get with $12 a month? Not much. And throw even one baby or pet in the equation, and you end up in the hole - exactly the problem that going to school was supposed to fix.

The takeaway: Aim higher.

Cosmetology sounds like fun, but cosmetologists/aestheticians tend to be poor because the supply far exceeds the demand.

If you want to make a comfortable living - one that won’t be completely thrown off track by missing a day of work or buying a pair of jeans (that’s right - the budget above doesn’t include one thin dime for clothes) - go to a trade school and become a welder (US$39,260), an electrician (US$51,708), or a dental hygienist (US$67,670).

That's how you get ahead.

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