For many young adults, the art of styling and cutting hair has the potential to be more than just a hobby, as it can be a gateway to many professions in the cosmetology world. Whether someone wants to become a barber, a celebrity hairstylist for TV and film or a high-end salon owner, the journey into the hair industry offers opportunities for creativity and growth.
“Some people don’t get cuts for almost four months because they can’t afford the prices people charge nowadays. So if people like that need help, I can do that,” said sophomore Dylan Lopez, who is actively in the process of receiving his licensure.
Learning the fundamentals of grooming at a young age can teach essential skills in communication, time management and artistic vision, skills that remain useful regardless of one’s career path. However, the transition from an amateur to a professional comes with significant legal requirements. In the state of Georgia, it is illegal to perform hair services for compensation without a license from the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers.
McIntosh does not offer any type of cosmetology classes. One option is enrolling in a barber or beauty academy, such as Southern Crescent Technical College in the Fayette and Coweta County area, where students complete the required 1,500 hours of training before taking written and practical exams.
Atlanta Tech says the supervising barber would track your hours and the amount of hours needed for a Master Barber license as an apprentice in Georgia is 3000 hours.
“Some advice I would give to people that want to get into barber school or get working in a salon is take your time, watch videos, and learn as much as you can before you start picking up the scissors because the more knowledge you have, the better. You may not have the muscle memory to do all the movements and techniques, but you’ll still at least have the knowledge of how to do it,” Lopez said.
