Dealing with preconceived notions being a nail tech

[Lks]

I'm just a bit mental I think! I do seem to thrive on being busy... I started with doing friend's nails then they spread the word and I have a Facebook page. I put loads of nail and tan pics on my page and most of my work seems to come from there. There's a local online carboot page on fb and if anyone asks for nails or a tan lots of my clients recommend me which is lovely. I am a people person and think I make people feel comfortable which is essential when they're stripping off for a tan. It helps that I use good products that do what they say they do. I also sell Dreamweave mascara and its so good it sells itself. I've sold 130 since March so a good profit for not doing a lot except posting with and without photos on my page.

I haven't heard of Dreamweave mascara but I have definitely made a note of it for when I do have my own salon. Good to know they sell so well! Thanks for the tip!

 

[anonaw]

I did a ba hons degree in costume and since graduating have done some horrible costume and sewing jobs so in the end gave it up and decided to train in my hobby of nails, and I tell you something I'm much happier now than I have ever been doing my costume jobs and it does pay a lot better! If you have the clientele obviously but the maximum I was getting paid in costume was £10 an hour and would never get better even though I was sewing everything from scratch, whereas now I can make more than £20 in an hour. And I enjoy it. Once you know what your doing you can sit and chat away to the client meet new people and have some nice conversations. So I say poo to those people who knock it. They don't know what it's like and actually how every woman goes to someone for hair/beauty or nails and are willing to pay money to feel and look better.

 

[Solsken]

People need to keep a lot of things in mind - first... REGARDLESS of what you do - there are going to be those who make you say "how the heck did they ever pass". There are those good and bad in every profession.

I think the US DOES push to make sure people pass the boards for licensing, and again, this is true regardless of the dicipline.

The final piece is this. School isn't real world experience. I learned more my first 6mo out of school then I ever learned in school... and again, It doesn't matter if I mean for pharmacy or nails.

I'm fascinated by the entire industry of nails and beauty - i think a huge chunk of that is that my first degree was in Math and Chemistry before I went on to Pharmacy...
I wish i stayed in chemistry and went onto beauty industry in the same way Doug Schoon did. I think I would have been on a more fulfilling path a long time ago... but that's not how it worked out for me, and that's ok.

Back to the original thoughts - Who cares what preconceived ideas people have? It is our job to then educate and turn them around to understand what we do and know.

If they cite those that are 'low level' techs - then you say, well that's why 1. they are cheap and 2. when you ask questions their head cocks to the side and they don't understand.

If people pick a nail tech based on the coupon mailers and $$ posted on the door before they come in... or they have a bad nail tech work on them (Again, this is what you get for a $10 mani and $20 full set acrylics...) then just smile and educate them. There is a reason those techs are done in 20m for a mani and under an hour for any and all services. You don't get full service - which includes the knowledge in our heads!

 

[Lks]

People need to keep a lot of things in mind - first... REGARDLESS of what you do - there are going to be those who make you say "how the heck did they ever pass". There are those good and bad in every profession.

I think the US DOES push to make sure people pass the boards for licensing, and again, this is true regardless of the dicipline.

The final piece is this. School isn't real world experience. I learned more my first 6mo out of school then I ever learned in school... and again, It doesn't matter if I mean for pharmacy or nails.

I'm fascinated by the entire industry of nails and beauty - i think a huge chunk of that is that my first degree was in Math and Chemistry before I went on to Pharmacy...
I wish i stayed in chemistry and went onto beauty industry in the same way Doug Schoon did. I think I would have been on a more fulfilling path a long time ago... but that's not how it worked out for me, and that's ok.

Back to the original thoughts - Who cares what preconceived ideas people have? It is our job to then educate and turn them around to understand what we do and know.

If they cite those that are 'low level' techs - then you say, well that's why 1. they are cheap and 2. when you ask questions their head cocks to the side and they don't understand.

If people pick a nail tech based on the coupon mailers and $$ posted on the door before they come in... or they have a bad nail tech work on them (Again, this is what you get for a $10 mani and $20 full set acrylics...) then just smile and educate them. There is a reason those techs are done in 20m for a mani and under an hour for any and all services. You don't get full service - which includes the knowledge in our heads!

I love your last two sentences...how true! And as you said, in every profession there will always be those who make you wonder how they were ever able to pass or do what they do.

I was talking to my husband and we both agreed that people perceive doing nails as easy because other people make it look easy and because they just don't know...they haven't done it themselves and don't have a grasp of what skills you need. Looking from the outside almost any profession can seem simple when you don't know the intricacies. Teaching? How hard can it be right? You're done at 3 and you get your summers off (facepalm); being a car dealer, being a plumber, even being a nascar race driver (I mean you just drive in a circle 200 times right?) :smack:

I think the world would be a much better place if we were all a little more humble and a lot less judgmental.