I think the rise of the cheap nails, got worse when gel polish become popular. It is not rocket science to apply, and can be bought anywhere if you wont it. Before then it was mainly nail enhancements and you need some level of skill to apply them and make them last. When shellac first arrived im pretty sure there was not a course available. It was easy to use with simple instructions. Now in my area i see lots of office workers and so on, doing shellac etc just on the side. It means nothing to them just a little extra cash. As it is so easy to apply many of these people do quite well. But then i also see lots of posts on here where people are struggling to apply a basic nail polish, vinylux being one. I am not saying gel polishes have been bad for the industry, but i do believe with new technology, you need less and less skills. The only people really winning are the suppliers ,and in my view they have opened up the market to all.