Becoming a skin care specialist seems like a fairly straightforward career journey, but in reality, esthetician education can be a hit or miss project. You must look at esthetics school as an investment and shop around for the best options that will pay the best dividends.

The most effective way to find a good school is to hit the pavement and do your research. Are there spas and beauty salons in your neighborhood that you favor, or that boast positive reputations? If you are a client, take the opportunity to speak with the employees – tell them about your own ambitions and poll them on where they got their esthetician education and how they felt about the experience. If this isn’t practical for you, or if you don’t have direct access, there is no harm in simply picking up the phone and asking to speak the director of a salon. Be honest about your intentions and ask them from which schools they prefer their pool of employees. So long as you sound sincere about an esthetician education, you will be surprised by how much information they will be willing to share with you.

And remember, when researching schools, you may be promised a lucrative salary straight from graduation. While this can be true, it’s best to trust the pros instead and to react cautiously to claims that sound too good to be true.