5 Fatal Mistakes Barbers Make When Choosing A School
#1 Not knowing WHY you want to go to barber school
-When you go to eat at your favorite restaurant you go there because you like the food and/or the atmosphere. When you go to a movie you go there because you like an actor, the genre, the reviews or the idea of the movie. When you go workout you go because you have a goal for your body and working out makes you feel good about yourself and gives you confidence. When you decide to go to barber school you need to know why you want to go to barber school. What will getting a barber license give you? What will you feel like when you have a career that you can take anywhere in the world? How proud will you be that you have accomplished this for yourself?
#2 Choosing a school because its close to your house
– When you walk into a school you should get a vibe of the place and you should leave having learned something that you did not know when you walked in. You should then choose a school for some specific reason beyond, “they have a barbering program”. Were the staff nice to you? Did you connect with the music? Did you feel comfortable with the brand of product they used?
#3 Not choosing a school with Leaders who are also Professionals IN YOUR CHOSEN INDUSTRY
-If I went to school in 1980 and I started teaching two years later and never went back into the shop for WHATEVER reason, am I qualified to teach you modern practices in the 21st century? If I went to school in 1980 and worked until 2000 and decided to retire and “Just Teach” am I the person you want “Just Teaching” you? If you want to be successful you need to be modeling successful people. Success leaves clues and if you are hanging out with a mentor who makes $100,000 a year most likely you will be able to achieve that goal in half the amount of time.
#4 Not being prepared to play full out
-The barber industry is a self driven career path. No one is going to hand you a clientele and no one is going to tell you their business plan. You are the engine that drives this machine and everything that is taught in barber school is of some benefit. Be prepared to play full out from day 1 and be prepared for success. Playing small does not serve the world and it does not serve you.
#5 Relying on convenience instead of commitment
-If you miss even a single day of school, you miss the things that were said that day, the things that were said in a different way and the questions that came up as a result of those things. So many talented people struggle to be successful because they are not 100% committed to their goal. Do not sacrifice what you want the most for what you want now. Sure it might be fun to go home early because you are “bored” but with so much to master and so little time in school with Learning Leaders and Mentors, who has time to be “bored”? Is there not always something to do?
Your education is a valuable investment – Treat it that way!!