CBBC News

Monique Ryan is a superstar student who is four months into her cosmetology training program at CBBC Career College. She’s training at Regency Training Salon and Spa in Halifax and is doing a fantastic job!

Monique chose to study cosmetology because she understands that it’s a field that will open a lot of doors for her. We chatted with her about that, the program, and what she hopes to achieve in the future.

CBBC Career College: Hi Monique! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today! To start us off, can you just highlight your name, the program you’re taking and when you’ll be graduating?

Monique Ryan: My name is Monique Ryan and I am a student in the cosmetology program at CBBC, and I will be graduating in July, 2022.

Amazing. You’re in the middle of your program right now. Tell us, how was the first four months for you? Were there any major takeaways or things that stood out to you while studying?

Right now I’m almost at the halfway point of the cosmetology program. I think the thing that has stood out to me the most in the program is how much the teachers care about your success and how they work hard to create a positive environment to learn in. It’s really amazing! They really encourage all the students to celebrate each other’s successes and help each other out. I really struggled with the decision of which school to attend, and I know that I made the right choice.

That makes us so happy. We have the best faculty and it’s so great to know that you’re feeling supported in this journey! What about the program itself? What made you want to go into cosmetology?

The thing that I really love about cosmetology is you can go down so many different avenues. It can be really creative, it can be really technical, and there’s just so many different things you can do. You can go into film, you can work in a hair salon, you can start your own business.  I feel like I’m a pretty creative person, so I like the flexibility in being able to pick and choose from all of the different options.

If someone was entering the program or starting off, what tips or tricks or things would you highlight to them?

Well, before I entered the cosmetology program, I decided to go do an in-person interview at the campus in Halifax. I really recommend that because then you get a chance to see the environment, you get a chance to meet the faculty and I actually talked to some of the former and present students to see what their experience was like. I got such a positive response from everyone that it really helped me decide to take the program at CBBC over other schools.

What are you looking forward to in this upcoming term for yourself?

I am so excited about lots of things in the program. I love all the different creative projects that we get to do, and we’re just starting to take clients in the training salon for colour appointments, so that’s exciting. I can’t wait to be able to get out there and use all the skills I’m learning in the real salon world. 10 months is not a long time for a program and that’s one of the great things about the cosmetology program. You can start from the ground up and have a career in only 10 months. It’s pretty amazing!

Ten months isn’t a lot of time to learn so many things! Do you enjoy the accelerated nature of the program?

I think 10 months is a really great length because it gives you time to learn and practice and really perfect a skill, but you don’t have to spend a whole four years like a university degree before you can actually get out there and get working.

That’s totally true! You’ll be out there working really soon. What do you think life after you graduate will look like for you?

This is actually a really great time to get into the cosmetology industry. Everyone is looking for hair stylists, right now. We’ve had different hair salons around town come in and visit the school, and they’re already trying to recruit us right off the bat. I don’t think any of us will have any trouble getting gainful employment. I’ve already been contacted by three salons in town who are trying to hire me and I’m only four months into the program. And I know that everyone who graduated from the program before me all had placements before they graduated.

Amazing. That’s great to hear!! Wrapping it up, what are you looking most forward to after graduating? What are you looking most forward to?

I’m looking forward to getting back into the work field, making money, being able to do something that I love and that I’m passionate about, and all while making my clients look beautiful and feel good about themselves. Who knows- maybe someday I’ll actually get to go back to the school and teach some specialty skills that I’ve learned and perfected out there in the industry!

Change your life TODAY!

Monique is only four months into her program and people are lining up to hire her! What are you waiting for? Start your new life NOW in an industry that you love with CBBC Career College.

We’re currently enrolling students in a variety of programs and would love to chat with you! Visit our website to learn more and to get started today!