Education

How to Become a Barber: A Career Guide

Barbers — they’re a staple of our society. For centuries, trusted barbers have helped men keep their looks tight and trim.

On top of that, a successful barber can earn a great living. Barber careers are wonderful and abundant, and it’s easy to find barber jobs.

If you’re wondering how to become a barber, you’ve come to the right place. This article will walk you through everything you need to know about the barber businesses and how to become a successful barber.

Step One — Get Your GED

While becoming a barber doesn’t require too much formal education. However, to get into proper barber schooling, you’re going to need to have a high school diploma or GED.

Depending on your state, you may need to acquire a license before you can cut hair. No matter which stat you’re in, however, it’s always a good idea to make sure that you know what you’re doing. The last thing you want is to get slammed with bad reviews as soon as you open.

Step Two — Go To Barber School

In certain states, you’ll need to enroll in barber school to get your barber’s license. In all states, barber school is a great option to learn how to cut hair.

Here, you’ll learn everything you need to know about hair. You’ll learn about classic barber skills that every barber should have, learn how to give people a variety of haircuts, learn about client interaction, learn about business/who you should hire, and learn a bit of barber theory as well.

Even if you don’t wind up transferring out of the field, learning to run a barbershop is a wonderful business experience that you can easily apply to any field.

Step Three — Apprentice With a Barber

Unfortunately, formal education has replaced apprenticeships in the modern age. This is a shame since there are some skills you can only learn when you’re out in the field.

Thankfully, barbers — who work with their hands — understand the importance of apprenticeships. Pick your favorite barber, and ask them if you can observe them and help them out.

(Note — if you’re a teenager looking to become a barber, you can put this step first. Barbers are probably more likely to teach someone young. You can apprentice while you get your high school diploma and head to a barbershop academy after high school.)

Apprenticeships are the important last step in learning the skills it takes to become a barber.

Learn How to Become a Barber

After you’ve gotten a high school diploma or GED, gone to a barber’s school, and completed an apprenticeship with a barber, you’ve done all you need to do to learn how to become a barber. From here, all it’s that’s left to be done is to practice, open up your own shop, and learning how to become a barber yourself.

For more articles like this, check out our “special education” section.