SALON DUMBO: excerpt from an article written by Author: Naomi Golden,

A cut above: meet a hairdresser who expresses his creativity every day at work.(your future)(David Lyle Jones)(Interview)

Publication: Scholastic Choices, Publication Date: 01-APR-08, uthor: Golden, Naomi

Photo Hairstyling by David Lyle Jones (placed only for this Blogspot)

Choices continues its profiles of men and women working in occupations atypical of their gender. In this issue, Choices interviewed David Lyle Jones, a hairdresser at Renew salon in New York City. Only 15 percent of all hairdressers are men, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. David has been a hair-care professional for nearly 20 years.

Choices: What led you to become a hairdresser?

David: After receiving a degree in political science and economics in college, I worked as a paralegal. When I realized that I did not want to become a lawyer, I decided that I wanted to work in an industry where I could travel, work anywhere, and choose the hours that I would work. The business of hairstyling appealed to me because I could transform my creativity into three-dimensional art.

Choices: How does someone become a hairdresser?

David: The requirements are different in every state, but for the most part, you need to go to beauty school to learn the basics of hairstyling. After you complete a certain amount of training--in New York, it is 1,000 hours--the state provides you with a cosmetology license and then you can practice hairstyling. However, many hairdressers choose to work as apprentices after receiving their licenses because the experience of working in a salon offers additional education and helps to increase confidence.

Choices: What is your job like?

David: I work five days a week and have anywhere from 5 to 10 appointments per day. I c

ut, color, relax, or perm the hair of my clients. Sometimes I am asked to create up-dos or style someone's hair for a special occasion.

Choices: What is the best part of what you do? David: Helping peop

le feel inwardly good about themselves. The best thing is to make someone feel more confident about who they are as a person. I look at myself as a problem solver; I try to turn the negative aspects of a client's hair into a positive quality. It is not about making people look like models, it's about making them look better and feel better.

Choices: Why is hairdressing a good job?

David: There are many opportunities within the field. You can work on the fashion side of the business, doing hair and makeup for runway shows, or you can work on the medical side with patients who suffer from hair loss either from illness or aging.

Choices: What would you say to young men to encourage them to become hairdressers?

David: Look beyond the assumptions people make about men working in fields dominated by women. I see hairstyling as an art and a science. In fact, more goes into hairdressing than most people recognize. You must be aware of many different things: the chemical side of the hair for coloring, the hair structure and how it grows for cutting, and the differences among hair products and their ingredients for healthy hair care. Overall, there are many opportunities for men--hairdressing is really what you make of it.

David: After receiving a degree in political science and economics in college,...