For some Plan B means beauty school

DENVER - As many people try to find careers that are "recession proof," the path for some has led to beauty school.

The American Association of Cosmetology Schools says more students are coming to them for a Plan B.

"I started to notice that the economy started going down and my business started to slow," Scott Brown said.

Brown came to the Academy of Cosmetology Arts in Denver when he realized he would need to do something besides the furniture business.

"One of the things I started thinking about was: What survives in a slow economy?" Brown said.

Angel Bosman had the same thought when it became tough to find work in the fashion industry.

"I'm starting over," Bosman said. "No matter what the economy is like, there's always someone who needs to get their hair done."

"Our typical student is customarily a job changer," Academy founder Peggy Sue Schmoldt said.

She says the school has been growing in recent years as people are looking for a new career that is still in high demand or returning to their roots in cosmetology.

"They may have taken other career paths where the market may have been better like it or something of that sort, and now they're deciding to complete it because they realize this is relatively recession proof as an industry," Schmoldt.

"Sometimes when people are feeling bad it's something that makes them feel good," Bosman said.

The American Association of Cosmetology Schools says people also are going into the field because they can get licensed while still working in another career. A cosmetology license often allows people to have flexible hours and work for themselves.