If you answered "b - slithering" and you're looking for a cutting-edge beauty career,

hair design

might be the right path for you.

The Big Picture
Hair designers provide hair care services to enhance the appearance of clients. They offer beauty services such as shampooing, cutting, coloring, and styling. They advise clients on hair care, straightening and curling, and coloring. They may also give scalp treatments, and clean and style wigs and hairpieces.

Practice Makes Perfect
In hair design school, your training will include classroom study, demonstrations, and practical work. You'll study the basic services and practice on customers in supervised school clinics. You'll also acquire skills in communication, sales, and business practices.

The learning doesn't end after graduation from hair design school, though. You'll need continuing education in order to maintain a successful career in hair design. Workshops and demonstrations at salons, cosmetology schools, and industry trade shows will keep you up to date on the latest fashions and beauty techniques as hairstyles change, new products are developed, and services expand to meet clients' needs.

Licensed for a Living
Once you've been trained at hair design school, you'll need to get licensed. You may take the National Hair Design licensure exams, which are developed and administered by the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology.

The written exam covers scientific concepts as well as knowledge of hair care and services acquired in hair design school. Scientific concepts include infection control, human anatomy and physiology, nutrition, ergonomics, basic principles of chemistry, and basic principles of electricity. Hair care and services to-knows include hair and scalp; principles of hair design; draping procedures; brushing, shampooing, and conditioning hair and scalp treatment procedures; haircutting procedures, hair styling procedures; braiding, wigs, and hair enhancements/additions; chemical texture services; and hair coloring procedures.

The practical exam covers six core domain services: setup and client protection, thermal curling, haircutting, chemical waving, hair lightening and hair coloring, and chemical relaxing.

Number Crunching
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual earnings for salaried hair designers were $19,800 in May 2004, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $35,990. But remember, your initiative and ability to attract and hold regular clients are key factors in determining your earnings.

Hair designers held 670,000 jobs in 2004, and overall employment is projected to increase 9 to 17 percent through 2014. About 32 percent of hair designers work part time, and 14 percent have variable schedules. About 48 percent are self-employed.

If you're cut out for hair design, you'll have a career that's always in style.