Turn the Art of Looking Good into a Career at Florida Career College

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the field of cosmetology is expected to grow much faster than the average for other occupations. That’s good news for students in the School of Cosmetology at Florida Career College (FCC).

            At FCC campuses in Hialeah, Lauderdale Lakes, Boynton Beach and Jacksonville, cosmetology students learn from industry professionals in a hands-on classroom setting where they practice innovative, creative and stylish beauty techniques.  At each campus The Spa at The College features a fully equipped salon beautifully appointed with hair washing, styling and drying areas, nail and pedicure stations and facial spa.  Soft, warm-hued tones, mirrors and decorative artwork evoke a total feeling of relaxation for clients.

            While the salons in Lauderdale Lakes and Jacksonville are already open to the public, Boynton Beach will open to the public on October 4 and Hialeah on November 1.  The Spa at The College offers salon services that pamper clients at inexpensive prices. All services are performed by students who are nearing graduation, and are under the strict supervision of instructors.  The Spas are operated just like professional salons.  Appointments are suggested but walk-ins are welcome.

            “Cosmetology is a $60 billion industry and even in challenging economic times people want to feel good about themselves,” said Theresa Jacobs, Program Director of Cosmetology at Florida Career College.  "We offer the community a fantastic alternative to higher-priced salons."

Services and treatments offered at the Spa at The College include:

                                    Shampoo and conditioning for $5

                                    Cuts for $10

                                    Blow Dry for $10           

                                    Styles from $10 to $35

                                    Hair Extensions from $10 to $45

                                    Coloring from $15 to $40

                                    Permanents from $25 to $35

                                    Chemical Relaxers from $25 to $40

                                    Manicures from $10 to $20

                                    Artificial Nails – full set for $20, fills for $12

                                    Pedicures from $15 to $25

                                    Facials from $15 to $25

Exfoliation for $50

                                    Make-up Application for $15

                                    Waxing $5 each for Eyebrows, Lip, Chin (other waxing services available)

           

            The Spa at The College has just added brand new daily specials.  Monday is Senior Day for residents 55 older who will receive half off on all services. On Tuesday, 30-minute facials are $10. Then on Wednesday and Friday haircuts are offered for $3. On Thursday, customers who bring in friends who purchase services will receive 50% off their own services.  On Saturdays, customers will receive a free hair cut with a chemical treatment.

         "This is a win-win for the community and for our students,” Jacobs added. "The Spa at The College affords our students the opportunity to show off their skills, which have been honed during months of training, while the community enjoys fantastic, friendly, professional-type services for a fraction of the cost of high-end salons. Our focus is to prepare our students for their new careers in cosmetology and at The Spa at The College they gain valuable experience.”

            Florida Career College offered its first Cosmetology Program in Lauderdale Lakes in August, 2009.  Since then, hundreds of students have enrolled at the campuses in Lauderdale Lakes, Hialeah, Boynton Beach and Jacksonville.

            The FCC Cosmetology Program at Lauderdale Lakes, Boynton Beach and Jacksonville offers three sessions, day, afternoon and evening, which is perfect for students who also are employed.  The Hialeah Campus offers day and evening sessions and also offers classes in Spanish. The programs at Hialeah and Boynton Beach do not require enrolling students to have a high school diploma or GED.

            Florida Career College identifies the skills needed for today's job market by working closely with industry experts, professional associations and employers to continually develop and update programs and courses according to industry needs. Classrooms, computer and medical labs and clinics are designed with real-world equipment and software programs to give students the advantage of "hands-on" training. FCC's goal is for students to move directly from the classroom to a career by encouraging students to build on their strengths and to study what specifically interests them in an environment designed to foster individual goals and learning styles.

            Eight academic starts allow for year-round study. Small classes and programs are designed to create a positive learning environment where student individuality is recognized enabling students to meet their unique educational goals.  Morning and evening sessions allow students to maintain jobs and attend classes.

            At most campuses, The Spa at The College has hours from Monday through Saturday.  Hours vary per campus.  The Spa at The College gift certificates are available at each campus. For information and to make appointments, call 1-877-250-6727.

            In addition to the Cosmetology Program, Florida Career College offers Nursing, Clinical Skin Care, Business Administration, Information Technology, Physical Therapist Assistant and an array of Allied Health programs at nine campuses throughout Florida. Program offerings vary per campus.

            FCC campuses in Brandon, Boynton Beach, Jacksonville, Hialeah, Lauderdale Lakes, Miami, Pembroke Pines and West Palm Beach are accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) to offer Diploma, Associate of Science degree and Bachelor of Science degree programs. The Clearwater campus is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education (COE) to offer Diploma and Associate of Science degree programs. 

            For more information about FCC, call 1-888-852-7272 or visit www.careercollege.edu.

GOOGLE

Google Instant Changes the Game
by Irina Slutsky
Published by AdvertisngAge: September 08, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) -- Google rolled out the most significant change to its search page since the advent of search ads on Wednesday with what it calls "Google Instant." Rather than requiring searchers to hit "enter," results pop up -- along with corresponding search ads -- as you type a Google attempts to predict queries from the very first character. (click here to see sample)

The results evolve as you type and change in real-time, allowing users to adjust their string of queries as they type. "It's like power-steering in a car; once you get used to it, you won't be able to search without it," said Google Search VP Marissa Mayer, adding that it's a fundamental shift in search technology and "a step into the future of search."

The tagline for Google Instant (click here to see sample) is "Results as you type. Fewer Clicks" -- and the company predicts the product will save users more than 350 million hours a year, or two to five seconds per search, on average. So with all that time-saving, will users be spending less time in search, meaning less time with search ads, now a $23 billion business for Google?

"Overall, this will be a much better experience for our users, so they will actually be searching more," Ms. Mayer said. "Google Instant will grow the size and scope of search in general."

But there will be some concrete changes for Google's search advertisers. Since the real-time results can change on a millisecond basis, Google had to come up with a new way to define an ad impression. They decided that a cognitive pause was three seconds long -- meaning that if a user paused on a results page for three seconds or more, he or she was comprehending the contents of the page long enough for it to count as an impression. Google, of course, only gets paid when there is a click, but it will change the calculation for advertisers who carefully tailor their ads to reach a hoped-for click-through rate.

"It could be a 5% increase or a 5% decrease in average impressions, but it should not change the amount of money advertisers make," said AdWords head Jon Diorio after a splashy press event at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. "If anything, we believe users will be more engaged and drive more value for the advertiser. It shouldn't change the total number of clicks."

Analysts and marketers have just begun sorting through what it all means for brands that spend millions a month on search advertising. At first blush, the real-time results appear to give more prominence to the web's biggest brands. Just typing the letter "a" into the search box and doing nothing else auto-completes the first word as Amazon, or, AOL, depending on browser history and geography. As a result, almost the entire page is a list of Amazon links. The same goes for the letter "t" and Target and the letter "f" with Facebook.

While results appear to differ a bit based on a variety of factors, the advantage to those attached to a letter are a lot more search impressions.

"You can't ignore the fact that the first letter is a high exposure spot," said Rob Garner, senior strategy director at iCrossing, a unit of Hearst. "If I'm typing in 'a,' technically Google doesn't know if I'm going to Apple or Amazon, and even if it doesn't last three seconds on the page, there's going to be a flash of an ad or a result there. I cant help but think that's going to make a tremendous difference for the brands that come out at the top like Bank of America, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, etc."

But Google execs argued that the impact of those first-letter impressions will be small. Othar Hansson, senior staff software engineer for Google Instant, said the ad metrics should remain almost exactly the same because of the users' intent. "Our overall metrics show the users still get results they are looking for," he said. "Some people might be distracted by the results, but normally, they have an actual intent, and they keep searching for that. We haven't directly analyzed if people are distracted by the top or intermediate results, but if they're looking for aardvarks and Amazon comes up, if they go shopping at Amazon, I think its a very small effect."

Mr. Hansson and other engineers argued the reason those big brands are the top results is because those are the results most often looked for when users type that letter into the search box, so Google continues to give the most relevant results. When pressed further, Mr. Hansson said, "Obviously Kohl's is interested that Kmart is first -- I think people have brand preference, but these things do change over time."

Google execs were quick to note that natural search results, and techniques companies use to land higher in Google search results, won't change. But Johanna Wright, director of product management for Google Instant, said one difference is that they will direct users to "page two" results faster. "As you continue typing and narrowing your search, the instantly changing and refreshing results below the search box will be giving you more relevant results," she said. "So if you previously looked on the second page, now those same results come to the top of the pile for you."

Proving exactly how futuristic the product is, Ms. Mayer showed a slide of Google's 2000 April Fool's joke, an upgrade that was supposed to predict what you were searching for without you having to type. At this point, it's just one keystroke away.