The recession forced many local industries to downsize, cut back and even close. A few others, like beauty schools, flourished during the economic downturn.

"I kinda feel like everything happens for a reason and with the economy and everything, all the signs were there," Christy Black said.

Instead of waiting to get laid off, Black said she quit her sales job last September and signed up for beauty school.

The single mother said traveling out of state two nights a week just wasn’t an option.

“It just came to a point and I thought, you know what, it's time for me to do what I wanna do," said Black.

For her, that meant going back to school and getting licensed to cut and color hair.

"I am surrounded by a lot of younger people, but it's fun, it's entertaining and now I'm happy. I look forward to coming here everyday and I can't wait to work. That's never been the case, ever," said Black.

The Continental School of Beauty admissions training director said enrollment increased steadily over the last several years and has spiked because of the economy.

"We continue to add classrooms because of the demand. So, we've been full for several years, but with this new demand we've had to expand," Lorna Geer explained.

Continental has six schools and more than 1,000 students in the Western New York region. Its newest location opened in Syracuse earlier this month.

Like Black, many Continental students take advantage of increased Federal Pell Grants and subsidized loans.

"I really wasn't sure if I would qualify,” Black said, “Thank God I qualified for the full amount. That was just a huge help, so that definitely pushed me."

Continental said when students graduate there are plenty of jobs waiting.

According to the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences, the average salary for a licensed professional is between $30,000 and $48,000.

"Typically, we have two or three different job opportunities available for each of our graduates in all areas of all of our locations," Geer said.

"It’s almost recession-proof. People aren't gonna stop getting their hair cut. They might try and do a home color and guess what they will be in the salon to get it corrected so there's always gonna be a need for it," said Black.

Continental said the ability to learn a new career for a reasonable cost, in a relatively short amount of time, isn't all that sets the beauty industry apart.

"You can't outsource this job, it's a personal service," Geer said.

And it’s one Black said she can't wait to start when she graduates in May.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for barbers, cosmetologists, and other personal appearance workers is projected to grow 20 percent or more between 2008 and 2018, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.

Continental School of Beauty
Bureau of Labor Statistics