20-Year Prospect
Hollywood will always be around. Seriously, what are the chances that a billion-dollar industry will just vanish? Nope, movies will be being made in twenty years, and they'll need someone to make those actors look good (or bad).
Even if Hollywood were to vanish, you'd be totally safe. The people in the know project that there will be 9.6 billion human beings in the world by 2050. They'll all have hair...and you'll have a job.
But, if you're concerned about exercising your full range of hair-and-makeup skills in the future, never fear: Think of all the brides, bridesmaids, maids and matrons of honor, flower girls, and close female relatives of the bride and groom who're going to need your help to make it through the Big Day looking as pretty as possible.
There were more than two million marriages in the United States in 2011. What those two-million-plus brides would've spent on hair and makeup varies, but the average cost for a wedding day blowout and makeup application is $183. That's just the bride; now multiply that number by five or twenty, and you start to get an idea of what you can earn by slapping eyeshadow on Bridezilla and her besties.
But, again...Hollywood's not going anywhere. And unlike brides, actors don't mind when you make them look crazy weird. In fact, they appreciate it..