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ASHEBORO, N.C. – Randolph Community College opened a cosmetology center in Asheboro Thursday to give students some hands-on experience in their field of study.

It made for a busy first day – but students in the program were happy to see all the traffic.

"Ever since sixth grade I've just always wanted to [be a hairdresser]," said student Hollis Kirkman. "It's been a dream. I love it."

Felix McNeil was coloring a customer's hair Thursday. He already has a business degree from N.C. A&T.

"Doing hair is something I always had an interest in," said McNeil. "The further along I went in school, the more we started talking about having a career, cosmetology was an interest that never left."

And instructors say working with real people is an important part of the curriculum.

"You learn how to interact, how to take the positive and the negative," said Cosmetology Program Director Tammy Matthews. "How to communicate with a client to find out exactly what they're looking for."

The students in this program see cosmetology jobs as being pretty much recession-proof.

"Times may be hard, but women are always going to try to look beautiful," said McNeil. "People always care about their appearance."

Work's been slow the past year for Jennifer McCollom, a makeup artist in the film industry.

"For independent films, that we do a lot of here in North Carolina, they will want someone who can do hair and makeup," said McCollum.

And judging by the turnout, it's something that the public in general also wants

"As long as there's hair, I'm going to have a job," said McNeil.