NY State Department promotes licensed professions in 'Be Your Own Boss' campaign

New York’s Department of State is promoting a variety of licensed professions as part of a new "Be Your Own Boss" campaign aimed at growing the number of licensees in the state and increasing economic opportunities for residents.

Professions ranging from cosmetologists, to security guards, to home inspectors — all professions which require licenses to operate throughout the state — are part of the new social media campaign. The goal of the marketing effort is to promote opportunities to New Yorkers looking to start a new career or supplement their existing income with part-time work.

"It’s a way for people to be more flexible with their career options," Walter T. Mosley, secretary of state, told Newsday. "Often, individuals don’t know where to begin."

As part of the campaign, the agency has been releasing a series of videos on its social media channels highlighting the top 10 most popular professions by number of existing licensees. They include: security guard, real estate agent, barber, cosmetologist, home inspector, nail technician, aesthetician, natural hair stylist, notary, and waxing specialist.

As of August, the Department of State had over 870,600 licensees across more than 40 professional titles. Initial application costs for the 10 licenses highlighted in the campaign range from $36 for a security guard license to $250 for a home inspector’s license, according to the Department of State.

"This is a campaign for New Yorkers who are seeking to change their career path, to be their own boss, to supplement their current income, or to change their pathways completely," Mosley said. He hopes the outreach "educates all New Yorkers about the different careers available."

For those in workforce development and vocational education, the campaign strengthens a longtime message: College isn’t the only path to financial security.

"Our typical student is someone who is working that retail job during the day and learning a trade at night," said Brad D. Slepian, assistant principal of Nassau BOCES’ adult education program. For many students — especially those who face barriers to accessing secondary education — there are programs and services available to help reduce the cost of training, Slepian said.

"There are so many opportunities," Slepian said.

Nassau BOCES’ adult education program currently offers 44 courses, Slepian said. 

While adult learners can benefit from vocational training, many high schoolers enrolled in BOCES training through their school also are positioned to have greater access to good-paying jobs after graduation.

"Whether they are adults or high schoolers, to be able to graduate with a credential, if they choose to use it, it’s a benefit to them," said Peter J. Dalton, workforce development administrator for Nassau BOCES.

For more information on the state's campaign, or to learn about applying for a professional license, visit the Department of State's Licensing Division website.

CORRECTION: A caption on a previous version of this story gave an incorrect affiliation for William Floyd High School’s Career and Technical Education program.