Wearing Pink Nail Polish in Carpentry Class

Im 22, i'm female and i'm wearing sparkly pink nail polish. WHAT on earth are these men going to think of me. I should change my outfit. I shouldn't wear my lipgloss, I should take my polish off. WHY?

I had all of these preconceived rules in my head of what a carpenter should look like, who they should be. No one told me these things, they were just there.

I was a mom of one when I started NSCC (graduated a mom of two).

DAY ONE. I had my boots on, and I didn't take my polish off.

"Denika Coakley"

"Thats me!"

"Nice to meet you, hows it going, welcome to class"

Thats it? Here at NSCC i'm a student who's ready to learn, not a woman who's too girly for a trade, or wearing pink nail polish in a place I shouldn't be. Im a student and I'm here to learn.

I took the nights and weekends course so most of my classmates were parents, or already working full time. We went around the classroom and explained a little about ourselves, what brought us here.

This is it I thought. How does 'Im an aesthetician' fit with I'm now taking carpentry?

" Hey, my name is Denika Coakley, i have a 1 year old daughter and I've been an aesthetician for 4 years but have always wanted to take carpentry and change my career path"

Thats awesome, very creative.

Again. Thats it?

My instructors didn't care that I was wearing pink nail polish, they cared that I learned the outcomes while putting safety first. They didn't see me as different then the men, they saw my skill. (or lack there of at first, like every student)

My experience at NSCC was an education but it was also an eye opener, that I can be whoever I want to be. I can wear pink nail polish and frame the HECK out of house as-well.

I think my path in trades would have been much different if I hadn't taken the carpentry program. I now know that my skill speaks for itself and my polish doesn't matter, but I didn't know that at first. I think IF i had an instructor that wasn't supportive, or in this case judged my pink nail polish, I could have easily dropped out and let my dream of owning my own business get buried in all of the doubts I had. But my instructors saw me as a student, ready to learn.

Take a look at my recent experience at NSCC’s Open House: https://youtu.be/h1vTTfwdFjg

Learn all about NSCC’s programs: www.nscc.ca/denikac