Non Traditional Students At NWCC
by Nathan Gregory | 11/20/08

Automotive repair. Civil Technology. Drafting and Design. Collision repair. Welding. These are technical, hands-on, and in most cases, very physically demanding jobs some might think only men can perform.

Northwest Mississippi Community College has at least one female enrolled in each of these fields of study. Known as non-traditional-by- gender students, the reasons each of these students chose to learn their skills vary, but they all share the common goal of proving they can do their jobs just as well as the next guy. The determination they bring to their studies more than rivals that of their male counterparts.

Northwest Special Populations Coordinator Rhonda Still said this type of potential employee has become increasingly sought after in today’s economy. “Usually, when you think of the non-traditional student, you think of the older student.  We’re talking about non-traditional-by- gender students,” Still said. “Frequently, though, it is the person who is not only non-traditional by gender but also by age. They’re coming back and getting specialized training because the majority of jobs in Mississippi and Tennessee are in specialized fields.

“Employers are looking now for that non-traditional person,” she said.
“They are probably more hirable or as hirable as any male because I think in the workplace the men and women doing the hiring are realizing what a valuable asset that non-traditional person is.”

Welding student Ronni Cooper of Eudora worked in transportation for several years and said she got into her field, which is currently in high demand in the Mississippi area, for herself and for a change. “I know I can make good money outside of welding, so I’m not into welding for the money,” she said.

Meagan Meatte of Olive Branch said she is in the Automotive Technology program because of her appreciation for manual labor and passion for cars. “I like hard work.  I couldn’t stand working in an office,” she said. “When I was 15, my father bought me a 1981 Corvette, and we rebuilt it together. That’s what got me started on knowing what I wanted to do. This is the only thing in the world I can think of that I’d want to be doing.”

Civil Technology major Dru Sowell of Senatobia came back to Northwest after finishing a four-year degree in English and teaching for several years. “The pay for being a teacher doesn’t come near being equal to the amount of time and stress they have to deal with,” she said. “I wanted a career change, and before I got my English degree I had done an archeological study and some landscaping. I’ve always loved being in what is considered to be male-dominated jobs because I loved the competition. It drives me to be better.”

Angie Hinton of Batesville is enrolled in Northwest’s Collision Repair Technology program and wants to use her training to help with her husband’s car customization business. “We’ve been open since 2005, and our main problem has been keeping help,” Hinton said. “I told my husband, ‘we’re paying these guys to do this. I can do this.’”

Drafting and Design Technology major Adrian Perry of Senatobia learned what she wanted to do from being involved in her family business. “My grandad draws house plans, so I grew up in that kind of household making designs and plans on the computer,” she said.

All the students agreed that they have to put forth extra effort to earn the respect of their colleagues. “You almost have to push yourself more to prove to the other gender that you are good enough to stand beside them toe-to-toe,” Cooper said. “Not only do you have to learn and be there, but you have to go that extra step. I’m a driving force for most of the others in my class because they don’t want me to outwork them.”

Meatte said working harder to earn her co-workers’ respect doesn’t bother her. “Working with the men makes me want to prove myself to be just as good if not better than the male technicians,” she said.

Perry also liked being a minority in her field. “I like the fact that there aren’t many women in the field because it makes me feel like I’m opening it up for others, and because co-workers appreciate your accomplishments more,” she said.

They have faced skepticism from both genders about their choices. “My 11-year-old son told me one day, ‘Mama, girls can’t weld,’ so I figured it was time to go back to school,” Cooper said.

Hinton said she has faced cynicism from other females. “It’s really bad when other women have a bias against me because I’m doing something non-traditional,” she said. “You expect it from the other gender, but when your own gender does it, it’s even worse.”

They also agree that career-technical education offers a wide range of options for the non-traditional graduate. “Civil Technology has so many opportunities. What I’m learning is so fascinating to me because it can be applied to so many different areas of study,” Sowell said.
“There are so many opportunities for students who learn a skill and go on to four-year colleges.”

Hinton cited learning a trade as a way for students to maintain an income while earning an academic degree and felt support for career- technical options should be offered more widely in high schools.
“Career-technical programs aren’t being pushed in high school as much as they used to be. It’s always, ‘You’ve got to go straight to a four- year college.’”

Sowell agreed that a career-technical option would be ideal for students who spend the first few years of college finding out exactly what they want to do. “Showing high school girls that there are these opportunities to gain skills they can use instead of sitting around for two years and not knowing what to do can help them get a good start,” she said.

Perry said the idea that females who choose these careers lose their femininity is a myth. “It’s harder to be a female in a male-dominated occupation, but you have to break out of your comfort zone,” she said.
“You have to show assertiveness.”

They all agreed that females shouldn’t be discouraged from considering a career in a male-dominated field. “I would encourage females who aren’t sure what they want to do to look back on their lives growing up to help better understand what they can be happy with in the future,” Cooper said. “If people look farther back in the past instead of focusing so much on the future, they might be able to help decide some of their future.”

Perry echoed Cooper’s views. “I’d tell them to think outside the box.
Just because a job is dominated by males or females doesn’t mean you can’t do it,” she said. “If it’s something you really want to pursue, I’d say go for it.”

“People should look at how they learn,” Sowell said. “Northwest is a great place to study in career education because you’re having to take a certain amount of academics so you can better determine what your skills are.”

Hinton said neither males nor females should consider tradition in choosing the right career for them. “I would tell anyone who wants to do something but isn’t sure they can, to not be afraid of the stigma or what people are going to say,” she said. “Don’t be afraid of those walls. Knock them down.”

Still suggested that some women are less than content working in traditionally female roles and may not be aware that there are jobs to be had in these fields. “There are so many looking for something that will interest and satisfy them, and the availability of careers in the non-traditional field may meet that need,” she said.

Northwest offers 22 Career-Technical Education emphases on the Senatobia campus, 10 on the DeSoto Center campus in Southaven, two at the DeSoto Center in Olive Branch and nine at the Lafayette-Yalobusha Technical Center in Oxford.