How I Became a Nail Technician: My 40-Year Journey in the Nail Industry
Now that I’m back to blogging, I think it’s only fair to tell you a little about myself and how I became a nail technician.
After nearly 40 years in the nail industry, many clients and readers have asked how my nail career began. So grab a cup of coffee, get comfortable, and let me take you all the way back to the beginning.
I started Nails Done Right in 2009, but this nail journey started long before that.
My name is Linda, and I’ve been doing nails since 1986.
My Life Before Nails
Back in 1985, I was a troubled teenager. I quit school during my junior year at Lake Howell High School. Looking back, I struggled with fitting in. My family had moved around quite a bit since I was in fourth grade, and making friends never came easily for me.
That same summer, I started dating the man who would eventually become my husband. Little did I know that relationship would outlast every hairstyle, fashion trend, and nail trend that came after it!
When my parents gave me a car, they also gave me a little lesson in responsibility. If I wanted to drive, I needed to pay for my own gas and insurance. That meant getting a job.
At 17 years old, I started working at Popeyes Fried Chicken in Casselberry, Florida. I loved earning my own money and quickly discovered that I enjoyed working. After about a year and a half, I transferred to another Popeyes location in Longwood.
I had no idea my future career was about to walk through the front door.
The Day I Discovered Nail School
Every day, I noticed three young women coming into the restaurant wearing aprons covered in white dust.
For about a week I watched them come in and out. Finally, curiosity got the best of me.
“Hey,” I asked one day, “I see you girls coming in here every day with aprons covered in dust. What do you do?”
Donna, who seemed to be the leader of the group, smiled and replied,
“We’re going to nail school. We’re studying to become nail technicians.”
Nail technicians?
I thought that sounded incredibly cool.
You see, even as a little girl, I loved anything related to beauty. I had always dreamed of becoming a hairstylist like my Aunt Donna. I spent hours brushing and trimming my Barbie dolls’ hair, convinced I was practicing for my future career.
My dad, however, wasn’t always impressed when he found my dolls sporting surprise haircuts!
My First Set of Acrylic Nails
Back in the 1980s, having your nails done was considered a luxury. It wasn’t nearly as common as it is today.
Donna explained that because they were students, they could work on clients while learning.
The best part?
A full set of acrylic nails cost only $17, and fills were just $12.
I jumped at the opportunity.
And let me tell you something…
OMG, I was probably the worst nail client in history!
I was a terrible nail biter and rough on my hands. Every time I went in for a fill appointment, I was missing two or three nails.
Week after week I’d call Donna.
“Hey Donna, got time for a nail repair?”
“Come on over, Linda.”
Looking back, she probably saw my name on the caller ID and thought, “Now what did she break this time?” 😂
Before long, we became friends.
From Nail Biter to Nail Technician
After six weeks and 120 hours of training, Donna and her classmates graduated. They became the first graduating class of the Academy of Nail Tech Nēks.
Donna continued doing my nails for a while, and through those appointments I became more fascinated with the nail industry.
There was just something magical about it.
The creativity.
The transformation.
The confidence it gave people.
The friendships that formed around a nail table.
Eventually, I caught the attention of the school’s owner, Tina Kovacs.
Knowing money was tight, Tina worked out a weekly payment plan that allowed me to attend nail school.
That opportunity changed my life forever.
Starting My Nail Career
Once I completed nail school, I quickly realized something important.
Doing nails part-time was earning me more money than working full-time at Popeyes.
Well, that made my decision pretty easy!
I quit my restaurant job and officially began my career as a professional nail technician.
I worked alongside Tina for the next three and a half years, learning not only nail techniques but also client care, professionalism, and what it takes to build a successful career in the beauty industry.
Little by little, I was finding my place in the world.
The Career I Never Expected
Here’s the funny part.
For years—probably more than a decade—I kept telling people:
“Oh no, doing nails isn’t my career. One day I’ll go to cosmetology school and become a hairstylist.”
I must have said that a hundred times.
Maybe more.
Well…
Life clearly had other plans.
Somewhere along the way, this little side job I swore wasn’t my career became exactly that.
Without realizing it, I had fallen completely in love with the nail industry.
Not just the nails.
The people.
The conversations.
The trust clients place in you.
The laughter.
The tears.
The life stories shared across a nail table.
Those things became just as important to me as the nails themselves.
Forty Years Later
It’s now 2026.
After nearly 40 years as a nail technician, I’m still sitting behind my nail table.
I’ve watched nail trends come and go.
I’ve seen products evolve from the early days of acrylic nails to the amazing technologies we have today.
I’ve worked with thousands of clients.
I’ve built lifelong friendships.
I’ve celebrated weddings, babies, graduations, promotions, retirements, and so many milestones alongside my clients.
I’ve even watched some of my clients’ children grow up and become clients themselves.
What started as a conversation with three girls wearing dusty aprons turned into a career that has blessed me in ways I never could have imagined.
The nail industry has given me friendships, opportunities, creativity, independence, and a lifetime of memories.
And honestly?
I wouldn’t change a thing.
Looking back, I’m grateful for every broken nail, every lesson learned, every challenge, every laugh, and every client who has sat across my table over the years.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for being part of my journey.
In my next post, I’ll tell you about the many salons I’ve worked in throughout my career and the lessons each one taught me. Trust me, there are some stories!
To be continued…
With love,
Linda xo