Ten years ago, Kalena Firstrider was a young woman without a plan, her days a repetitive cycle of all-night partying followed by work at 7-Eleven. The drill had begun to wear on her when a friend, whose father worked as an iron worker in the construction trades, suggested they try out for an apprenticeship to become iron workers.

Firstrider showed up for the appropriately named “Hell Day” tryout. Her friend was a no-show.

“I didn’t realize what I got myself into,’’ says Firstrider. “It was one of the hardest days of my life.”

It also was the start of a new life, one spent building the schools, bridges and skyscrapers that are springing up in the new Seattle.

“I went from staying with my grandparents to owning a house,’’ says Firstrider, a 34-year-old “rod-buster” who laces up her worn leather work boots with wire.

Decades after the trades opened their doors to females, women such as Firstrider are still forging new paths and making inroads on the job site.