2 answers
Jace
Student
Yuma, Arizona
1
Question
Updated
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What is the most difficult part about construction.
Hi,I am a student at Crane middle school in Yuma Arizona.And I want to be a construction worker when I’m older, and I want to know what is the hardest part about working construction. I also want to know what education ,and what type of school i need to go to. I want to get into construction because my dad has been doing construction since I was young , and I’ve been wanting to work in that field. Construction is a big thing here in Yuma there’s always construction going on and I feel I can have a successful career with construction.
If you have any information please comment.
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1 answer
Liam Rielly
Data Center Technician
180
Answers
Manassas, Virginia
Updated
Liam’s Answer
Hey Jace! The most difficult part for working construction is making relationships (networking) and taking the right opportunities at the right time. The biggest professional quality that a construction company or a foreman looks for in a worker is trust. Can they trust you to work with expensive tools and materials? Can they trust you to be safe on the job? Can they trust you to show up on time? Can they trust you when you work with someone difficult?
As far as schooling goes, you can work construction with just about any level of education, it will just limit which jobs you can have and what level you reach. Construction is a vast field and can encompass many different technologies, materials, or build types so saying a degree in ___ will get you ___, is a hard statement to make. An example would be if you were a painter on a construction site, there is no education required. If you wanted to be the master electrician on a site you may benefit from having an electrical engineering degree. I use these as an example of the least education possible and most education that fits a construction role.
If you want academic recommendations I would focus on math at a high school level (you will want to know how to do measurements and counting on the job, especially counting your money), reading comprehension (you want to be the guy reading the contracts and blueprints on the job), a second language like Spanish is a major plus on most jobs in the United States (its not required but it REALLY helps), and trade school or vocational school if your field requires it (electrician, steam fitter, carpenter, elevators, etc).
If you love construction but want to make some more money and are willing to get higher education, there is a need for people with degrees in construction management, architecture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and it never hurts to have a masters of business administration. These will be paths that will likely take you a decade to get there and will have your name on the front of the projects rather than requiring manual labor.
Try to narrow down which field you are most interested in. If your dad is working in construction, see if there is a chance you can visit a job and ask people what they are doing. Try to make connections now because that is going to be the primary skill you will need as you get older. If your family has an opportunity for you to work construction in the future, take it! If you start off doing one trade and you decide you don't like it you can always transition to the other trade later. This field is vast and there is a spot in the field with your name on it!
Look up trade schools and see what field does what job.
Try to go to work with your father and ask people there what their jobs are.
Build stuff, fix stuff, break stuff, try to develop skills using tools.
Figure out what you like to do and what kind of a construction job you want to do!
As far as schooling goes, you can work construction with just about any level of education, it will just limit which jobs you can have and what level you reach. Construction is a vast field and can encompass many different technologies, materials, or build types so saying a degree in ___ will get you ___, is a hard statement to make. An example would be if you were a painter on a construction site, there is no education required. If you wanted to be the master electrician on a site you may benefit from having an electrical engineering degree. I use these as an example of the least education possible and most education that fits a construction role.
If you want academic recommendations I would focus on math at a high school level (you will want to know how to do measurements and counting on the job, especially counting your money), reading comprehension (you want to be the guy reading the contracts and blueprints on the job), a second language like Spanish is a major plus on most jobs in the United States (its not required but it REALLY helps), and trade school or vocational school if your field requires it (electrician, steam fitter, carpenter, elevators, etc).
If you love construction but want to make some more money and are willing to get higher education, there is a need for people with degrees in construction management, architecture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and it never hurts to have a masters of business administration. These will be paths that will likely take you a decade to get there and will have your name on the front of the projects rather than requiring manual labor.
Try to narrow down which field you are most interested in. If your dad is working in construction, see if there is a chance you can visit a job and ask people what they are doing. Try to make connections now because that is going to be the primary skill you will need as you get older. If your family has an opportunity for you to work construction in the future, take it! If you start off doing one trade and you decide you don't like it you can always transition to the other trade later. This field is vast and there is a spot in the field with your name on it!
Liam recommends the following next steps: