9781422270653

1 Chapter

Is a Construction Career for You?

What’s So Great about Construction Careers?

Construction professionals build, maintain, and repair homes, factories, skyscrapers, amusement parks, highways, ports, bridges, and many other structures, as well our nation’s infrastructure . They are the type of people who like to work with their hands and build and repair things. They do not want to spend their workdays in front of a computer. Careers in construction are available for people with high school diplomas all the way through doctorates. You can train for many positions via an apprenticeship (a formal training program that combines supervised practical experience and classroom instruction) or through the military. These training methods—unlike college—are free, and you will earn a salary while you learn. Many construction professionals spend much of their workdays outdoors in challenging weather conditions, or indoors in unheated buildings and other structures that are in the process of being built. Some jobs—such as construction manager and civil engineer—feature a combination of indoor (in offices) and outdoor work. But unlike many workers, construction professionals don’t mind the work environment and enjoy the fact that no day on the job is the same, and that work settings change frequently.

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