9781422270875

and respond to droughts, wildfires, climate change, and other environmental challenges. Excellent demand exists for workers in many infrastructure careers. These are the people who fix roads, bridges, and ports, and build new ones; ensure that water is delivered to communities, and treat the wastewater created by people and businesses; build, maintain, and repair systems that distribute energy, and provide telecommunications services; move people in buses, trains, and planes; and perform a variety of other hands-on work. But infrastructure careers are not just for those who like to build or fix things, or transport goods and people. There are opportunities for construction and other types of managers; logistics professionals; building, bridge, and other types of inspectors; engineers and scientists; and workers in administrative, financial, human resources, and other supporting fields. You probably already know someone who works in infrastructure. More than 17.2 million people (or more than one in every 10 workers) are employed in an infrastructure career in the United States, according to research from the Brookings Institution. This is where you come in. The infrastructure industry needs you, because there is a shortage of workers in many infrastructure careers. This has occurred for two main reasons: 1. In the United States, there has been a push for decades to encourage high school students to earn bachelor’s degrees (go to college). It’s a misconception that a college degree is the only path to a comfortable life. 2. A societal misconception exists, where people believe that workers in many infrastructure careers (excluding scientists, engineers, and managers) do not earn high incomes. Let’s take a look at both of these misconceptions, get the facts, and learn how careers in infrastructure are an excellent path to a comfortable middle-class life.

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