Career Choices Abound in New Home Construction
Virtually everyone can earn a good living and do something they love by working in the construction industry. There are jobs that take creativity. Jobs that take talent in math and science. Jobs that require sales skills. And jobs for those who want to work outdoors or craft beautiful things with their hands.
“I had done carpentry work for 25 years and I loved every minute of it even though it was very physically demanding,” says Earl Athmann, project manager for L. Cramer Designers & Builders. “I just loved working with my hands. It was so gratifying to be able to look back at the end of each day and see what I had accomplished. I would actually get excited on Sunday evenings to go to work on Monday mornings!”
Opportunities Galore—No Matter What Your Gender, Interests, or Talents
There are the skilled trades — carpenters and plumbers, electricians, drywallers, painters, roofers, brick layers, tile setters, and many more who craft a whole lot of raw materials into a beautiful new home. There are the architects, designers, drafters and engineers who create graceful home designs and ensure they’re sound. There are computer whizzes who design and maintain the systems that manage sales, estimating, purchasing, scheduling, and more. The industry needs people to provide the mortgages, people to market the homes, people to develop and prepare the land, people to manage the books, and people to coordinate it all.
“I didn’t see any other women in the building business when I started,” recalls builder Kathy Trimble, owner of Kathy Trimble Custom Homes. “We’re just starting to see more women in the last few years, which I think is wonderful because women have so much to offer. For me it’s particularly exciting to let young girls know how much opportunity there is for women in the construction industry.”
And the one thing all of these people have in common is the satisfaction of a job well-done. A home is where families nurture growing children. It’s the setting for important life events. It evokes many of our most cherished memories. A home really can warm the heart and nourish the soul. So those who choose a career in this business really are part of something exciting and truly rewarding.
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When Steve Schmidt, owner of Steven Schmidt Construction, graduated from vocational school as a certified carpenter, he had no idea that he’d one day start his own construction company. “I hope that young people just out of vocational school realize there are no limits to what they can accomplish,” he says. “If you have the desire to expand your life and even own your own business, you can achieve that goal.”
How to Get Started
High-school students can learn about career opportunities in the construction industry through apprenticeship programs with classroom and paid, on-the-job training. Several high schools offer “construction occupations” classes that include hands-on building of a new home. And most area colleges and technical schools offer exceptional programs for everything from architecture and accounting, to plumbing and purchasing, to marketing and sales.
“Through the Construction Occupations program I have been introduced to the Apprenticeship program, and will be attending next year. I’ve gotten the experience needed to make career decisions in the future,” says Suzanne Ritchie, after participating in Intermediate School District 916’s Construction Occupations program during her junior and senior years at Mounds View High School.
When your student is searching for a rewarding and interesting career, think about the talented teams of craftspeople, business-people, entrepreneurs, and more that find tremendous satisfaction with their career in the home building industry.
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