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CAREER PATH

plumber service

A career in construction can
take you all the way to CEO.

When you work in the construction industry, you have more than just a job. You have a career that offers competitive pay, room for growth, security, and the chance to shape the world.

Construction is all around us and is vital to our lives. The skilled men and women in this field are building hospitals, schools, roads, and so much more.

If you’re ready to start building your future, click the button below to see how you can start your career in construction and see where it can take you.

Start Your
Career Path

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Middle School –
Career Awareness

It’s never too early to start exploring your career options in construction. Whether you want to work with your hands, outside on a jobsite, or behind the scenes in an office, there is something for everyone in this industry.

A great place to start is to find out if your local high school offers classes focused on career and technical education. If possible, attend a construction career day and share this hands-on learning experience with your teachers, parents, and friends.

High School or Technical Center

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High School - Technical Centers

Taking career and technical classes at your high school or local technical center can get you on the fast track to success. Often, these courses are taught by certified instructors who work in the trades, and this means you’ll start earning your certifications as you go.

These certifications are nationally recognized in the industry. They can open the door for you to get a job with a good company that will assist in furthering your education after high school. Some colleges also recognize these credentials and will give you college credit for them. Either way, you’re a step ahead!

University
Degree

Community Tech College

Industry Apprenticeship

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University Degree

Construction management is another great option if you’re interested in overseeing the planning, design, and construction of a project from beginning to end. There are a variety of four- and five-year programs that offer construction-related degrees, including project management, estimating, human resources, architecture, engineering, and safety.

Degree programs typically include a mix of technical, managerial, and business courses. You don’t need previous construction experience; you just need to be interested in a fast-paced industry with huge growth potential.

Engineer

Project Manager

Estimator

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Assistant Project Manager

After completing a construction management program, there are a variety of positions you can explore, including an assistant project manager. In this role, you’ll support the project manager with management duties and project oversight.

It’s essential for you to get the experience necessary before managing a project on your own. So, you will likely shadow an experienced project manager for some time until you’re ready to handle multiple projects.

Project Manager

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Project Manager

After working as an assistant project manager or a site superintendent, you have discovered your passion for managing.

As a project manager, you oversee multiple projects and work with everyone, from craft professionals to the CEO. Your job is to plan, budget, and document all aspects of the specific project you’re working on.

Estimator

Senior Management

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Community College
or Technical College

More and more colleges are offering hand-on construction-related training classes to help you master your skills. Imagine learning more about wiring a sound system or laser beam welding while earning college credit.

When you’re ready, you will have the opportunity to find a job in the field you are studying while attending school. The flexibility of these programs allows the best of both worlds.

University
Degree

Craft Professional

Industry Apprenticeship

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Entry Level

If you don’t have any industry experience, certifications, or licenses, you’ll enter the workforce as a laborer or an apprentice. During this time, you’ll work with a licensed tradesperson to get on-the-job training, learn about specific procedures, and get to know the tools of the trade.

Experience, along with earning your license, will help guarantee you advance to the position of a craft professional.

Craft Professional

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Industry Apprenticeship

Not sure if college is the right choice for you? When you enroll in an industry apprenticeship, you get paid to learn a trade! Whether you want to explore the path of a plumber, electrician, sheet metal mechanic, or an HVAC technician, we offer in-person and online classroom training as well as the on-the-job training hours required to earn your trade-specific license.

Additionally, completing an apprenticeship can put you ahead of your peers. U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that apprentices who complete their program earn approximately $300,000 more during their career than non-apprenticeship workers.

Craft Professional

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Craft Professional

After spending time training as a laborer or completing your apprenticeship, you become a craft professional. Because of the experience you’ve gain and the skills you’ve learned, you’ll be making a competitive salary at this point.

If you decide you’d like to continue to build your skills and knowledge, your next step would be to take leadership training to become a foreman. Another option would be to enroll in college for a construction management degree. Either way, your foundation is solid for your next course of action.

Foreman

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Foreman

After gaining experience as a craft professional and completing leadership training, you can advance to a foreman. This supervisory role requires effective communication skills and knowledge of planning and scheduling. It’s your responsibility to make sure those who work under you are performing their jobs safely and that all work is completed correctly and on time.

You may choose to stay at this level or take safety, supervisory, or management training to move into a safety manager, project manager, or superintendent position.

Superintendent

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Engineer

Becoming an engineer or an estimator typically requires a college degree and some field experience because you must have a solid understanding of the industry.

Estimators examine blueprints, materials, labor costs, trends, and more to estimate the cost of a project before it begins and present this number to the client. If you overestimate or underestimate, it could result in losing the project or costing the company money.

On the other hand, engineers oversee the design and implementation of building projects. They gather resources, including employees, tools, and machines, oversee progress and safety on the jobsite, and develop project budgets.

Once you have a solid understanding of project estimating or engineering, you can use your skills to advance to a project management role.

Senior Management

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Estimator

Becoming an engineer or an estimator typically requires a college degree and some field experience because you must have a solid understanding of the industry.

Estimators examine blueprints, materials, labor costs, trends, and more to estimate the cost of a project before it begins and present this number to the client. If you overestimate or underestimate, it could result in losing the project or costing the company money.

On the other hand, engineers oversee the design and implementation of building projects. They gather resources, including employees, tools, and machines, oversee progress and safety on the jobsite, and develop project budgets.

Once you have a solid understanding of project estimating or engineering, you can use your skills to advance to a project management role.

Project manager

Senior Management

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Superintendent

Becoming a superintendent requires experience overseeing a crew and supervisory training or a college degree with field experience. As a superintendent, you run the jobsite. You’re on site and in charge of all subcontractors and work that’s performed in the construction of that project.

Your next step in advancement might be to become a project manager or to move into senior management.

Estimator

Project
Manager

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Senior Management

By this point, you’ve managed crews, sites, projects, and more. You’ll now use all your experience at the corporate level. We have senior leaders who run a variety of divisions: quality control, estimating, safety, human resources, and overall management.

Understanding the process that projects go through and all the working parts that it takes to complete projects successfully is vital. Your expertise will now be considered when decisions are made for the overall company.

CEO, PRESIDENT,
EXECUTIVE
OR OWNER

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Director

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CEO, Executive or Owner

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CEO, President, Owner

Regardless of where you start, industry apprenticeship, community college, or a university, this level of success in a construction company is dependent more upon your skill and dedication than the path you took to get here.

There are thousands of great stories within the construction industry of how a kid who loved to build things or tinker ended up as CEO, President or Owner of a company. If there is one industry that allows multiple paths to success, it’s the construction industry.

Construction allows you to create your own story no matter where you start. Is it college first, work first, or both? The most important aspect is that you get credentials, whether it is through the college system or the industry, credentials do matter. Your level of success is in your hands.

safety

SAFETY
 

Leed Certified Sustainable Construction

LEED /
SUSTAINABILITY

Building Information Modeling

VDC / BIM
 

commercial hvac service

SERVICE
 

Mechanical and Electrical Prefabrication

PREFABRICATION
 

special projects

SPECIAL
Projects

Design-Build

DESIGN - BUILD
 

digital controls

CONTROLS