Move Up and Around in Construction

Have you ever been stuck? 

Maybe you got trapped in traffic or spent way too long line at the grocery store.  

Getting stuck isn’t a great feeling. You want to get somewhere else, but simply can’t seem to move. 

Being stuck isn’t just a physical thing, either. You can be mentally trapped or stuck in a certain situation, including career stagnation. 

Promotions and pay raises are a major driving factor for employees. With more experience comes the expectation of earning more money and influence.   

Career stagnation is a great fear among our nation’s youngest. Eighty-seven percent of millennials rate “professional or career growth and development opportunities” as important to them in a job. 

Some people also don’t like being trapped in a single location. Traveling the world, seeing new sights and going on new adventures can be the spice of life. 

Luckily, a career in construction offers plenty of mobility, in both career advancement and the chance to travel around the country or even the world. 

Here’s how construction can offer career freedom and opportunities. 

Build Your Way Up 

The construction industry is very similar to other industries when it comes to career progression. 

Like most careers, becoming a craft professional begins with education. This education often starts in high school through a career and technical education (CTE) program. Next steps often include apprenticeship programs, technical or community colleges, or universities.  

After completing appropriate training for the chosen craft specialty, a craft professional begins working in the industry. From the ground up, craft professionals help build the structures society needs, such as hospitals, schools and houses. 

But this is not the end of the line. 

As they gain experience and prove themselves capable, craft professionals can move into managerial or supervisory roles. In these roles, they oversee a team of other craft professionals and take on the responsibility of ensuring tasks are completed correctly, quickly and responsibly. 

As they manage their team well, they can be promoted to site superintendent or project manager. In charge of entire worksites and construction projects, their leadership skills and paycheck continue to grow. 

The skills, experience and expertise accumulated through their career can also lead to the corporate world. Craft professionals can also reach senior management, including being an executive, president or even owner of a successful construction business. 

Being a craft professional is not just a job — it’s a career with immense opportunity to grow.

Explore the World 

Along with moving upward, a construction career also allows craft professionals to travel.  

Craft professionals are among the most in-demand jobs in the world. More than 1.4 million construction jobs are expected to be available by 2022 in the United States. 

These jobs aren’t confined to one geographic region. There are jobs in construction in every state and every city that need to be filled. Global construction companies provide opportunities to build across the world.  

That means qualified, skilled craft professionals can choose to live and work wherever they want. Construction is a great choice for someone who wants to travel and broaden their horizons. 

Get Career Advancement and Mobility with a Career in Construction 

With a career in construction, the possibilities are endless.  

Craft professionals who work hard and perform well can live and work where they want while rising through the ranks of the industry. 

See stories of successful careers in construction here.