Are you Ready for a Life in Construction?

The audience for this short article goes out to anyone who is thinking they want to enter the construction field for life. I want you to understand what most contractors are looking for.

Check yourself and see how well you match up.

• You are physically capable of doing any kind of labor work, and you are humble enough to do it. You don’t think any labor job is beneath you. Your resume proves this from the early teens.

• You like to build things. You always have. It is in your DNA. Maybe you tear apart engines. Maybe you build fences on a ranch. Maybe you jump in to help put a roof on your grandpa’s house. Maybe you have worked tirelessly on farms or ranches.

• You know how to use tools and equipment to make the job go better and safer. Maybe you have operated heavy yellow iron-like excavators or dozers. Maybe you have only run a nice green tractor pulling a big old bush hog or a skid steer. You like productive work, and you know how tools and equipment make work productive.

• You probably have a high degree of self-confidence because you have learned the value of making money doing productive labor work. You enjoy having a fat bank account.

• You may not be a college kid, but you know you are smart. You believe that if you can get hooked up into some kind of trade apprenticeship program, you will be set for life.

• What makes you smart is you are a great learner. You see people doing something, and you ask questions. Then you try it yourself. When you run into things you don’t know enough about, it drives you to self-learn. You search Google or ChatGPT to get smart enough so that when you ask an old industry veteran, you are at least using the right words and asking good questions. You enjoy independent learning; you are always doing it. Curiosity about work is strong in you.

• You don’t like the entitlement mentality many of your generation have. Even though you are smart, you know you don’t deserve anything except an opportunity to prove yourself. It bothers you that many people in your generation are incapable of managing their own life. But you are humble about it.

• You enjoy being around “old timers” who take you under their wing to teach you. You look past their gruff persona and find mentors in them, and you thank them by really listening and doing what they suggest. What they know sometimes humbles you because you ask yourself in the mirror, “How the heck will I ever be as smart as that old dog?”

• You have a knack for organizing your work, and you are pretty sure you can do that for others. So, you’ve always felt like you could be a leader. When someone asks you in an interview, “Where do you want to be in a few years?” your natural humbleness makes it hard for you to declare yourself a leader. This hesitancy comes from knowing you don’t know the work; it makes you a little nervous to lead others who have done the work a lot longer than you. Deep inside yourself, you know you won’t always be a follower. You are willing to bide your time and let your mentors prepare you.

• If we asked your friends, they would say you are helpful, you smile easily, you know how to take a joke, you know how to make a good joke, and there’s nothing weird about your personality. You can self-reflect on your own emotions, and you can control them appropriately.

• You are willing to challenge the status quo but always in a respectful manner. People who see you do this respect the way you do it. You are also willing to zip your lip and just do what you are told after the discussions are done, even if you disagree. You are willing to believe in the combined wisdom and experience of your mentors, yet you are always ready to offer ideas.

• You have a competitive spirit. You love to win; you hate losing. Failure really bothers you, and you reflect on failures to do better next time. You seek feedback from mentors, and you actually listen and don’t get defensive.

• You know you are part of a machine, and it takes all the mechanisms in a machine working together to get the necessary results. You know the world doesn’t revolve around you. However, you want to be an important part of the machine and earn your way to being part of the decision-making team.

• You don’t sweat the small stuff. If something goes bad in the day, you try to have a good day anyway. Working isn’t just for a paycheck; it is a way of having a good life, and you appreciate the opportunity to work for a paycheck doing something you love. You love construction.