You might think that the construction industry probably isn’t great during times of economic strife, and while you may be right in some respects, there’s always a high demand for skilled construction industry workers.
There are many niches within the construction industry, and if constructing buildings or designing them interests you, for instance, it’s worth pursuing a career in the industry.
Of course, that’s the easy bit; choosing the right niche is more challenging! Take a look at the following five career path examples you could consider if you’d like to forge a career within the construction industry:
1. Architect
Do you have a keen eye for design? Are you someone that likes to travel to different locations for work? Plus, do you enjoy creating technical drawings, either for fun or as part of your job?
If the answer to all those questions is yes, you should consider forging a career as an architect. As you can imagine, architects get to work on all kinds of interesting construction projects.
For example, one project might involve designing an office block, while another may require you to design an extension to an existing building like a house or industrial premises.
2. Architectural Engineer
Designing the look and layout of a house or a commercial or industrial property is undoubtedly an exciting job role within the construction industry.
If you’re already an architect, or perhaps you have more of an interest in the technical infrastructure of buildings, you could consider becoming an architectural engineer like Gene Gross.
As an architectural engineer, your job involves designing, fitting, and maintaining infrastructures like electrical wiring, lighting, and heating.
3. Welder
Welding is an essential aspect of many construction projects. For example, welding is typically required for applications like rebar grid arrays that get installed in tall buildings before concrete gets applied over them to increase structural strength.
Other examples of welding include cutting, shaping, and joining metal plates, pipes, and composite materials together. Some welding roles within the construction industry can even include undersea welding for applications like off-shore oil rigs.
4. Plumber
As you might expect, plumbing is an essential type of infrastructure to have in any building. The vast majority of residential, commercial, and industrial properties require internal plumbing to transfer clean and wastewater within each building and externally.
Plumbers play an essential role in the construction industry, and there is no shortage of work available for plumbing contractors. You can also work directly for a construction company as part of their team of plumbers.
5. Crane Operator
One final construction industry career path is working as a crane operator. As you can appreciate, a crane operator’s role is very involved, focused, and precise. One wrong move could endanger many people’s lives and put a construction project in jeopardy!
When you’ve undertaken training as a crane operator, you can get involved in many high-profile building projects, both domestically and abroad. Moreover, you’ll enjoy having a different view from your “office window” each day!
