Empathy and patience are important qualities to have if you want to be in social work. When people are going through tough times, they need people to be there for them. You have to be able to empathize in order to support and uplift them.
CAREER
Construction Laborers
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$37,890
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+5.4% (as fast as the average)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Construction Laborers Do
Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
Other Job Titles Construction Laborers May Have
Bituminous Asphalt Technician, Construction Laborer, Construction Worker, Drop Crew Laborer, Equipment Operator (EO), Form Setter, Post Framer, Scaffolding Operator, Site Work Laborer, Toolman
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
My days are never typical. I could be doing any number of things, and be in any number of places. I do everything from cleaning toilets to payroll to driving a Marooka. Which by the way most of you have no clue what a Marooka even is. I may be digging ditches by hand, I may be seeding an area, I may sitting at a desk answering phones, I could be doing payroll, I may even be hundreds of miles from home supervising a crew or working with a construction crew driving dump trucks and running equipment.
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
- Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
- Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
- Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
- Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Construction Laborers
Most common level of education among people in
this career: High school diploma or equivalent (40%)
Less than high school diploma
High school diploma or equivalent
Some college, no degree
Other*
*All other responses combined for clarity.
Educational Paths Suggested by Leaders
Suggested Path
High School
Certification / License
System, Networking, and LAN/WAN...
Additional Skills & Experiences That Can Help You Excel
Communication is a very important skill for this lifestyle. You can't have a functional community without communication. We need to be able to be open and talk, share, and work through the discomforts that inevitably show up in community.
First get your commercial driver's license, being a bus driver is an easy way to do this and have it paid for. Bus Drivers are always needed so it is easy to get a job and they pay for all your training and licensing. Add any other Certifications you can such as Traffic Control Flagger, forklift certification, etc. Some people would recommend joining a union, I have never done this and haven't regretted it. Run any equipment you can from a chainsaw to a locomotive if given the opportunity.
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
Everyone
Get to know people in the industry. Be willing to do anything and be willing to start at the bottom, both in pay and jobs. Never pass up a chance to learn or do something new. Acquire as many skills, even if they don't specifically apply, as you can. Be confidant, even if you don't feel that way. Always do your best and go the extra mile, people are impressed and will give you a shot even if you don't have the exact experience they are looking for. Don't be afraid to ask if you can do something.
Try looking for social media pages or groups for your town. For example, Moab, Utah, has a Facebook page that the whole community posts on about a plethora of things. You can go through a page like that to find opportunities to serve.
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
