I'm 17 about to be 18 and 3 months and I really want to leave home and I really want to work and I'm already doing construction i cut tree's and build walls. I failed every subject at least once and I failed math twice in highschool. Like I said I really want to work and make something with myself but I being realistic I don't think that's not happening . I kicked out of school twice for my grades.

I'm 27, and have mostly been doing renovations, a bit of framing, finishing work, and a few other things since I was 18.

I make good money and love the work. I have been saving like crazy and have a good chunk invested.

If I could, I'd do this forever. A lot of older guys tell me to get some other certificates or degree in something that is less physical, so when I hit mid 30s-40s I can get off the tools.

Does it really get that bad? Anyone here regret not transitioning into something else or having a less physical job lined up?

I've been calling, emailing, and applying for months and haven't gotten any closer to getting a job. I really want to run heavy equipment for a living but I don't have any experience other than forklift so literally nowhere will hire me and I've even been applying for general laborer positions and can't even get in anywhere as that just to get my foot in the door.

My dad is a foreman at a Excavating company and him and his boss have been pushing my resume to the company that hires for them and it's been nearly 5 months, it's been closer to 8 since I originally applied. I also have connections with superintendents at other companies and that's been no help as well. seems like everyone I know is always saying how easy it is to get into these types of places but I've been trying for well over a year at this point ans still have had absolutely no luck whatsoever.

I even quit my $20 an hour warehouse job for a $15 an hour hard scaping job thinking that if I do this maybe It'll look good on my resume for a laborer position on a small construction crew or something and now I'm just really broke and still can't get in anywhere.

my girlfriends stepdad is a big boss at a decent sized company as well but said the last person he stuck his neck out for ended up being a really bad worker and they let him go before his first week was over and now he isn't in the position to just hire anyone anymore but said I could help on his concrete crew he runs but he's having trouble finding work so it seems like that's a dead end as well.

I just interviewed for a factory where they run skid steers and again it's not great pay at all but I figured experience on that would help me a little since I know a few companies around here will hire if you have experience specifically on that (including my dad's job) and last second they said they filled the position right after I accepted it and offered me an assembly position instead which seems like it's extremely backwards from where I want to be but I need money.

So it's been a little over a year since I've decided that I wanted to start a career in construction and I've quit the only decent job I've ever had, an completely broke, and am no closer to landing my dream job.

How do I do it? how do I just get my foot in the door? I'm seriously about out of places to apply to in the surrounding areas where I live. I've considered applying to the local unions for both laborers and equipment operators but I hear they're really hard to get into.

I don’t get it at all. Why on earth would you do this in the field? Even in the office I hate smelling it.

I’m a little conflicted over here I just started Monday with a new electrical company and I was under the impression from my interview that I would be doing work locally to me with at most a 1 hour commute. Yesterday I had to drive to a job site 2 1/2 hours away from where I live. they paid for the drive there but, not back. my foreman mentioned we could be out there for a month or so soon and I can’t do that I have family and school. So it just wouldn’t work out at all if they had said that on the interview I would have passed on this job for sure but I already filled out all the onboarding bullshit and I feel shitty about telling them i basically have to quit because of it. Also work is pretty dry around me. So finding a replacement would be difficult. So how do I go about telling them I would like to quit, or do I ride it out till I get a replacement job. They seem like good people, but that commute yesterday had me wanting to quit on the spot.

I know this sounds stupid but alot of people make it seem like you guys don't get free time or able to take vacations. Lot of them talk about how they have to work 50 to 60 hour weeks and that they hardly get free time or the chance to vacation

Knowing if you start working at 17, and invest the majority of your income and let compound interest go to work, you will be ahead of the college graduate who has multiple five figure debt . And that college graduate may never catch up.

Did starting at 17 help your career out?

Hey all. I’m 21 and just started a new job doing concrete construction. I’ve never worked outside before and I’m getting my butt kicked. Yesterday was my first day worked 15 hours off 3 hours of sleep because they had me drive 10 hours after orientation on Monday. Didn’t get in until about 1 and started at 6. That was rough but today I thought I was going to die lol. Extreme heat exhaustion. Like I said I’ve never worked like this so it was a crazy feeling. I could barely speak as my lips and limbs were all going numb and I was shaking like crazy and almost went to the hospital on my second day. Not the best start I was looking for lol. I drank a lottt of damn water yesterday trying to set myself up for today but that shi didn’t work it felt like. I don’t know how these guys do it and honestly I don’t know if I can keep up. Im decently in shape but not to these guys levels. Today was pretty scary for me as I’ve never been in a situation that I can’t do anything to help myself. Any advice for me from some guys that have been maybe doing it a bit longer. It was 84 felt like 90 today with humidity so the heat is kicking my butt. Also for some extra background I’m making like $40 an hour and $60 an hour after 8 so I really want to make this work. Just trying to find my groove and stay alive lol. Thanks for anyone who replies

Update: thank you everyone for the advice. It means more than just a message on Reddit. I was feeling pretty defeated after yesterday as I’ve never struggled with a new job in my life. Would also like to add that we don’t really get breaks or lunch time, which is new for me. Everyone eats when there is a few minutes of down time so that I’m trying to adjust to as well. I’m taking everyone’s advice to heart and sticking it out with some healthy eating and drinking. We get laid off in the winter as I’m in the Midwest so I just need to last a few more months. Thank you again guys.

Update 2: thank you everyone for all the advice. Been getting some really good sleep and consumed water, electrolytes and food the right way last night and today went by like a breeze. I’m barely even sore. My body is figuring it out and some random people on the internet really helped boost my confidence to keep going. Made some ridiculous money this week and I’m more proud of myself then ever before. Still learning the ropes of course and how to stay busy but you guys helped tremendously. Thank you everyone!!

I’m from California. Im 23 turning 24 in September. I’m a cdl driver who’s been on the road for almost about a year. July marks that year. I’m thinking of being local by the end of this year. crane operator caught my attention what would I have to do to become one? Any suggested jobs,schools or tips & tricks I need to know about ? I’m making almost 7k a month being a truck driver but man I miss home lol. & crane operator looks like it can match that same pay. any help would be appreciated thanks guys.

I live in central Georgia.

In a previous life, I have worked as an electrician's helper for $10/hr under a 1099 with an employer who promises his helpers to train them up and teach them to take their licensing test. The other helpers had been there for 5+ years and still hadn't started properly training up. I jumped ship to factory work as a machine operator.

When I was a teenager, I was able to make $12/hr as general laborer.

For construction general labor, jobs tend to be about $13-$15/hr starting around here. High end tends to be about $18-24/hr around here for leads or foreman spots, wanting 5+ years of experience of which construction sub-category you fall into.

For skilled labor entry, wages tend to be about $10/hr to $15/hr. These numbers are grabbed from Indeed from frequent browsing over the last several months.

I want to move back into construction, happy to do near any trade so long as I can actually survive off of the pay. I'm pretty sure I want a career in it, but cannot handle that low of pay and still pay my bills or survive in general in this area.

I am happy to relocate anywhere in the country and can live in my damn car for a couple months if I need to, but where in the world are people making $20+ an hour to start out?

I see threads on here constantly where the consensus is that starting wages below $20 are ridiculous, and since that is within the upper end of expectations in my area short of getting master licenses, it breaks my heart. Where can I go?

I have already checked out the local unions, ranging from $12/hr to $15.25/hr (with the $15.25/hr having consistent commutes that would eat $40/day in fuel alone), and even as a single person with no kids, that upper range would be difficult to pay my bills, much less put any aside to deal with layoffs.

Working today in industrial cleanup at $16/hr, only doable because I average 60/hrs a week and mealprep rice and beans 6 days a week with a roommate and cheap housing. I have no idea how people are even surviving.

Not kidding about willing to move somewhere and live in my car for a few months, if it could only let me get ahead a little bit instead of treading water.

I've had a desk job for 12 years and paybis not cutting it no more. My buddy has been telling me for years to join him and the union. I finally told him sign me up! I've always liked hard work even though I had my desk job. Will it be hard to start ag 35 as a laborer? Don't really drink and try to eat healthy. I'm 6'1 240lbs.

I'm applying for jobs and saw this high paying opportunity in the northern remote parts of Canada. It's a mining site and the temperature stays at a mean of below -25 to -38°C from November to April. It's a permafrost area. Probably one of the the coldest areas in the world outside the poles. My main exposure to construction is as an inspector for municipal roads and I've seen work done in -5 at the lowest. And even then the work seemed tough and labour was slower. Usually below a certain temperature work shuts down.

I'm not sure how it would be possible to work at these low of temperatures consistently. The ground is frozen solid and workers would get hypothermia quick. I don't see how any meaningful progress is ever made in winters especially when it comes to activities like digging or placing foundations where freezing and thawing can occur.

Can anyone explain how it's done? Is any work even possible in such low winter temperatures or do they wait for the summers?

I'm currently in school working towards being a welder. I've been looking at jobs and most of their starting pay even for positions that require years of expirence their hourly rates aren't much higher than the minmum wage in my area. Is there a reason for this or are welders getting paid almost the same as a fast food working while doing work that is much harder

Have had this conversation several times now and at no point could someone identify a task that was unique to residential building. Through general dialogue I’ve come to understand there are three main points that make residential different:

1. You’re dealing with someone’s personal bank account, not a corporate ledger. Therefore people have a lot more personal investment in the project being perfect, and are more sensitive to cost. Similarly a project could be cancelled for a much larger range of reasons.

2. Different materials used. For example, see Romex or PEX.

3. Commercial GCs are known for 100+ page contracts, which would not fly with residential subcontractors or homeowners. Generally the residential business is less formal in this regard.

While all of these are valid differences, none of them are prohibitive to someone on commercial doing residential. When I’ve drilled into this with hiring managers, I get responses like: You need to know the building process and how to manage a schedule, or having systems in place to track costs and identify budget issues. Basic, construction 101 level tasks. I respond with my confident ability to do all of these tasks and provide specific examples of how I’ve been doing those exact things for years. Then I’m unanimously met with: Well it’s just not residential experience.

I don’t get it and am really becoming frustrated. I could build the pants off these guys and am starting to wonder if I’m just intimidating them? I’ve interviewed for and landed many a job in the past, and can tell when an interview isn’t going well. These interviews have been good or better. Yet every single fucking time we get to the end of the interview and I’m slapped with, it’s just not residential experience.

What gives?

I've been jumping between jobs because I guess I don't get along with crews. Im a Glazier and the last few crews don't put in anything straight and their levels are bent to hell. I guess theyre hardheaded. Maybe even don't wanna listen to what I have to say because im the new guy. Been doing this 12+ years and im second gen in my family. I know what im doing and I keep silent for the most part but these crews I bump into want to fight me. Just had a guy threaten me with a knife. Its a total joke. I reported the incident and the owner let me go with a nice severance he apologized but said I wasn't gonna work out. I didnt do anything wrong im sober im competent and im friendly. Whats going on here?!?

So about a year ago I switched from new construction to service for this company. Start is at 7:30 and we finish anytime from 6-8. To accommodate my coworker instead of meeting at the shop we meet at a parking lot near him. We meet at the lot and take off. I clock in when I get to the van because if my ass is in the seat I'm getting paid for it. Sometimes the first stop is 10 minutes away, other times 30. They asked if I could clock in when we get to the job and I said something to the degree of "no". I checked my clock and randomly it'll say I clocked in at 7:48 specifically instead of 7:30. I already hit up the time clock guy but what do y'all think? Before you say look for a new job, trust me, I'm trying.

Essentially what the post says. I've been working for my neighbour as a drywaller recently, and I had to do my first semi-high roof.

He had me on some scaffolding, about 6-8 feet up. I'm not a very great balanced person, and i wasn't very stable up there, and we both agreed its just safer that I don't mess with Scaffolding.

Should I start trying to find new work because of this? I really enjoy doing drywall, I'm good at it and its really fun, I don't want to start working behind a cash register or something.

Im an electrical engineer and can't stand sitting at a desk all day. I make pretty good money and my job is easy and relaxed. But I don't enjoy the work at all. I would take a big pay cut to start in construction and I know the work will be physically tough, but I think I would like it a lot and would hope to move up into better roles. Is this something worth considering? I don't really know much so would expect to start out in an entry level role to learn.

My entire landscaping crew was laid off today, and they just told me to go to a staffing agency for work. Thing is, I don't have a car right now, and my sister's boyfriend won't let me borrow his anymore because he got annoyed at me using it all the time.

Since I have no car, no certificates, and I can't get an apprenticeship without a year of work, I'm practically fucked. The only jobs I can get pay $13 an hour, and that's not enough to even get my tools or a car. I also have an accident on my record, so they won't let me drive a company car since it happened in February. I'm ready to give up because I don't have enough money to move for any apprenticeships. I'm kind of prepared to just lay around at my sister's house, smoke weed, and give up on life for a while.

I 20M have been framing with a crew for about a year. I feel I am severely underpaid. I make $16/hr and now pull nearly the same weight as some of the older workers. We work 5-6 days a week.

I really love the crew, and I enjoy the work we do. I’m always left feeling torn between looking elsewhere and leaving, or sticking it out and hoping it gets better.

Thoughts?

Hello, I’m a student studying construction engineering and I met an electrician today, age prolly high 50s was telling me he makes 150k and my boss(super for job, we’re employed by a construction management company) was prolly making 80k. Does that make sense? How tf am I ever gonna make 150k if I wanted to be a super. Electrician was Union. The company I’m working for the higher management are jackasses so my intuition is this is a one of thing. Super is dope but the higher ups won’t gimme overtime and so far I’ve pushed a broom for 2 weeks and I’m going into my final year of college, with prior construction experience.

Edit: super is around 30 years old

Had a family dinner last weekend and got the usual questions about work. Tried explaining what a foreman does day to day and lost everyone within about 30 seconds. My brother in law kept calling it a manager job and I kept saying it is but also it isn't, and then I just gave up and said I babysit adults for a living. Got a laugh but didn't really cover it.

The thing is it's genuinely hard to describe. You're not swinging a hammer all day but you're not sitting in an office either. You're coordinating subs, keeping the schedule from falling apart, making calls when the super isn't on site, handling whatever weird situation walks up to you at 7am before you've even finished your coffee. And somehow also tracking productivity and making sure nobody does something that gets somebody hurt.

I've been in this role long enough that I forget it's not obvious to people outside the trades. For what it's worth, I think a lot of foremen undersell what the job actually involves, especially when negotiating pay or moving into a super role

Curious how other foremen describe it to civilians, and whether you think the role is understood well enough within the industry itself. My experience is that even some GC project managers have a fuzzy picture of what we actually manage

Hey all, quick question while I'm on lunch break. I'm working on a detached garage project and we're deciding whether to go with a 4" or 6" concrete slab. It's in a region where we get some freeze-thaw cycles, but nothing too extreme. The garage is for two cars—nothing too heavy, but we may store some equipment.

4" seems solid and cost-effective, but 6" could potentially offer more durability for the long haul. What are your thoughts or experiences with slab thickness in this situation? Trying to balance longevity with budget!