“I used to love it when I walked down the street and construction workers would whistle.”
Eartha Kitt, Actress
Pros and Cons of Being a Construction Worker
Many people think about becoming a construction worker.
If you are one of them, make sure to read this article since I show you all the pros and cons of being a construction worker in detail.
After reading this article, you should be able to make a much more profound decision of whether you still want to become a construction worker or not.
Audio Lesson
Contents
Advantages of Being a Construction Worker
- You don’t need to go to the gym after work
- Construction workers don’t need to sit in the office all day long
- You can work on many different projects
- Being a construction worker can be fun
- You can found your own construction company
- You don’t have to dress up
- Construction workers can see the results of their work
- You don’t need extensive education to become a construction worker
- You can avoid college debt
- Construction workers can learn many new skills
- You can help out your friends
- Construction workers usually don’t have to work extra hours
You don’t need to go to the gym after work
One advantage of being a construction worker is that you don’t have to do any sports after work.
You also don’t have to go to the gym.
In fact, since your work will be physically demanding if you work in construction, you will build your muscles during your job and don’t have to spend any extra time for it in the evening.
Instead, you can use this time for more enjoyable things you just like more.
Construction workers don’t need to sit in the office all day long
Many construction workers also appreciate the fact that they don’t have to sit in front of a computer for the whole workday.
Instead, they can work on projects outdoors and can build something with their hands.
Scientists estimate that many mental issues in our nowadays society are due to the information overload that comes from the use of our electronic devices and since you will not have that much contact with those devices as a construction worker during your workday, chances are that you will also be more likely to avoid developing those mental problems.
You can work on many different projects
Construction workers only work on their projects for a rather limited period of time.
This is quite logical since it will only take a few months for most construction projects to be finished.
Hence, during your time as a construction worker, you can work on many different construction sites and can get plenty of experience in this field.
It can also be quite interesting to work at many different locations since every project will have its challenges which you have to deal with in an individual manner.
Being a construction worker can be fun
Many construction workers also really love what they are doing.
Many of them already had the wish to work in construction in early childhood and now this dream has actually become reality.
Consequently, if you are really interested in the construction industry and love everything that comes along with it, chances are that a job as a construction worker will be perfect for you, even though you might not earn as much as in other jobs.
You can found your own construction company
You also don’t have to work as an employee in the construction sector for your whole career.
If you save money for the first years, you can found your own construction business after a while.
In fact, especially if you don’t like to be an employee and rather want to manage your projects solely on your own, having your own construction company can make your life much easier in this regard.
Of course, also your level of responsibility and your financial risk will be higher.
However, if you are rather the entrepreneurial type of person, chances are that you will be much happier with your own construction company instead of working for someone else in the long run.
Besides, you can also make much more money compared to working as a normal employee.
You don’t have to dress up
Another benefit of becoming a construction worker is that you don’t have to dress up in the morning.
It just doesn’t matter what you wear when you come to work as long as it is relatively robust to protect yourself.
You don’t have to spend any minute thinking about fashion trends or other things related to it.
You can just wear what you feel most comfortable in and will be good to go.
Construction workers can see the results of their work
As a construction worker, you will also be able to see the results of your work on a daily basis.
This can be quite satisfying since you will see the progress you have achieved on a regular basis.
In contrast, in many office jobs, you will not see results for many weeks or even months and even then will the results not be that tangible.
In turn, many office workers are quite unsatisfied with their jobs, even though they might earn more money than construction workers on average.
Thus, if you are the kind of person who loves to see the results of your work on a regular basis, construction work can also be for you in this regard.
You don’t need extensive education to become a construction worker
There are also relatively low barriers to entry for construction workers.
You don’t need a fancy degree or many years of education, at least not if you just want to take the entry step as construction worker.
Of course, if you want to lead a team, you may need additional education.
However, for making the first step in your construction career, many companies don’t have high requirements and you should just try your luck and apply.
You can avoid college debt
Since you don’t have to go to college for becoming a construction worker, you can also avoid the student loan debt trap.
In fact, in our current state of the world, many students amass huge student debt that will often exceed 100,000 dollars.
While this seems to be the socially accepted thing to do right now, it is quite problematic since many young people don’t know the consequences of it yet.
Paying off these huge sums of student debt can be quite a challenge and people will often need many years or even decades for it.
By becoming a construction worker, you don’t have to deal with this issue and can just make your own money from the beginning.
Construction workers can learn many new skills
Another upside of working in construction is that you can learn many new things over time.
Since every construction project will be different and will have its own difficulties, you will have to adapt to new circumstances all the time.
While this can be exhausting, it also gives you the opportunity to gain additional knowledge which you can use later on to negotiate a better wage for you.
You can help out your friends
Since you will learn how to build houses from scratch in construction, you can also help your friends out in this regard.
In fact, many people want to buy their own homes and if you have experience in this field, you can do part of the work or just consult your friends on certain topics they don’t have the expertise in.
Consequently, your friends will be quite thankful for your support and will also try to help you out once you need help in the future.
Construction workers usually don’t have to work extra hours
As a construction worker, you will also have relatively fixed working times.
Most construction workers don’t work extra hours.
This also means that you will often be home in time and especially if you have a family, this can be quite nice since you can spend more time with your kids.
It can also be nice to meet up with friends after work.
Hence, if you want to have regular working hours, construction may be the sector you want to work in.
Disadvantages of Being a Construction Worker
- Construction workers have to work outdoors
- Heavy work that is physically demanding
- Serious long-term health issues
- Salaries are rather low for construction workers
- Construction workers may lose their job
- Short-term contracts are rather common
- Still hard to get into this industry for women
- Construction work can be dangerous
- It can take time to become a good construction worker
- You need some technical understanding
- Remote work is not possible
- Can be problematic once you become older
Construction workers have to work outdoors
Although being a construction worker can have many benefits, there are still some issues related to this profession.
For instance, one disadvantage of being a construction worker is that you always have to work outdoors.
It doesn’t matter if it is cold outside, if it snows or rains.
If your boss tells you that conditions are suitable to work on the respective construction site, it will be your job to work under those extreme conditions.
Hence, before becoming a construction worker, make sure that you are willing to be exposed to harsh outside conditions on a regular basis.
Heavy work that is physically demanding
Construction work also implies hard physical work.
While this might replace the need to go to the gym, it can also be quite exhausting to lift heavy stuff all day long.
In fact, many construction workers get tired of it in the long run but will not have a choice other than to continue their job.
Consequently, make sure that you are willing to do all this heavy manual work as a construction worker so that you will not be disappointed later on with how your workday will generally look like.
Serious long-term health issues
Another problem with being a construction worker is that you will likely also experience serious health problems in the long run.
Since you will have to lift heavy stuff on a regular basis, your body will not be able to withstand this burden for decades.
Your bones will suffer over time and many construction workers complain about back pain or other physical health issues.
Hence, make sure that you are willing to live with the consequences before deciding for a career in the construction sector.
Salaries are rather low for construction workers
While you will be able to survive as a construction worker in many areas of the world, you will not earn really good money most of the time.
Especially compared to white-collar jobs, you will only earn a small fraction of the money.
Thus, if your goal is to become wealthy or even rich, becoming a construction worker will not be the way to go for you and you should go for other career paths like becoming a doctor instead.
Construction workers may lose their job
Due to technological progress, many construction workers may also lose their jobs in the near future.
Thanks to artificial intelligence and 3D printers, it will be able to build whole houses with those machines and there will only be low levels of manual work required.
Consequently, many construction workers will become unemployed and will have a hard time finding another job since the lower demand for labor will be true for the whole industry.
Short-term contracts are rather common
Job security is a problem in the construction sector in general.
In fact, construction workers are often just employed with short-term contracts and have to fear getting laid off after the contract period is over.
This means that construction workers have to search for new projects and job opportunities quite often and this can be quite annoying and stressful.
Hence, if you are a person who loves high job security and long-term contracts, chances are that becoming a construction worker will also not be the way to go for you in this regard.
Still hard to get into this industry for women
Especially if you are a woman, it will be quite difficult to work as a construction worker.
This is partly due to our social norms but also due to the fact that most women are simply not able to lift heavy stuff since they lack the power to do so.
Therefore, women will just not be able to carry out many tasks in construction.
Consequently, you may have a hard time finding a job as a woman in the construction sector and you should probably aspire to other professions that are more suitable for women instead.
Construction work can be dangerous
You should also not underestimate the risk that comes along with being a construction worker.
In fact, many construction workers operate heavy machines and suffer from injuries during their careers and some of them even die.
Hence, be aware of the fact that working in construction implies a certain level of risk and that you are willing to take this risk for many decades during your work life.
It can take time to become a good construction worker
You will also need a certain level of patience in the construction industry.
It can take quite a while until you see progress and you are able to improve your skills.
Especially in the beginning, you will be overwhelmed with all the new information and it will take a few weeks or even months until you will become an important part of your construction team.
You need some technical understanding
Even though the formal requirements for working as a construction worker are rather low, you still need a certain level of technical understanding to carry out the work in a decent manner.
In fact, if you lack this technical understanding, you will make many mistakes that could lead to serious problems and your co-workers will not be happy with you at all.
Remote work is not possible
Another downside of being a construction worker is that you can’t work from home.
While this is often not a problem if you work in office jobs, telecommuting is simply not possible in the construction sector since you will have to work on construction sites in person.
This will make you less flexible and may also lead to some appointment conflicts.
Can be problematic once you become older
While the physical work implied in construction may not be a problem for you in your early years, it can become a serious problem once you get older.
In fact, many seasoned construction workers complain about physical health issues and some of them even have to quit their jobs due to that.
Top 10 Being a Construction Worker Pros & Cons – Summary List
| Being a Construction Worker Pros | Being a Construction Worker Cons |
|---|---|
| Construction workers don’t need the gym | Construction workers don’t get rich |
| Being a construction worker can be fun | Physical health issues are quite common |
| You don’t have to work many extra hours | Construction workers may lose their jobs |
| You can see the results of your work | You have to work outdoors |
| You don’t have to sit in an office all day long | Short-term contracts are the norm |
| Construction workers don’t have to dress up | You need some technical understanding |
| No high barriers to entry | Risky work environment in construction |
| You can avoid student loan debt | You have to lift heavy stuff |
| You can help out your friends | Limited opportunities for promotions |
| Construction workers learn many new skills | Telecommuting is not possible |
Should You Become A Construction Worker?
As you can see, there are numerous advantages and disadvantages to being a construction worker.
In the end, you have to decide for yourself whether a career in the construction sector will be the right way to go for you or if you rather want to work in social professions instead.
If you are also interested in social work, make sure to check out the pros and cons of being a social worker or the advantages and disadvantages of working as a nurse.
Sources
https://www.unitedrentals.com/project-uptime/expertise/5-tips-new-construction-workers
https://www.rhumbix.com/10-tips-to-improve-productivity-at-work-in-the-construction-industry/
https://results-staffing.com/index.php/5-basic-safety-tips-construction-workers/
About the author
My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people of all ages about our environmental problems and how everyone can make a contribution to mitigate these issues.
As I went to university and got my Master’s degree in Economics, I did plenty of research in the field of Development Economics.
After finishing university, I traveled around the world. From this time on, I wanted to make a contribution to ensure a livable future for the next generations in every part of our beautiful planet.
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