Careers

Cement masons and concrete finishers work with a variety of masonry materials, including concrete, brick, and stone. They might be smoothing, leveling, and finishing freshly poured cement or installing brick on the side of a building.

A drywall installer is responsible for installing wallboards to ceilings or to interior walls of buildings and applying plaster. Smooths out imperfections and applies coats of compound after panels are mounted to walls or ceiling.

Also known as tapers, drywall finishers seal joints, repair cracks, and smooth any imperfections on walls and ceilings in preparation for painting or treatment. They use tape and plaster to join drywall panels and create a smooth finish to the surface.

Heavy equipment operators drive, maneuver, and control the heavy machinery used to construct roads, bridges, buildings, and other structures.

Construction laborers and helpers perform a variety of tasks on the job site that most often require physical labor and usually work under the direction of a craft professional. Many laborers use their position to acquire needed skills and experience and eventually move on to become a craft professional.

Painters apply paint, stain, and coatings to walls and ceilings, buildings, bridges, and other structures.

The primary role of an estimator is to determine how much to budget for a construction job or how much to bid for it. An estimator will review plans and specifications, visit the proposed construction site, and estimate what it will cost to build.

The foreman on a construction job site supervises the construction crew. They will typically be responsible for scheduling the crew’s work and helping the crew complete that work whenever necessary.

Acts as the primary leader of a building project, responsible for planning and overseeing its progress along the way. An array of skills used on the job in a variety of ways, including blueprint reading, quality control, reviewing proposals, creating schedules for employees and project completion.

A construction superintendent manages day-to-day construction operations and is most commonly a high level craft professional. The superintendent is responsible for the quality of work and many times for planning, coordinating, and scheduling the construction project.

Architects design structures such as houses, apartment complexes, shopping centers, office buildings, and factories. In addition to considering their physical appearance, they also make sure these structures will be functional, safe, economical, and suit the needs of the people who will use them.