16 Jul 2020

The building and construction industry is massive in Australia. It’s a world of endless work, practical-minded people and projects that range from the very small to absolutely enormous.

Like any career, it’s not for everyone. But, unlike any career, there are a hell of a lot of people out there who are the perfect fit.

If you’re not sure whether the building and construction industry is your style, then have a little read of the points below. If some of these points sound like they describe you, then there is a big chance this is the career path for you.

The thought of working behind a desk all day gives you shivers

You’re made to be active. You’re made to move around. You’re made to live!

The idea of spending 40 hours a week indoors, glued to a screen whilst you sit on some uncomfortable wheelie-chair is your idea of a living hell. You’re less meetings-and-spreadsheets and more of a let’s just get out there and do it.

A pie for lunch is a no-brainer

Who knows? Maybe even two pies. Or a pie and a sausage roll.

And damn right you want one of those little squeezy tomato sauce things for 30 cents.

Did someone say choccy milk?

You always preferred being practical over learning theory

At school, you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty. You like all the practical subjects where you can get hands-on and actually show something tangible that you’ve made yourself.

You prefer learning about how things work. Real, moving things that actually do stuff - not theories or politics or philosophies or any of that bull.

Cities aren’t really your vibe

You’re not too keen on the city hustle. Hundreds of thousands of busy people crammed into one small area makes you feel claustrophobic. You need a job that you can do in a small, chill town.

You low-key think high-vis looks pretty cool

Maybe it kinda brings out your eyes.

You’d even wear it out at night if the bouncers stopped turning you back.

“Just you wait,” you tell them. “In a few years everyone will be wearing it.”

You wanna start earning money now, not in five years

When you think of going to uni, you think of spending at least three years completely broke, only to wind up with an entry-level job.

You think of balancing a full-time study load with a crappy job and trying to find time to hang with your mates in between.

You think of assignments and assessments and exams and spending hours upon hours hitting the books.

Then you think of doing a trade. You think of getting career experience whilst you study and getting paid to do it. You think of finishing your studies and walking straight into a full-time job. You think of not having to work on the weekends while all ya mates at uni do.

Banter is a way of life

If you can’t banter, then what’s the point?

You only get one life, so why sign up for a career that doesn’t let you have fun on the job?

Tradies work hard, but they have a good time doing it. The building and construction industry is known for building tight-knit groups of mates who meet on the job. You’re outside, you’re working together and you’re pulling each other’s legs every opportunity you can get.

You want to do heaps of travel

Trades are jobs that you can take anywhere around the world with you and still pick up work.

While most jobs you can get with a uni degree can be taken overseas, they’re kinda limiting in that you probs have to stick to the major cities and you probably have to commit to at least six months in the one place.

If you did a trade like carpentry, you could travel across an entire country and pick up small jobs the whole way across. Trades are a skill that let you live in nearly any location around the world.

You’re the one who can fix things

Whenever your mates break something, you’re the one they bring it to. Somehow, you just seem to have a better understanding of how physical things move and work than your mates do.

You don’t understand why people don’t just buy some WD-40 and fix their squeaky doors and dodgy bikes.

If it’s sounding like the building and construction industry is your thing, then you should check out Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ). They have a bunch of great resources that can help get ya set up for an apprenticeship and even a course selector for those who think they wanna do a trade but aren’t exactly sure which one.