How Is Construction For A Newbie?

potiboy

I will try to make this short but with details. I am 22 living on the eastcoast. I wanted to move down south/south west, mainly NM, TX, CO

Anyways I am in the IT field right now. If I was to move to one of these states, I would like to live in an open land area, not the city type. Anyways from what I researched the areas that have a lot of open land, where you can have a house and like 6 acres easily, seem to have a low amount of IT/Computer jobs.

My 2nd interest has always been construction. I wanted to know how the construction field looks for newbies who have no experience? Are there certrain jobs out there for entry construction people? Do they pay enough to support wife and husband who want to live simple? Is there any test or certifications a newbie could do to increase the chance of getting a job?

Thanks

PressurePros

With no trade skills to bring to the table I can't imagine you would find a job making more than $15 per hour as a laborer/apprentice. The value would be in the experience. Unfortunately an apprenticeship salary would not make you much but in a couple of years you may be able to venture out on your own.

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K2

My experience is that most people get bored with the "wide open spaces", (I call it ucking prarie), after about a year of blowing wind, a few blizards, and a long drive to town, unless there are other interests to make it stick. Horses, ranching, and maybe a very few other things might make it interesting.

I moved to Colorado 30 years ago from North jersey and i'm sure that even today construction people can make more money in NJ. Also the west has a different view of labor which was hard for me to get used to.

Well i'll let some others pipe in here because I could go on for awhile. I would say just investigate it well, (like you are doing), before you jump in. Obviously, some stay, like me.

potiboy

15 dollars an hour isnt bad to me! But like you said thats probably the most I will get.

So where should I go from here? Should I drop the idea or is there something I can do about this?

K2

You wouldn't get 15 in Colorado Springs. Where are you from??

RobertCDF

I was not even making $15 hr and I would run the site when the lead man left. (shoot he usually just stopped by in the morning and told me what he wanted done.)

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
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Custom Composite Decks

K2

How come your not working today Robert???

joasis

I start my guys at $10, if they show promise, are agile, not afraid of high work, and willing to learn....those qualities make getting good help hard to find. I suppose you have gave a lot of serious thought to what you are contemplating? Like money to move and get established with a home/apartment...living expenses....I would say check it out well...because if you move to an area without a job waiting and no support group, like family in the area, you are certainly a risk type of guy.

I love Oklahoma, have lived lots of other places, but this is home to me.....if I were picking an area on the roll of the dice, I would look at the Texas coast......other opinions may differ.

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OsNap

You could do what I did and look for different contractors, and offer to work free/little, as long as they are willing to teach you. That is what I did and it worked. What feild are more interested in? or just GC?

wackman

My opinion is that construction is a good alternative to IT work. At least you know your jobs not gonna get yanked out from under you and sent to India.

If you are serious, consider taking a job (as mentioned above) for little or no money, part time, to learn the ropes. Buy some books on the subject and learn about construction. Then quit your job you have now for a full time construction job and then finally, once you have the skills to get a decent paying job move to the area you really want to live.

Wack

RobertCDF

You aint either!

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Robert Shaw
Colorado Springs Custom Decks
Colorado Custom Decks
Custom Composite Decks

AirPro

No, they will be yanked out from under you by illegal imigrants that will work for 1/2 the wage!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

thom

It seems you want to live where there aren't many people. There won't be much work. Everyone who lives within the surrounding 100 miles lives off each other. You're not likely to start above $10 and you're not likely to stay busy. That's why people move to the city.

copusbuilder

I do not work in the small town I live in but people here are always looking for someone "outside the inbred circle" to do their work.

If the area attracts retirees or weekenders then the work will be there. Being able to put out a product that will sustain you lifestyle is something that requires talent. To get that talent you need to be trained by someone that has the talent.
This is where making a living can be tough.

If you are 22 and can lay low for a few years, do it. Just beware the Hispanic population is gaining popularity with people? I encouraged my kids to look elsewhere for work

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Mark Twenhafel

I'm doing the same thing: IT to construction. Currently I'm in a little construction trade school run by the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, in Tucson, AZ. It's run by a general contractor with a lifetime of experience and over a decade of college-teaching experience. The kicker is it's free, except for the "cost" of having to work for a year at the miminum wage in eight 6-week rotations, where you get experience in the various trades.

We just started the program in September. You might check it out at www dot sahba dot org. (Couldn't post the URL 'cause I'm new--hope you know what I mean.)

Out of 55 who started last year, only 14 finished. Be late three times and you're out! It's gotten some media play and we have students coming from out of state (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois).

Last years grads became estimators, project managers, foreman, laborer, assistent super to train for super. It's what you make out of it. A lot want to become GC's, but we'll see.

BTW, I'm new here and this is my first post. Howdy, all. If anyone thinks I may be a HO, well....everything I've done for the past two weeks involves a shovel, rake, wheelbarrow and pickaxe or jackhammer and my back hurts sitting here.

Mark T.

handyhoppe

We started our company 4 years ago as a Handyman Service and have grown into Remodeling and Handyman Service company. We have grown mainly by word of mouth. Many of our first jobs are small, but when you make the intial contact and the customer is happy, they tend to come up with a number of other jobs and also tell thier friends. We have had a number of small jobs turn into remodels.

We did not have a construction background either. My husband and I both have engineering backgrounds. My husband has a lot knowledge he gained by working with his father and others through the years and I have gained knowledge from him. We rehabed our house together years ago. I have enough knowledge to do estimates and understand what a paticular job requires. I do not normally work in the field unless we are in a real crunch. I mainly do design, estimates, HR, project management, marketing ect...

POOLMANinCT

wow IT guys really do get burned out eh? i see alot of them painting yard care cleaning pools, basic stuff to get in the door.

no offense painters, i know a true painter is a skilled technician, chemist, artist & craftsmen...

handyhoppe

We are not IT people we are Mechanical Engineers. After spending 25 yrs in the corp. world decided to retire and start our own business. I know alot of you look down on handyman jobs, but we are not cheap just good! We do not do lawn care, pool, garage or basement cleaning. We will do painting, but that is the one job homeowners tend to do themselves. They do not want to pay for painting. I realize painting is a skill, but that seems to be the one area they feel they can handle.

a2zhandi

Back when the computer industry was just taking off, many ran for the quick computer training class in hopes of landing a cushy air-conditioned job. With at start was a pretty good salary. While at the same time, undermining new apprentices in the construction industry. Now, the US, along with countries across the globe are experiencing shortage of skilled laborers. And the IT positions aren't paying as well as some had hoped for.

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a2zhandi

We do painting?

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