Lets take a closer look at the pro and cons of working in the construction industry. Often the news makes it sound either like an unbelievable opportunity or a horrible labor intensive trap. We will offer some points on both sides of the discussion and let you decide for yourself.

Many of these positions have a starting salary of 70k or more. With a good wage and plenty work this is a chance to land an position that helps provide for you and your family. Before you get to excited lets note many of these positions are labor intensive and can be very  dangerous at times. Visualize being up ten stories or more welding the frame work of a building in 10 degree weather with wind gust up to 20 miles an hour. Or on the flip side, pouring hundred tons of concrete wearing full safety gear while it's 100 degrees out. Now all of the sudden 70k a year might not sound so incising for the risk involved. 
 

Get paid while you learn the trade. There are many programs across the country that offer mentorships or programs that teach the trade and pay you while they do it. Once you complete about 75% of the time you get placed into a full time position. That is pretty impressive especially to someone trying to decide to start college or enter the workforce right away.  

Lets look at this from a different perspective now. Is the get paid while you train / teach you really any different than starting any new job where your trainer teaches about the position? Is that a marketing tactic or something special and unique to the industry? Earlier we mentioned that there are many programs across the nation. However, not every market has those opportunities so it would require you to relocate. You guessed it, relocation is expensive and would be out of pocket. Now on to the elephant in the room. With any career path there are risk involved that you might not be able to find a job that you actually have skills in. We mentioned earlier that on average 75% of the program students get placed in full time positions. That means 25% of participates in that program drop out or end up not getting the opportunity. 

Most construction companies nationwide offer some sort of paid health insurance plan. This benefit is excellent for just about anyone but especially important to those workers with families. Having coverage for all of your family members can save you thousands in health care bills if they are uncovered and need medical attention. 

What is not stated here is the paid health insurance is often a cost shared between the employer and the employee. In some cases if the insurance plans are not negotiated properly between the company and the health care provider the employee ends up paying extremely high co-pays, visit fees and etc. If this benefit is extremely important to you than it's best to ask questions specifically to the potential employer on the cost associated with their plan. 

If the industry is struggling to find workers to fill high pay paying jobs then you should ask yourself, why? Is it to good to be true? What are the conditions that you are expected to work under? Are those high paying jobs available for everyone? Are you comfortable with working in all weather conditions? Do your skills make you a great candidate to enter the construction industry? 

Construction can offer a great career with many opportunities. The beauty of this field is if your willing to apply yourself and learn as much as you can you may be swinging a hammer on one day and drawing blueprints on the next. There is a sense of accomplishment being part of a project where you start with a foundation and build a structure. One thing is certain in this industry, every day will be different with new challenges and problems to solve.