Double Duty

An up-close encounter with the construction industry can be eye-opening, connecting the theoretical to the practical. For David Serrano, such a transformation occurred when the Covid pandemic forced schools to pivot to distance learning. With more flexibility in his schedule, he started tagging along with an uncle who worked as a siding and window subcontractor.

David was enrolled in the Construction program led by CTAE teacher Tracy Warren at Rome High School, but up to that point, he says “it wasn’t anything serious.” When he began to meet superintendents and other professionals on job sites, his perspective changed.

“I started talking to them and getting advice,” David remembers. “I started seeing construction as something I wanted to do, and figuring out what steps I could take to get there. I started taking it a lot more seriously [in the classroom] and putting in the effort to see what could come out of it.”

In Warren’s program, which recently completed Industry Certification under Construction Ready’s guidance, David was in a great spot to apply his newfound commitment to career preparation. He began to see rewarding career opportunities that he would have missed outside the program. He gained valuable hands-on experience by competing in SkillsUSA TeamWorks contests. And he listened when Warren said, “Hey, this is what it’s going to be like” in the field.

“I would say a hundred percent, [the Rome High construction pathway] had a direct correlation to my work ethic and mindset,” David explains. “In the construction industry, you have to have thick skin and be able to work through a lot of things. Our instructor didn’t sugarcoat things, which was, in my opinion, very beneficial.”

As David’s 2023 graduation day approached, he met various industry professionals who visited his class. Ultimately he participated in a Signing Day event at which he committed to an apprenticeship with Anning-Johnson Company. Beginning work in July of that summer, David paid close attention when he met general contractors on job sites and observed the many career opportunities available in commercial construction.

David also enrolled in the Construction Management program at Kennesaw State University, so when his class schedule began, his work with Anning-Johnson drew to a close. But then he made another connection through a career fair, landing an internship with Evergreen Construction.

David went back to work with his uncle during the summer after his freshman year. Upon returning to school in the fall, he was ready for another internship and he found Evans General Contractors, a design build, general contracting, and construction management firm based in Alpharetta.

Now a junior at KSU, David has continued to work for Evans, with whom he recently moved into a Project Engineer role. His original graduation date in the spring of 2027 has been pushed back six months, but considering the real-world experience he’s getting, the tradeoff is worthwhile.

David says being both a student and a working professional brings benefits to both of his worlds: “There are a lot of things I’m exposed to doing in this job, so when I get to the classroom, it’s not completely new to me. And at school they teach the ins and outs that I can apply on the job. That’s very helpful.”

Discussing his day-to-day work, David says, “A lot of it is problem solving. I like the process of working through issues that come up. Every day and every week, it’s never the same.

“Ultimately my goal is to see how far I can go in general contracting,” he adds. “When I graduate, I want to continue working for Evans and see where it can take me.”

He certainly has a great head start, thanks to that valuable combination of classroom lessons and on-the-job experience.