If you’re making a fresh start after military service, you might be wondering what comes next in life. Work and careers look a lot different in the civilian world than they do among the enlisted. You might be asking questions like:
- How should I make a living?
- Will my work be satisfying?
- Can I use my military skills in a civilian work environment?
- Will employers value my military service?
These questions are weighty, and it’s common for vets to struggle with all of them when they start to build a civilian life. Luckily for many veterans, the construction industry has answers.
For veterans who haven’t attended college (or who never graduated), construction offers a fantastic combination of military-to-civilian skills transfer, compensation, and overall life satisfaction.
Basically, you can draw on the skills you acquired during your service and use them in one of the many construction jobs available to veterans. The best part? There could be a construction training program in your area that prepares you for a job, connects you with employers, and charges you nothing to participate.
What veterans bring to the construction industry
First things first, let’s look at how military skills are a good match for construction careers. You might never have wired up a room, raised a new building frame, or plumbed a commercial kitchen. So how exactly do your military skills translate?
The answer isn’t so much in the hands-on part of the job – you’ll learn that during training and after you get hired. It’s more about how well-rounded you are as an individual, thanks to your service. In particular, construction employers are looking for skills like:
- Capacity for leadership
- The ability to work on a team
- Fast adaptability
- Strong self-motivation
- Reliability and being task-oriented
- Organization and punctuality
You likely mastered all of these skills during your military service. They just so happen to be the exact same skills construction employers are looking for in their workers.
And if you did gain experience operating heavy machinery in the military, all the better! Many veterans come to the construction industry with experience in industrial technology. Others might already know how to operate equipment like bulldozers and cranes – the same machines they’ll use each day on the job site!
Regardless of the specific abilities and experiences you bring to the skilled trades, you’re sure to find a bounty of career opportunities. Construction companies tend to promote from within, and it’s common for workers who start off earning an hourly wage to begin earning a great salary after a year or less on the job.
Construction pays very well. The pay becomes even more competitive after you’ve spent over a year on the job, acquired some essential skills, and proven that you’ve got what it takes to advance in your career. Just as in the military, your responsibilities increase as you gain experience.
How should veterans train for a construction career?
The fastest way is through a dedicated training program for soon-to-be construction professionals. In many cases, this is also the best way.
Why is it the best? For one thing, a good construction training program will focus on the essentials. You’ll earn all the key construction credentials you need to be an attractive candidate in the job market.
In some cases, the program will include employer introductions and job interviews as part of the training. Not only will you obtain the training you need to get hired – you actually will get hired!
The 20-day Construction Ready program offers veterans both of these outstanding benefits. In addition to earning key credentials and getting connected with your first job, Construction Ready costs you nothing to attend! The program receives funding from private sources and government grants, so your spot in the class is fully paid for.
So far, 97% of Construction Ready graduates received a job offer before they even completed the 20-day program! Graduates go on to pursue high-earning, personally gratifying careers in the construction industry.
Find out more about construction training for veterans
Go ahead and take the first step toward building an exciting and rewarding civilian life. Sign up today for a Construction Ready info session!
We’ll show you all of the opportunities in the construction industry and help you determine whether your military background makes you a good candidate for our training program. In our experience, veterans thrive not only in Construction Ready, but in their construction careers.
With the leadership and organization skills you learned in the military, you’re sure to find a wealth of rewarding opportunities in the skilled trades.
