Construction offers some of the most rewarding and satisfying careers available. Yet, I was mostly miserable doing it and I was not alone.
I would argue there is nothing more satisfying, after teaching and helping others, than creating something with your own hands. Working in construction, you see your efforts develop into something that will serve hundreds and thousands of lives for decades to come. The fruits of your labor grow up and out of the ground before your eyes. Each day you overcome challenges to provide a better future. Challenge me if you will, but I say construction offers some of the most rewarding and satisfying careers available. Despite that, I was mostly miserable at work, and I was not alone. The day came when I could choose whether to persevere with construction or make a change, and I chose to change. Why? What is wrong with construction?
Let’s analyze this like a doctor and assess symptoms. Perhaps then we can arrive at a diagnosis and propose a treatment.
6 Symptoms
I identify six symptoms to assess:
- Insufficient Human Resource
- Overwork
- Life Imbalance
- Stress
- Poor Focus & Firefighting
- Incompetence / Ineffectiveness
There’s a lot to discuss here, so I’ll break this topic into different posts – one per symptom.
Please note, my writing is from the perspective of a Principal Contractor (my background). However, you’ll find these issues throughout all parties in the industry; Consultants, Clients, supply chains, etc.
