Hawaii Construction Career Day Guide

Career BlueprintWhere are you going?Create your own plan of action in the construction industry.The big move to decide where you’re headed after high school usuallykicks into high gear in your junior year, but well before then youcan start thinking about the direction you might like to go. Whatinterests you? What skills do you have? What are your goals?* There are numerous Web sites where you can match your personalqualities with potential occupations. Try careerconnections.hawaii.edu or careerkokua.org.* Talk to your high school career transition counselor.* Take advantage of career fairs and career exploration days—including this year’s Hawai‘i Construction Career Days (Oct. 23 and24)—and remember, there is no such thing as a dumb question.18Research it.When you find something that peaks your interest, dig deeper. If youthink construction is the place for you, take some time to explore allthe different occupations. It’s a broad industry.* Explore industry and union Web sites to learn more about thedifferent fields.* Check out the occupation at www.hiwi.org, where you cancompare wages and employment forecasts.* Find out if there are options for internships or career shadowing.* Get a part-time job or volunteer in the business. You may not beable to do the job of a carpenter, but you could be an errand or stockperson and learn huge amounts about the business. It will also lookgood on your resume as, in fact, will any work experience, whetherit’s flipping burgers or hammering nails.Don’t get left on the bench.In apprenticeship programs, there is something called “the bench.”It’s an imaginary waiting place where high-scoring applicants areplaced on one end and low-scoring applicants are placed on the otherend. The high-scorers move on to apprenticeships and work; the lowscorers get left on the bench.So don’t dis’ your classes. You need your high school diploma orGED. That algebra class is important. And so is English. Everyemployer wants employees with good communication skills. Inthe construction industry, you don’t just pound nails, you need toPhoto: Pacific Resource PartnershipPhoto: Actus Lend Lease“What you need to understand is thatmany of the apprenticeship programsare very selective and they require youto take a test, and for many of themthis is a math test. They also interviewtheir applicants, so English becomes avery important subject to pay attentionto in school. You can’t just walk into aninterview and say, Hey, brah!”— Erica Balbag-Gerard, Construction Academycounselor