Construction Career Quiz: is This Industry Right For You?

Have you ever wanted to create something with your own hands? The field of construction is perfect for many people who typically wouldn’t look twice at it. Over 10 million Americans are employed as construction workers — each with their own different jobs and skill sets. In fact, construction may have more variety than you thought, including something that could be your perfect job. This mini construction career quiz can help you determine whether it’s the right industry for you. From there, you can figure out if this field was the one you were meant to enter all along.

How Do You Know if Construction Is for You?

You can take a construction career quiz to better understand if something in the field is for you. Quiz yourself using the following points — do they sound like you? If you find yourself agreeing, you could look for a job in the construction field. Measure yourself up to these traits and see where you fall. You might just thrive in this industry.

1. You Want to See a Final Product

The fruits of your labor are very concrete with construction work. No matter what part of the field you’re in, you’re ultimately working to create something physical you can look at after the job’s done. If you’re working on a building or bridge, you can think of your accomplishment or hand in the project when you pass by.

Some people are satisfied with abstract results, but others feel their best when they have something to show for their work. If you’re someone to complete home improvement projects in your spare time, you might thrive in an environment where you can help build things for a living. Some of your skills may even assist you in your new career.

2. You Like Fast-Paced Environments

Construction means being flexible enough to tackle something new every day. A fast-paced environment means that you’ll be encountering and solving several problems a day — and you’ll be expected to complete tasks quickly without sacrificing any quality. The environment is ever-changing, and you must prepare yourself to turn on a dime and pivot what you might be working on.

As a result, time management is one of the most important skills you can have for the job. About 20% of adults procrastinate regularly, meaning a construction job might be challenging if you’d rather take your time with certain tasks.

3. Critical Thinking Is Your Strong Suit

Do you solve problems for fun? Critical thinking is necessary for any job where you may frequently encounter problems. Solving these issues is crucial to developing any project, so you must think on your feet and analyze how things will likely turn out before making a single decision. Critical thinking skills can help you process every possibility and challenge you for the better.

Critical thinking can also improve your language skills by allowing you to think on your feet and converse like a pro. Communication is immensely important in the field of construction, no matter how many responsibilities your job carries.

4. You’re a Jack of All Trades

While the full phrase might seem negative — “jack of all trades, master of none” — you can use part of it to explain how much you’ve dabbled in construction work without really thinking about it. A construction career quiz might ask you how much you’ve used certain tools or how comfortable you are with certain processes. When you’re a “jack of all trades,” you’re good at multiple things and know the techniques that can carry you through any situation.

Being a “jack of all trades” can assist you in your job search because it means you can tackle just about any situation well. Just be wary of describing yourself as one, as some people might find it off-putting — so you should always be able to justify why being good at a little bit of everything can work for you and your employer’s benefits.

5. You Like to Learn

If you like flexible work that allows you to dabble in new things, you’ll like construction. While building something, you’re constantly learning new things you can bring to the table in other jobs or contracts. Nearly 75% of American adults think of themselves as lifelong learners, always ready to pick up something new and spark a new interest or hobby. Many people choose to learn things that interest them, and if making things by hand and creating something out of nothing sounds great to you, you’ll likely find your passion in construction work.

What Are Some of the Most Common Construction Jobs?

Fortunately, the construction field is wide — meaning that if you don’t find something you want in one area, you might find the perfect job for you in another. For example, you may like doing landscaping because it relaxes you and yields satisfying results, while someone else may work well as a laborer or a mason. Someone else still might find serenity and a passion for painting things well. You’ll be able to find something that fits your lifestyle and what you want out of a job.

Some types of outdoor construction work might include the following:

• Inspector
• Mason 
• Carpenter
• General or Contract Worker
• Landscaper

Of course, not everything in the construction field happens outdoors. If you pursue a certain career path, you might even be working indoors more than out in the sun. It all depends on what you prefer and the experience you want to get out of your job.

The following occupations could mainly work indoors but may work outside:

• Engineer
• Plumber
• Electrician
• Painter

No matter what you choose, if you like hands-on work, the construction field might be right for you. It’s a field that makes the best use of all your skills, both learned and innate, to create the best product you can. Good communication is a must, and if you want a challenge, the industry could prove right for you. Change it up. Explore what’s out there. In time, you’re bound to find something that works for you.

Take a Construction Career Quiz to Understand the Field Better

Of course, you can take a construction career quiz to find out what’s right for you, or you could use one to make sure the field is right for you. People who thrive in fast-paced industries will love working in construction. Even if you can’t see yourself in the traditional picture of a construction job, there may be opportunities you haven’t considered yet. All you need to do is look around. Who knows? You might just find something new you’re passionate about.