If you’ve been wondering whether or not you’re ready for a construction career, there are several ways you can tell. But making a career decision often feels like something you have to hide until you are already most of the way there. Sometimes, if you’re struggling to get to the next step, you just have to find a way to say it out loud. Here are a few tips.

“I Need to Try Something Different.”
In the 20th century, a lot of people expected to work in the same field for the vast majority of their adult lives. These days, hardly anyone expects to stay in the same industry, much less the same kind of job. Plenty of people still do that in construction, but the career plan in many other industries has changed a lot. If you’ve been working in a field that you realize no longer suits you, or if you’re tired of moving from one dead-end job to another, making a change could be an excellent idea. Sometimes, the ability to say that you’re not happy where you are and that you need to try something different is the most important first step.

“I Want More Career Mobility Than I Have Now.”
Our culture still sets the expectation that people should know what they want to do for a living before they get out of middle school, much less college. The problem is that people often enter a career path in their 20s, only to realize that they will peak by the time they’re 25 or 30. After that, they have to fight younger workers for the same jobs they were trying to get 10 years before. If you are in a field that peaks early like this, it’s perfectly sensible to say that you’d rather find a career that allows you to keep moving upward.

“I’ve Spent a Lot of Time Considering My Options.”
Whenever you’re about to make a big change in your life, it’s tempting to spend much more time than you need evaluating your options. It’s even harder if you’re the kind of person who stands at the fork, worried about the road not taken. And of course, you may have friends and family members who encourage you to keep thinking about it, rather than act. But once you’ve looked at your career trajectory at present, and compared it to the jobs that you could have if you go into construction, the only thing left to do is make a decision. In some cases, saying out loud that you’ve put in the work is enough to silence the naysayers, including the one inside your own head.

“I’m Ready to Run My Own Business.”
Many people go into construction because they want to run their own businesses. It’s not that construction is an industry with lower costs for businesses, or some other similarly enticing prospect. Mostly, there are lots of careers in construction that don’t require you to work with a larger company. That makes it easier for people to consider running their own businesses. And if that’s always been a dream of yours, saying it may be a way of kicking those ambitions in gear. And if you’re not quite ready, this statement could be the incentive you need to get there.

“In Five Years, I’ll Be Glad I Made This Decision.”
Many expert advisers tell people not to plan their careers out by the year. Instead, they often say that you should look at where you want to be in the next five years. There’s a couple of reasons for this. First, most people can reasonably expect to work for 40 or 50 years. Planning it out in single-year increments might be overwhelming. Second, you’ll see more progress in a five-year period. If you can imagine the benefits of starting your construction career now, a five-year plan might show you achieving the goals of becoming a licensed contractor or starting your own contracting business.

If you’re ready to go into construction, there are a lot of ways to say it. For assistance in learning what you’ll need to pass the contractor licensing exam, contact CSLS today!