What is the first picture that comes to your mind when you think of the construction worker? Invariably, it is an image of a rugged man with tools, strong hands, wearing a helmet and perched precariously on top of a high rise being constructed! Yes, the construction worker has been stereotyped a lot, but is it all that a construction worker does or can do? There are some myths to be busted about construction worker jobs and getting one.
• Most of the construction workers are prone to grievous injuries: Not always does a construction worker sit at the top of a skyscraper busy bolting and welding joints. Yes, they do but today the safety aspect has gone up tremendously. At least some claim the job to be better than sitting at the computer and spoiling your eyesight in the bargain! Debates apart, if all safety measures are followed, there is little chance that the construction worker is exposed to a dangerous situation at all!
• Worker exploitation is more: With the amount of physical labor going in, one might very well think that construction workers are an exploited workforce. Maybe some decades back, the fear was obvious but not now since the concept of trade and labor unions came into effect. That is one thing that employers detest but they have to because every worker has rights and that has to be respected. If you consider worker exploitation, it is the other way round with IT jobs exploiting workers more than physical laborers – at least a recent survey says so!
• It is not fit for the fairer sex: Maybe the fairer sex cannot contribute by holding the liquid concrete pipe, but they can sometimes be an asset to the organization by giving important inputs on the design and simulation front!
• A cubicle job is any day better than an on-site job: Not if you consider the lifestyle problems that come with a cubicle job. At least, the workers don't complain of drug abuse, extended working hours, too much job pressure, obesity and other similar diseases.
• You don't need much education to enter a construction job: This is completely baseless. As much as a software market requires a Masters candidate, so does the construction job. In fact sometimes more because there you're not working on simulations but real brick and mortar! And a little mistake can pull down a whole building!
• Construction jobs offer the least security: Developing countries are further creating more jobs than ever, owing to their need for infrastructure development. Construction jobs are at an all time high and there is a huge need for manpower in this field quite contrary to what many think. Work might not go on forever at construction site but that does not mean that with a project completion, the termination of a worker is obvious. In fact, if you're with a firm, you can continue to work at places where the firm has been awarded contracts.