With jobsites looking and functioning far different than in the past, Construction Executive asked its social media followers to show what it’s like to work in today’s building sector. As construction company recruiters are all too aware, industry perceptions don’t necessarily align with reality. 

A recent BigRentz poll of 3,000 18- to 24-year-olds revealed only 11 percent think trade schools lead to high-paying jobs. Yet 84 percent of the nearly 500 nonresidential construction professionals surveyed for FireStarter Speaker and Consulting’s 2019 People in Construction Report said they would recommend working at their company to a friend, and 83 percent said they would reapply for their current job. 

To help move the needle, CE’s readers submitted nearly 200 photos of the interesting tools, equipment, technology, places and people they get to interact with every day. From working at height with stunning mountains as a backdrop, to donning a virtual reality headset and watching a historic building come down, these images are a great representation of the variety of opportunities afforded by a career in the construction industry.

Flip through the slideshow above to see the contest-winning image from Sampson Construction, along with the runners-up from Cajun Industries and Pinkard Construction. Show the winners and honorable mentions some love @ConstructionMag and start snapping shots for next year’s #CEPhotoContest.

Honorable mentions

People

Field engineers Camille Betance and Ian Rice of Milender White flashed some personality during construction of The Pullman, a 14-story mixed-use development project in Denver’s Union Station neighborhood. Photo by fellow field engineer Megan McClain.

Jada Jones set up this selfie to document her experience on a bus operations and maintenance facility in Manassas, Virginia. She’s a project engineer with Clark Construction who likes to “get out of the office about twice a week to see the drawings come to life, learn and get some fresh air.”

Tools

In March, the ABC Pelican Chapter’s Southwest Training Center welcomed more than 100 high school students from the Louisiana FFA to participate in welding and small engine craft competitions. Photo by Ivelynn Fuselier, training center administrator for the ABC Pelican Chapter.

John Lobato, an apprentice with Power Design, exhibited serious precision and attention to detail while drilling into a junction box on the Ascent Union Station mixed-use development under construction in Denver. Photo by freelance photographer Mo Lelii.

Places

Asphalt Testing Solutions & Engineering enjoyed February along the bayfront in St. Augustine, Florida, working with Duval Asphalt Products to ensure the quality production and placement of a special asphalt mix. Photo by Kyle Gray of K2 Media.

Multivista photographer Anthony Ochoa dispatched a drone to show the full scale of the $1.5 billion Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The joint venture of Suffolk Construction and Yates Construction topped out the project in July 2018.

Equipment

Josh Wallace, a project manager with Hoar Construction for the past five years, captured a snippet of the ongoing work at the 102-acre Dania Pointe mixed-use project in Dania Beach, Florida. “Most times we just get nice pictures after a project is all done, but seeing the progress along the way is just as exciting. My favorite part of my job is being part of creating something that will change the landscape of an area.”

In this throwback from 2015, Tiny’s Construction CEO Bill “Tiny” Fay watched over the demolition of the Trail West building on 3rd and Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee. Crews mobilized at 5 p.m., began demolition at 8 p.m. and hauled away 144 30-yard dumpsters of debris over the course of four days.

Technology

A team from DAVIS Construction utilized panel bracing technology to tilt up 63 panels to create the walls of a confidential government agency headquarters set to open in Camp Springs, Maryland, in June 2020. Photo by Peter Ukstins, DAVIS’ director of integrated construction.

Ralph Schoch, Revit technology and internal support manager at Victaulic, donned a virtual reality headset to show how the technology can help provide more accurate measurements during the planning phase when retrofitting an existing space.