I currently work as the Director of Education for ABC of MN/ND.  In  this role I manage educational opportunities for member companies including safety training, craft training, management education and leadership development.  I administer apprenticeship training for over 75 craft apprentices and have hundreds of member-employees attend training courses put on throughout the year.  Before working in this role, I worked as a carpenter and general contractor for 15 years, while teaching carpentry and basic construction skills for 5 of those years.  As a carpenter I renovated and remodeled dozens of homes and built dozens more.  My experience has given me opportunities to work all over the state in a variety of exciting roles.

To begin a career as a carpenter, it is important to have a good grasp of basic math, including geometry.  More important is to have a good work ethic and interest in learning.  This career can begin through shop class in high school, a summer job, certificate programs, training through a community-based organization, or starting a full-time job as an entry-level carpenter.

Starting wages for carpenters vary widely depending on sector of the construction industry, but currently average around $17-18/hour.  Experienced carpenters' wages also vary widely, but most experienced carpenters earn at least $30.  The residential side of the industry typically pays at the lower end of the spectrum, commercial carpentry in the middle, and industrial carpentry at the high end.

The construction industry has been constantly growing since the early 2010s.  While it can't escape downturns in the economy, experienced and reliable construction workers rarely have trouble maintaining jobs.  There are always openings for motivated individuals, and carpenters and construction workers in general are in high demand.  I have seen that demand rise for the last 7 years in a row, and that trend is not likely to change in the next 5 years.  There are far more people retiring out of the construction world every year than there are entering it, so hard-working individuals will continue to find success in the industry.

As a carpenter, I enjoyed working outdoors, getting exercise, tackling interesting problems, doing new things all the time, working in different places.  The best thing about the job though was looking back at the end of each day and literally getting to see my accomplishments.  I can still drive by houses that I have worked on and built, and point to them and say, "I did that."

Early mornings, longs days, physically demanding work, changing gears from project to project, learning new skills.

The number one thing that you can do to find success in the construction world is to work hard.  Everything thing else will follow.  If you're not ready to work hard every day, both physically and mentally, construction may not be for you.