Over Labor Day weekend, we traveled to Aspen, Colorado, with our daughter to explore the place she dreams of one day calling home.
We took a gondola to the top of the mountain. Surrounded by spectacular views, we found a construction site.
My first thought was, “Do not show anyone working in Florida how spectacular this jobsite is.”
Then I remembered that in about 60 days, those mountains will be freezing. Some of the men and women working there may have to travel away from their families, not by choice, to find their next project. Others may face time without work when winter conditions make construction difficult and opportunities scarce in their region.
Colorado was not exactly offering relief from the heat that weekend. When we flew out of Denver, it was 10 degrees hotter than Florida.
Whether working through Florida’s heat and humidity, Colorado’s freezing temperatures or wherever the next project takes them, construction professionals accept conditions and make sacrifices most people never see.
Recognizing Those Who Build America
Construction Appreciation Week was established to recognize the hardworking men and women who build America.
From the skilled trades in the field to the professionals managing people, plans, risks, budgets and schedules, this industry creates the homes, hospitals, schools, roads, workplaces and communities that support our lives.
Observed annually during the third week of September, it is a time to thank the people behind the projects, highlight the opportunities within construction and inspire the next generation to join the industry.
This week, we celebrate every person who chooses construction and helps build America, regardless of the weather, location or personal sacrifice required.
Construction Creates Career Opportunities
The median wage for construction and extraction occupations is higher than the median for all occupations. Construction managers earned a median annual wage of $114,990 in 2025, with the highest 10 percent earning more than $189,000. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
The earning potential is real, but a successful construction career takes more than knowing how to build a project. You must also know how to build your career.
Some professionals want to remain close to home and build deep relationships within one market. Others want to travel the country or the world, lead complex projects and experience places they otherwise may never have seen.
Some become experts in market segments such as healthcare, aviation, data centers or high-rise construction. Others intentionally pursue different project types to broaden their experience and keep more career paths open.
Every project, company, market and position adds something to your professional foundation. The choices you make determine what you can build, where you can work, what you can earn, how far you can lead and the options you can create for yourself and your family.
Constructability and Career Buildability
Constructability matters, but so does career buildability.
Here are three ways to keep building yours:
- Strengthen Your Communication
Listen. Confirm expectations. Communicate risks early. Adjust your approach for different people.
Your knowledge has limited value if others cannot understand it, trust it or act upon it.
- Develop Your People Skills
Continuing education does not always require another degree or an expensive program. Read a book. Listen to a podcast. Study strong leaders. Ask better questions. Apply what you learn.
Technical knowledge may qualify you for the opportunity. Your ability to lead, collaborate and solve problems with others will often determine how far you advance.
- Be Vulnerable Enough to Understand Yourself
Identify your natural strengths, or what I call your construction management superpowers.
Understand which responsibilities, environments and interactions bring out your best. Be equally honest about what triggers unproductive behavior or drains your effectiveness.
Self-awareness allows you to manage those behaviors and ask for support before they affect your team, results or career.
The Other 50 Percent of Career Success
After more than 30 years of guiding construction management professionals, I can count very few who lost their jobs or allowed their careers to stagnate because they could not build or did not understand constructability.
More often, they failed to develop the other 50 percent of the equation.
They did not understand what they were naturally gifted to do, how their behavior affected others, where they needed support or how to communicate their value and needs at work and at home.
Work Is Part of Your Life
Building the project is only part of building a successful career. You must also build trust, alignment, relationships and self-awareness.
When you understand what you do best, where you create the greatest value and what support helps you perform at your highest level, you can make intentional career decisions instead of accepting whatever opportunity comes next.
That is how you build a career that creates choices in work and in life.
Keep Building Your Career
To those considering construction, many of us would tell you it was one of the best decisions we ever made.
This industry offers strong earning potential, meaningful work, lifelong growth and the opportunity to build something that remains long after you leave the jobsite.
To those already in construction who can no longer say they love what they do, do not assume the industry is the problem. Your company, role, market, location or responsibilities may no longer align with who you are or what you want from life.
Choices made along the way can be changed. The right construction-specific career guidance can help you see the path forward and make better decisions from here.
If you are a construction management professional questioning what comes next, contact Florida Construction Connection for a confidential career conversation.
To everyone in this industry, from the trades to the boardroom, thank you for what you build, what you sacrifice and the communities you leave stronger.
For the love of construction, keep building America and keep building a career and life you love.
Suzanne Breistol
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