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Daniel's essay
Creative Constructing as a Career
Dreaming of new things to create and building them has been fun for me as long as I can remember. As a child, I was always building something; a castle made with Legos, a working ferris wheel made with K'nex or a tree fort at new heights in the woods at the end of the street. In middle school, the favorite part of my day was in shop class creating new projects. At Christmas time, my parents (aka Santa) made sure there were new and exciting tools under the tree. I became a tool junkie. If you needed a Boy Scout Klondike sled designed and built, I was the scout for the job. As a senior in high school, I am in the second year of the building trades program directed by Mr. McCloud. My class is building its second house and working with the subcontractors has been a valuable learning experience. This program ignited my interest in the construction industry as a career. As part of the program, I won the student of the month award from the Home Builders Association of Greater Fox Valley. Outside of school, I had the opportunity to help construct housing for Habitat for Humanity with my church youth group. Last summer, I worked for a framing contractor and got to experience what it was like to work in the real world of construction. This summer I am hoping for similar summer employment.
All of these fun and challenging experiences led to my decision to attend college. I have been accepted into the four-year Construction Management program in the College of Technology at Ferris State University. To be an effective manager, I need to have a knowledge base to rely upon. This includes both the education and the practical experience. Ferris State offers this through the classroom and through internships. After college, I hope to become a superintendent or project manager with a construction management company. I plan on eventually owning my own business and keep on building.
What especially attracts me to the construction industry besides offering me an opportunity to get paid to do what I really enjoy doing is the fact that the construction industry has so many options available for employment and advancement. Construction jobs are not the same every day. There is always some new problem that needs to be solved and no two buildings are ever quite the same.
The construction industry of the past had lagged behind the times in terms of technology but they are rapidly catching up. Modern materials, energy efficient ideas, environment friendly designs and new specialty construction have changed the industry from being a vocation to a profession. This evolving and ever changing profession when combined with technology has created new building techniques, building codes and safety requirements. The construction management program at Ferris State offers students the opportunity to become OSHA certified and I plan on completing the certification process.
Ever present in construction projects are the issues of process management, cost management and communication with everyone involved. The process management of owners, architects, developers, building trades, inspectors and materials, all on a fixed time schedule with a common goal is complicated at best. Cost management with owners, contractors and those financing the project are key to completing a project on time and on budget. In every project, communication is the cornerstone of success. Communication of current issues, changes to project scope and design, timelines, material requirements, and contractors are all critical to a successful building program. These are the skills that I want to acquire and refine at Ferris State.
At Ferris State, the curriculum will give me the opportunity to learn the necessary skills. In order refine these newly learned skills and put them to good use, I plan on joining student groups on campus that volunteer their time with various community service projects that are construction related. These projects combine classroom skills and practical construction experience. More importantly, a group of individuals who have no previous relationship come together and use their individual skills and experiences to meet a common goal that is larger than any one individual could accomplish. In short, team building is the heart of their success. Much like it is in the construction process.
The construction industry is very diverse and I believe that attending college will give me the foundation I need to succeed in whatever particular area of the industry I end up in. My goal is to continue learning throughout my career and to use the knowledge and experience I have gained to be the best builder that I can be. The experience of attending college will add greatly to my ability to succeed.
Daniel is planning on attending Ferris State University, College of Technology - Big Rapids, MI where he has been accepted into their Construction Management baccalaureate degree program. Good Luck Daniel!
Check back with constructmyfuture.com to find out when the next scholarship will be offered. More info about scholarship.
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