The beginning of my career in construction, began in an almost stereotypical way. I married a builder, and took on the role of data entry. It was in deciding to give up my ‘other’ job, that created the opportunity for me to find my worth, within this seemingly unforgiving industry.
Women In Construction – Finding My Worth
After having children, and going back to work in pharmacy, work became my life. I was extremely fortunate to be given the position of store manager, and allowed this opportunity to consume my life. My identity was my work, I became my work. I would happily work 50-60 hours a week, though finding any kind of balance with family was nearly impossible, I loved what I did.
Bringing that enthusiasm to the construction industry was always going to be a challenge for me, however I am not content with becoming a number and swimming with the crowd.
Finding how to create a career within such a male dominated industry, without following a stereotypical role was a challenge in it’s self! It started with making a list, a list of what I was good at, what I wasn’t so good at, and then working with the builder to see where we could match the list to what our business needed.
From there it took a great deal of courage to step well outside my comfort zone, and give it a try. I am fortunate to have always been well supported by The Builder, but navigating those early days was difficult for us both.
Trying to have some sort of authority when you don’t really know why steel placement or concrete vibration matter, is a really complex path.
This is why having a team around us, who also believe in our journey and share our vision for our company, was and is so important. When you can trust in your team, you can allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to ask questions and seek knowledge.
Finding my path in our business and carving out an identity within our industry has been a challenging adventure to go on. The reward for me of breaking away from the stereotypical role, and creating what I consider to be a fulfilling career is exactly that, creating an exciting and fulfilling career.
I would love to hear how you have managed, when needing to define a role for yourself. Was it difficult? What sort of challenges did you come across?
Nicole xxx
Linking up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT
When I have stepped out of my comfort zone I have always taken big steps forward. Maybe not straight away but simply believing that I could, meant I would.
When I was younger, I worked in aged care. I did that from age 18, off and on, so by the time I was in my mid 20s I had a lot of experience- but that wasn’t obvious to older staff members in one place I worked who didn’t take kindly to a much younger person with a level of authority. It was hard to assert myself without coming across the wrong way!
I’ve had to assert myself in many situations – it’s kind of second nature sometimes now!
I’ve had many different career roles, most of which I found that once I stepped forward and out of my comfort zone I realised weren’t as scary as first thought. I think it’s a matter of what you’ve done already; identifying your strengths and weaknesses and applying these. Build on your strengths, and work on your weaknesses.
As scary as it is, sometimes discovering yourself is the biggest step forward in life! Well done ?
My role has changed since I became a plumber and I think it will continue to evolve and while that’s great because it’s always different, it can also have me doubting myself. I like how you and the builder were able to work out where you fit in and I love that your role is continuing to evolve too. ?
I love that you have made a role for yourself – good things happen when you step out of that comfort zone! High five to you for all that you’ve achieved!
Starting my business (in web writing & digital marketing) 3 1/2 years was a HUGE learning curve for me after a lifetime as a government employee. I’m grateful for the help that things and people like: my redundancy payout that took the pressure off financially for the first 12 months; the support of my hubster; a friend with her own business not only became my first client, but mentored me in the ways of business; doing my Cert 4 in Small Business Management; and joining a Virtual Assistants Network; have given to me along the way. But like anything as soon as I think I’ve got my head around things, I have another “challenge” – pride comes before a fall LOL!
Such a big career change like yours will always have its challenges. I think your points about knowing yourself (making a list), having a mentor (hubby) and a supporting team are all excellent! Well done to you.
I can completely get the adoption of new careers for yourself and I applaud you for making it your own. You are doing so well Nic!
For many years I thought that the only thing that defined me was my mental illness. For me the first step to changing that was getting right back to basics and telling myself the simple roles that made me who I am. So I started with daughter, sister, friend etc and then built on from there.
p.s Sorry for taking so long to return the IBOT comment love xx
[…] can be very challenging, and I have spoken on here a few times about how I have struggled with finding my worth and feeling inferior, but with some perspective and a few life lessons, I have managed to find my […]