Students explore building trades by Mary Fricker (link to Press Democrat no longer available)
This article gives some interesting facts about Sonoma County's construction industry. The article mentions that the industry is trying to interest Sonoma County youth in the field because many baby boomers will soon retire and there will be many employment opportunities.
North Coast Builders Exchange hosted over 400 students at this year's career expo in the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building where the students talk with trade professionals from electricians and carpenters to landscapers. Entry-level positions pay $10 - $20 an hour.
I would add to these observations that the construction industry is a fertile area for small business development, for those of our youth who are more ambitious. Business owners can earn substantially more if they learn the trades and simultaneously develop good basic business skills such as documentation, leadership, basic accounting and budgeting, systemic thinking and problem-solving skills, good verbal and written communication skills, and good inter-personal skills and relationship building skills.
I recommend that any students planning to work in the construction fields should look for education programs through the Small Business Administration and Gallup that can prepare them for the logical next step of being a manager in a small construction industry company or becoming self-employed and building their own small business.
If you are interested in knowing more about how to begin thinking about building your own small business, you might want to check out Chapter One of the E-Myth Revisited, which is the best book about small business development.
I wrote an article about Market Research for the E-Myth Newsletter called Don't Forget to Ask. In the article, there are a number of links to other extremely useful resources on the topic of small business development.
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