I think it is a fair statement to say construction is a uniquely stressful career no matter which side of it you are on. Whether it be in the field performing the work, on the General Contractor side, or Ownership and Development side, there will always be numerous hurdles and challenges that you will face day to day, ones that you wouldn’t in any other field. What makes it all worth it? For me, the people I’ve met along the way and experiences I’ve had at The Douglas Company have made working in construction worth every stressful moment.
On a construction site, there’s the potential to meet all different kinds of people and personalities from all walks of life. You’ll meet skilled tradesmen all offering very different views, bringing new solutions to the table, and pointing out issues that you may not have noticed before. I think that is what makes it interesting. While there are times the stress gets to you, and you’ll question if you made the right choice. But honestly, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. No day is the same, and you are always learning things you didn’t know yesterday. You’re constantly improving yourself to be better equipped to meet challenges in the future.
MY EXPERIENCE
I started my career at The Douglas Company as an intern during my Junior year of college. During my first five month internship, I learned more than I had in my previous two full years of schooling. Because of The Douglas Company, I graduated college with two years of valuable experience I wouldn’t have received elsewhere. Within four years of graduating, I worked my way to Project Coordinator, Assistant Project Manager, and now Project Manager.
One of the experiences from that sticks out the most from the last few years would be the material shortages brought on during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more notably the shortage of electric panels. As a general contractor, we had to work with what we had to continue to put work in place, despite material shortages. As a solution, we worked together with the electrical contractor to formulate a plan to temporarily power and condition buildings using temporary service panels installed on the face of the existing empty panel cans. This allowed finishes and punch work to proceed in a building that would have otherwise been sitting for months waiting on electrical gear.
One of our core values at The Douglas Company is the growth of our associates and business through learning, teamwork, and leadership, and I think we do a good job at exercising that core value. Here at The Douglas Company, you will always be pushed to take on more but not without guidance and assistance when and where needed. You are in charge of your own career path and can advance as quickly as you show you are proficient. Along the way many lessons are learned, and accomplishments made. So many things have combined to make it worthwhile for me, but most of all would be our work atmosphere at The Douglas Company, the variation in the day to day, and the challenges and rewards that come with completed projects – so, in short, the people and experiences.
LOOKING FOR A JOB IN CONSTRUCTION THAT’S WORTH THE STRESS?
Look no further than The Douglas Company. We build places where people live, where they come to heal, and where they come to sleep. There’s no arguing that what we do makes lives better. If you’re not only looking for a job but a career, you’re in the right place. At the Douglas Company, our team of dedicated employees are continuously striving to improve and be their best. If you are motivated, ambitious and a hard worker, we would love to talk to you. Whether you are interested in construction management, engineering, accounting, human resources or marketing, The Douglas Company has many different types of opportunities. To learn more about career opportunities, visit our careers page.
Harrison Inman |