Are you sick of your job as a construction worker and want a new job? If YES, here are 50 best high paying career change ideas for construction workers.
If you work as a professional construction worker or even as an ad-hoc staff in the construction industry, there will be times when you feel like changing your career to one that is less stressful.
It is not out of place to gravitate towards another career path especially if you know you are going to be well – paid or you are going to have more time to handle other personal concerns, or you know you will have career satisfaction. There are several options at your disposal if you are a construction worker that desires to change his or her career.
The fact that you are a professional means that you can fit into other industries irrespective of your area of training. The essence of education is not to prepare you to be a strait-jacketed worker that can only fit into an industry, but a thoroughbred professional that can fit into related industries.
As a construction worker, there are industries that your construction career experience will be a plus for you and there are industries that don’t require any experience from the construction industry.
So, it is your responsibility to know where you are needed and make the necessary career switch. The essence of this article is to highlight 50 best career change ideas that a construction worker who is looking towards making a career switch can consider, and here they are.
Best Career Change for Construction Workers
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Become a Building Materials Dealer
The idea of switching career should be guided by the area where your experiences in the construction industry will not be put to waste and one of such lines of business is to become a building materials dealer. A building materials dealer retails building materials such as lumber, hardwood, stones and brick.
This industry also supplies cabinets, floor coverings, roofing materials, electrical and plumbing goods, doors and windows to the construction market.
Part of what you need to do to make headway in this business is to ensure that your store is strategically positioned and you have good business relationship with construction companies, contractors and key players in the real estate industry.
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Become a Corporate Trainer
Another interesting career part that a construction worker who has successfully cut his or her teeth in the industry should consider switching to is to become a corporate trainer; a trainer that can help train construction workers and those in similar industries.
Starting a corporate training firm is not too expensive except for the money required to rent and furnish an office space.
Running this type of business requires that you should be trained as a brand business coach and a peak performance specialist and it is indeed a very lucrative business in the because every company wants to establish themselves as the world leader in their industry.
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Become an Environmental Consultant
Having worked as a construction worker, if you are considering changing career, then one of your options is to become an environmental consultant.
As an environmental consultant, your core services is to offer advice to businesses on environmental issues, such as controlling environmental contamination from pollutants, toxic substances and hazardous materials. Environmental consultants identify problems, measure and evaluate risks and recommend solutions.
If you are considering becoming an environmental consultant, then you must endeavor to get certification in environmental management.
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Start an Equipment Leasing Business
Another career shift that you should consider as a construction worker is to start an equipment leasing business. Your core responsibility as an equipment leasing business owner is to engage in general industrial equipment rental, light construction equipment rental, medical equipment rental, industrial energy equipment and pumps rental, amongst others.
Having worked in the construction industry, you would have successfully built business networks from players in the construction industry that can patronize your business.
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Start or Work in an Excavation Company
Starting an excavation company or working in an excavation company is yet another career path that someone that has worked in the construction industry can easily switch over to. As an excavation company, your responsibility is mainly to excavate land for building construction. They are known to carry out activities such as drilling shafts, foundation digging and grading et al.
The excavation work performed by these companies could be new work, additions, alterations and repairs. It will be to your advantage to network with contractors in the construction industry. They are your major clients; they are the people that can give you excavation contracts so as to keep your business afloat.
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Work with a Fire Protection Equipment Manufacturing Company
Working or starting a fire protection equipment manufacturing or installation company is one of the career paths that your experience as a construction worker can help you out.
Players in this industry are involved in the manufacturing and installation of fire safety equipment or devices such as fire alarm, sprinklers, fire blanket, fire signage, fire hose reels, fire extinguisher and fire rated floor assemblies to form fire compartments intended to limit the spread of fire, high temperatures, and smoke.
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Become an Energy-Efficiency Consultant / Home Energy Auditor
Another interesting career that someone with good experience in the construction industry can successfully change to with little or no stress is an energy – efficiency consultant or home energy auditor.
Energy-efficiency consultants help their clients, most of whom are manufacturers, to reduce energy consumption and pollutant emission. A range of energy-saving services, from technical consulting to project construction and management, are included in this industry.
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Become an Aerial Drone Photographer
Becoming an aerial drone photographer is yet another career switch that a construction worker should consider. Aerial photography is taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated/direct – down position.
Please note that there are a lot you need to know and learn about drone technology before making up your mind to go into aerial drone photography. Your research will provide you information on where to attend training, how to source for aerial drone photography contracts, the required tools and licenses, et al.
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Become an Architect
If you are considering switching careers as a construction worker and you want to become a professional that can still bring the experiences you have garnered in the construction industry to bear in this new career, then you should consider becoming an architect.
Architects play a major role in the construction industry, as a matter of fact, architects are responsible for the planning and designing of residential, institutional, recreational, commercial and industrial buildings and structures. Please note that you might have to go back to the university to make this career shift possible.
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Become an Electrical Contractor
Another career path that a construction worker can switch over to and still be relevant in the construction industry is to become an electrical contractor.
Interestingly, electric contractors are an integral part of not just the construction cum real estate industry, but play very important roles in ensuring that households, offices and public facilities enjoy electric power supply. Players in this industry execute electrical works such as installing wiring and servicing electrical equipment.
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Become a Handyman
Becoming a handyman is no doubt one of the career path that someone with experience in the construction industry can fit into. A handyman is one that provides a wide range of services needed for the maintenance of properties.
The services provided by a handyman include plumbing, electrical works, carpentry, painting, heating and cooling services and other building and property maintenance and repair works. Please note that to set up your handyman business, you need to be familiar with different kinds of trades as this is an important factor that can enable you to get jobs.
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Start Home Staging Business or Become a Certified Home Staging Professional
If you are thinking of changing career as a construction worker, then one of your options is to become a certified home staging professional. Home staging is all about preparing and decorating a home or private residence so that it will look good and appealing to potential buyers especially those who are not interested in renovating a property with their money after purchase.
The truth is that there are people who are willing to pay and pack in without any hassles or delay and they are willing to pay premium fees.
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Become a Professional House Flipper
Becoming a professional house flipper is no doubt one of the easy career shifts that someone who is a construction worker should consider; trust me, your experience will be highly beneficial. House flipping is all about purchasing a property that is put up of sale, renovating the property and then resell the property with the sole aim of making profit.
Usually, house flippers sell the home at a price that will cover both all the expenses incurred and provide enough profit to compensate for the time invested in the deal. The profit could be big and it could be small; it all depends on the how good you are able to makeover the property and also the location of the property.
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Become a Professional HVAC Technician
If you are thinking of changing career as a construction worker, then one of the options you should consider is to become a professional HVAC technician. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry deals in heating system, ventilation, and air – conditioning of a facility or a space (automobile, plane, ships, trains et al).
The truth is that, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning are interconnected, most especially when it comes to the need to provide conducive temperature in an indoor facility within reasonable installation, operation, and maintenance costs.
Basically, HVAC systems is designed to provide ventilation, reduce air infiltration, and maintain pressure relationships between spaces.
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Become an Interior Designer/Decorator
Becoming an interior designer or interior decorator is yet another interesting career path that a construction worker should consider if they desire to change their career. Interior designers are responsible for planning the design of both living and commercial facilities; they master the craft of tuning their ideas or concept into a reality.
The projects that interior designers handle can be broad in scope. It could range from structural modifications to the selection of matching furniture, curtains or blind, wallpaper and lighting et al.
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Become a Professional Landscaper
Another career path that a construction worker who is looking forward to changing a career should consider is to become a professional landscaper. No doubt, your experience as a construction worker will be highly useful. Landscapers are in the business of giving total aesthetic effect to the outsides of a building.
It is not enough to plant flowers in your compound and just watch them grow; it is about crafting it to bring symmetry. Landscape architecture is all about the art, planning, designing, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of large man-made constructs to beautify the environment.
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Become a Mortgage Broker
Becoming a mortgage broker is yet another career that a construction worker who wants to change his or her career should consider.
This is because your experience as a construction worker will be useful as a mortgage broker. As a mortgage broker, you are expected to work with a mortgage brokerage firm and mortgage brokerage firms are established with the sole aim of providing a convenient platform in form of long term loan to those who want to buy their own property.
With the loan you get from the bank via a mortgage brokerage firm, you can finance any property of your choice as long as you pass the screening and evaluation process. The screening and evaluation is put in place so as to ensure that due process is followed before issuing a loan and the person receiving the loan must be credit worthy.
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Work as a Pest Control Officer
If you are amongst the construction workers that are not professionals in any field, one of the career change options that you should consider is to work as a pest control officer.
Pest control basically refers to the regulation or management of a species of insects, animals or birds defined as pest, usually because it is perceived to be detrimental to a person’s health, the ecology or the economy, and a person who carries out pest control services is known as an exterminator.
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Become a Plumber
Another career path that a construction worker with little schooling who is interested in changing a career should consider is to become a plumber. Trust me, the experiences you would have garnered over the years as a construction worker will give you leverage as a plumber.
Plumbers install and maintain plumbing fixtures, fittings and equipment and the industry activities include working on household pipes and drains; installation of gas cooking and heating appliances; and working on bathroom and toilet fixtures and venting systems.
Emergency repair work (e.g. unclogging drains or repairing burst water mains) represents a significant source of industry revenue. They may also supply plumbing appliances and coupling products for construction projects as a means of increasing income for the business.
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Become a Property Developer
A property developer is one of the careers that a construction worker who is looking towards changing career should consider. As a matter of fact, your experience as a construction worker will be highly useful as a property developer.
This is because there is a thin line between operations in the construction line of business and a property development company. Property development covers all aspects of activities ranging from acquiring raw land to selling or renting or leasing of fully finished and furnished properties.
In essence, developers are responsible for turning ideas into real properties; i.e. they acquire land, they finance real estate deals, they engage in building projects and they sell, rent, lease and manage properties on behalf of their clients.
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Become a Property Manager
If you are a construction worker that is considering changing a career but does not want to be far from the construction industry, one of your options is to become a property manager.
As a property manager, your core business responsibility is to maintain and renovate building facilities and to liaise with landlords, tenants, and in some cases various contractors. For you to effectively conduct your business, you are expected to have a full grasp of the law when it comes to landlord and tenant relationships et al.
As a property manager, it is your responsibility to create efficient and effective protocols that will make you relate well with your clients (landlords, tenants and contractors).
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Become a Project Manager
Another thriving career that a construction worker who is looking towards changing a career should consider is to become a project manager. Project management is a methodical approach to planning and guiding project processes from conception to completion.
It’s a temporary endeavor initiated with the sole aim of creating a unique product, service or result as the case maybe. One good thing about project management is that it is not restricted to an industry. As a matter of fact, as project management consulting firm, you can choose to work for businesses irrespective of the industry that they belong to.
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Become a Solar Water Heater Installer
Becoming a solar water heater installer is yet another ideal career that a construction worker who is looking towards changing a career should embrace. The truth is that your experience as a construction worker will help you thrive as a solar water heater installer.
Solar water heater installers basically install solar water heating systems as part of general residential and commercial contracting services. These operators are contracted either directly by the customer or by solar marketing companies that arrange a buyer for solar thermal systems and contract an industry operator to carry out the work.
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Become a Professional Carpenter/Furniture Maker
Another ideal career path that a construction worker who is aiming towards changing his or her career should consider is to become a professional carpenter / furniture maker.
As a carpenter, you job description is mainly to manufacture or make household living room, dining room and bedroom furniture (upholstered, coffee tables, sofa tables, end tables, sofas, love seats, chairs, bookshelves, ottomans, display cabinets, consoles and TV stands and otherwise), outdoor and office furniture. (Desks and home office goods, lamps, recliners, rugs and outdoor furniture make up the rest of sales).
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Become a Real Estate Broker (Agent)
No doubt, if you are a construction worker, it will be less stressful to switch over as a real estate broker. In essence, one of your options if you are considering a change of career as a construction worker is to become a real estate broker (agent).
A real estate agent (broker) is a person who acts as a middleman between the sellers and buyers of real estate. They are involved in searching for sellers who sell properties and buyers who to buy the properties.
A real estate agency (brokerage firm) usually receives a payment called a commission for successfully matching a seller’s real estate with a buyer’s real estate need; such that a sale or rent/lease can be made. In most cases, the commission generated is shared with other real estate brokers or agents who played their parts in ensuring that the properties are sold or rented out as the case may be.
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Become a Professional Painter
Becoming a professional painter is yet another interesting career path that a construction worker who doesn’t want to be far away from the construction industry should consider. Painters make use of various paints, timber finishes and other surface coating products to decorate and protect surfaces against wear, weather and corrosion.
Products such as paints, varnishes, lacquers and stains, as well as fillers, putties and paint thinners and removers are major products that professional painters make use of.
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Start a Cement Brick Manufacturing Company
Starting a cement brick manufacturing company is another career path that a construction worker should consider if they are thinking of changing their career. Yes, you can start the business or work in the company.
Cement bricks manufacturing business is part of the Concrete Pipe and Block industry and players in this industry primarily manufacture concrete pipes, bricks and blocks. Concrete pipes include storm sewer pipes, sanitary sewer pipes, reinforced pressure pipes, pre-stressed cylinder pressure pipes and culvert pipes.
Concrete brick and block production mainly includes structural blocks, decorative blocks and pavers, bricks and miscellaneous concrete products. Products made by this industry are heavily used in infrastructure and residential construction.
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Become a Coal Miner
Another career path that a construction worker should consider if they want to change their career is to become a coal miner. As a coal miner you will be involved in mining various types of coal. This will often occur either underground or in surface pits.
Most coal mines consist of bituminous coal or anthracite (types of black coal), but companies might also excavate lignite (brown coal). Players in this industry also develop coal mine sites and prepare the coal for sale by washing, screening and sizing the material.
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Work in a Demolition and Wrecking Company
Working in a demolition and wrecking company is one of the options that a construction worker who wants to change his career should consider. As a worker in a demolition and wrecking company, you job will be mainly wrecking and demolishing buildings and structures and sometimes sell salvaged materials.
Other services rendered by players in this industry include the clearing and recycling of debris, interior strip outs, handling of asbestos and hazardous materials, site remediation (decontamination and waste disposal), concrete cutting and explosive demolition.
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Become a Professional Diamond Cutter and Polisher
Even though you might still require some training to become a professional diamond cutter and polisher, it is still one of the options available for a construction worker who wants to change his or her career.
Basically as a professional diamond cutter and polisher you will be involved in changing diamond from rough stones into a faceted gem. Cutting and polishing diamond requires specialized knowledge, tools, equipment, and of course techniques because of its extreme difficulty.
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Become a Drone Repair Technician
Becoming a drone repair technician is also one of the career paths that a construction worker should consider if they are looking towards changing their career. Those that are involved in drone repair services are known to repair all type drones from different manufacturers since the technology in drones are pretty much similar.
Please note that in some climes, you would be required to own a license to start a drone repair workshop. If indeed you want to operate a corporate drone repair service workshop, you must get it registered with the corporate affairs department of your state or country.
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Become an Electronic and Computer Repair Technician
Another career path that a construction worker who is interested in changing a career should consider is to become an electronic and computer repair technician.
The electronic and computer repair technicians engage in repairing and maintaining one or more of the following: consumer electronic equipment, computers, office machines, communication equipment and other electronic and precision equipment; items are not sold new.
As a matter of fact, electronic and computer repair technicians repair items including microscopes, radar and sonar equipment, televisions, stereos, video recorders, computers, photocopying machines, communications equipment, scientific instruments and medical equipment.
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Become a Fashion Designer
If you are interested in changing your career as a construction worker, you can become a fashion designer. As a fashion designer, you job description is to provide professional design services for clothing, shoes, textiles, fur, jewelry, costumes, lighting and floats.
These services occasionally represent the design branch of a large retail chain, but they more often represent smaller design houses that provide fashion products to several different sellers.
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Become a Fruit Farmer
Becoming a fruit farmer is one of the career options available to a construction worker who wants to change his or her career.
Fruit farmers grow a wide variety of fruits in open fields and in greenhouses. Some fruit farmers also grow a variety of vegetables and other crops. Starting a fruit farming business is one sure way of earning good money in the United States of America.
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Become a Professional Home Inspector
Another interesting career path that a construction worker should consider if they want to change their career and still bring to bear their experience is to become a professional home inspector.
Professional home inspectors perform inspections on buildings. When home inspection representatives inspect a building, they evaluate all aspects of the structure and component systems, and they prepare a report on the physical condition of the property.
These reports are written for buyers or others involved in real estate transactions. Please note that aside from home inspection companies, building inspection services are also included in this industry.
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Become a Financial Advisor
Becoming a financial advisor is one of the options a construction worker who is looking towards changing a career should consider. If you have a degree or background in finance, then you can build a career as a certified financial advisor, if you not, you can still study to become one.
A certified financial advisor is a professional whose core job is to help his or her clients make decisions that revolves around their finances, investment, tax, debt, and insurance concerns. Becoming a certified financial advisor, might not come cheap, but it is worth pursuing if indeed you want to earn big in the financial industry.
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Start Buying and Selling Business
Another easy to start career that a construction worker should consider if they want to change a career is to start a buying and selling business.
When we talk about buying and selling i.e. retailing, we talk about a business that deals in loads of consumer goods; which can be categorized into three major areas: general merchandise, apparel, and furniture. In other words, retailers are engaged in the selling of finished goods; they get the goods from the manufacturers and they sell to the end users (consumers).
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Become a Bitcoin Miner
Becoming a bitcoin miner is yet another career option available to a construction worker who want change career. Bitcoin mining in its simplest term is the practice of adding transaction records to Bitcoin’s public ledger of previous transactions or block chain.
This ledger of previous transactions is called the blockchain as it is a chain of blocks. Mining is indeed an important and integral part of Bitcoin that ensures fairness while keeping the Bitcoin network stable, safe and highly secured.
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Become a Cyber Security Expert
If you are considering changing your career as a construction worker, then one of the options that you should consider is to become a cyber security expert. Please note that you would have to study hard to obtain certification as a cyber security expert.
Cyber security experts or IT security consultants manage IT security services, such as firewalls, intrusion prevention, security threat analysis, proactive security vulnerability and penetration testing and incident preparation and response, which includes IT forensics.
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Become a General Contractor
Another interesting career that a construction worker who is looking towards changing his or her career but still wants to operate around the construction industry should consider is to become a general contractor. A general contractor is responsible for providing all the material, labor, equipment (such as engineering vehicles and construction tools and machines) and other services needed for the construction of a project.
Usually, the general contractor hires specialized sub – contractors for them to them execute all or some portions of the entire construction project. A general contractor is in charge of the overall coordination of a construction project.
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Become a Professional Makeup Artist
It doesn’t matter whether you are male or female, if you are a construction worker who is looking towards changing his or her career, then one of the options you have is to become a makeup artist. Makeup artists are professionals with artistic skills in making use of makeup to enhance the beauty and facial appearance of their clients.
It could be for wedding ceremony, public or private events, photo shoots, theater performance, modeling, television production and for personal purposes as requested by the client.
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Become a Naturopath
Another career path that is up for grabs to a construction worker who is looking for a switch of career is to become a naturopath.
Naturopathy is a complimentary medical practice that uses natural remedies to help the body heal itself. It embraces many therapies, including herbs, massage, acupuncture, exercise, and nutritional counseling. This includes therapies from the sciences of clinical nutrition, botanical medicines, homeopathy, physical medicine, exercise therapy, lifestyle counseling, and hydrotherapy, which is the use of water to treat a disorder or disease.
Please note that licensed and registered Naturopathic Doctors must fulfill state-mandated continuing education requirements annually and have a specific scope of practice as defined by their state’s law.
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Become a Professional Organizer
A professional organizer is yet another career path that a construction worker who is looking towards changing a career should consider. As a professional organizer, your job is to basically engage in promoting the professional interest of members and their profession as a whole.
Professional organizers also conduct research, develop statistics and certification standards, lobby or publish materials for their members.
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Become a Real Estate Syndicate
If you want to change your career as a construction worker and you don’t want to be far from the construction industry, one of the options that you should embrace is to become a real estate syndicate. As a real estate syndicate, you are expected to work with a real estate syndication company.
A real estate syndication company is a company that has a group of property investors coming together to finance a property investment. Aside from the fact that these investors pool together their financial resources for the real estate investment, they are also in business partnership that ensures that they share any other real estate investing resources at their disposal.
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Become a Weight Loss Coach
Becoming a weight loss coach is yet another career option available to a construction worker who is looking towards changing his or her career. As a weight loss coach, your job is to provide non – medical services to clients and primarily assist them with losing or maintaining a desired weight.
Weight loss coaches offer both individual or group counseling, and also menu and exercise planning and weight and body measurement monitoring et al. Weight loss coaches may also sell food supplements and other weight-reduction products.
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Become a Professional Welder
Another career option that a construction worker who is looking towards changing a career path should consider is to become a professional welder. As a professional welder, there are no limits to the places you can work. Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing fusion.
Please note that before you can become a professional welder, you might need to be certified, and to get certified, you need to undergo certain training in welding.
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Become a Massage Therapist
As a construction worker who is looking towards changing a career, one of the options you should consider is to become a massage therapist. Generally, massage therapists provide health and wellness services, such as therapeutic massage, sports massage, and other similar services.
As a matter of fact, close to 50 percent of massage therapies performed are considered to assist with specific health conditions and injury rehabilitation compared to one third of those who received massage for relaxation and stress management.
Please note that in order to get a license to practice massage therapy in the United States, you must earn a passing grade on the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx). As a matter of fact, this test is now the sole licensing exam for the profession in the United States of America.
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Become a Cosmetologist
Becoming a cosmetologist is yet another career option that a construction worker who is looking for a career change should consider. In order to qualify to become a licensed or certified cosmetologist, you need to receive an education in cosmetology. On the other hand, the type of education you need to receive may differ depending on your current state of residence.
Even though most states will require you to attend an approved beauty school, others will allow you to complete an apprenticeship instead and that is perhaps the only route you can follow if you want to get a cosmetology license without school in the United States.
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Become a Licensed Barber
Another career option that a construction worker with little schooling should consider is to become a licensed barber. A barber is a person whose livelihood is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave hair.
Although you don’t need a college degree to be able to secure a barber license in most states in the US, but you need to have basic education or a high school diploma or GED and must have reached a certain age to be eligible to become a barber. The minimum age ranges from 16 to 21, depending on the state.
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Become an Asset Manager
Lastly, becoming an asset manager is one of the options that is available to a construction worker who wants to make a 360-degree career change. As an asset manager, you are expected to work in an asset management company.
In its simplest term, an asset management company (AMC) is a team of professionals within a financial firm that is dedicated to managing the assets of clients; it is a firm that invests its clients’ pooled funds into securities and other investment vehicles for the purpose of generating profits.
Asset management firms provide investors with more diversification and investing options than they would have by themselves.