ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION
Hidden Talents and Interests Lead to Dream Career BY MARTHA DELLER
Laura Williamson didn’t plan on a career in construction. If she had, she might have majored in engineering, been an apprentice in a building trade or taken a certification course. All are alternate routes to a job managing major building projects. Instead, Ms. Williamson has a degree in Accounting and was working as an office “temp” in a construction c ompany. As a “temp”, or temporary, shortterm employee, she discovered hidden talents and interests in her that lead to her dream c areer. While watching Ms. Williamson “play around” on the firm’s construction blueprint program, her temporary boss created her first job writing contracts. She also became responsible for buying the company’s construction materials and managing heating and cooling project files. “I stumbled into it quite accidentally, but I knew I was exactly where I wanted to be,” she said. To add job supervision to her paperwork skills, Ms. Williamson worked for large construction contractors. She supervised work crews on c onstruction jobs and did the same for smaller construction services, like electricians. She was able to learn electrical skills from electricians and engineers with
more experience who taught her the ropes. She proudly directed a Laura Williamson huge project to switchover to a new Dallas 911 system. The project required a 4-hour power shutdown and police and fire department leaders guarded the city by radio. That experience led to a p roject to change the communications at four American Airlines terminals at DFW Airport. “If this failed for even a few minutes, the delays would have a worldwide impact,” Ms. Williamson said. While construction laborers can work their way up to m anagers, Williamson advises teens to get a business degree that opens doors to any job, including construction. “A degree tells an employer you’re a finisher,’” she said. Being able to go to college and finish your degree is very important. “I got into [construction] with contracts, but it was not good enough for me to see it on paper. I always wanted to go see it on site.” And she did. After 16 years, her job is still fun. “Every project is different,” she said. “If I want to stay in the office, I stay in office. Other times, I go out in the field. It’s been an adventure for me.”
Laura Williamson will be available to answer questions on
Saturday, October 5, 2013 at 10:30am Sign-up online at www.cptime.net
to receive details of how you can talk to Ms. Williamson Success Tomorrow Starts TODAY!
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