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Construction

First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

Typically requires High school diploma or equivalent

What is this page & how do I use it?

This is a research report for one career — the kind an analyst would write for a stock. The rating at the top is the neutral baseline (same for everyone); below it come the cases for and against, how the last official forecast for this career actually aged, and what the education path costs and pays.

How to use it: read the bulls-vs-bears case, then hit Score this career to weigh it against your other options with your own interests factored in.

CareerStar rating
MixedMedium uncertainty
top 15% of all 730 careers

Analyst take: Strong market prospects — +5.3% projected growth, moderate AI exposure (40/100).

57
/ 100
low riskhigh
top row = high reward

Moat (borrowed from investing — the water that defends a castle): how shielded this career is from AI. Narrow = some shelter, but AI can reach a real share of its tasks.

The small grid is a style box (borrowed from Morningstar’s fund reports): the blue square places this career on reward (top row = high) versus risk (left column = low), against all 730 careers. Medium uncertainty means the score leans partly on forward-looking bets like AI exposure, so treat the exact number loosely.

🐂 Bulls say
  • +Strong projected growth — outpaces 76% of careers (+5.3%).
  • +High pay — above 75% of careers ($78,690).
  • +Low AI exposure — resilient (40% of tasks exposed).
🐻 Bears say
  • Its softest spot: it carries some AI exposure (40% of tasks).
📜 Reality check — how the last forecast for this career fared

In 2014, the U.S. government projected +10% growth for this career by 2024. What actually happened: +59.3%. Reality beat the forecast — a reminder that every number on this page is an estimate, and this is how the last one aged. Full back-test →

Was this rating fair?
Projected growth
+5.3%
Median pay
$78,690
AI exposure
40/100
share of tasks exposed to AI — not job loss

Education & ROI — how to get here

Real outcomes for the college majors that feed this occupation, across 17 bachelor’s programs.

Median earnings
$64,885
1 year after graduating
Typical debt
$24,350
median federal debt
Pay-to-debt
2.7×
first-year pay ÷ debt
Feeder majors
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and InspectionElectricianConstruction Trades
Selective schools offering these majors
Tuskegee University
AL · 49% admit rate
$43,454/yr
$49,641 grad pay
Southern Adventist University
TN · 66% admit rate
$38,618/yr
$53,723 grad pay
Rowan University
NJ · 78% admit rate
$35,842/yr
$59,988 grad pay
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
MN · 80% admit rate
$30,061/yr
$69,020 grad pay
Thomas Jefferson University
PA · 81% admit rate
$64,197/yr
$77,449 grad pay
Southern Utah University
UT · 82% admit rate
$19,416/yr
$50,296 grad pay

Earnings & debt from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard; majors mapped to this occupation via the NCES CIP→SOC crosswalk. A grounded ROI snapshot, not a guarantee — pay varies widely by school and specialty.

What this work involves

hands-on