The reason I started this blog
Afew years back, I felt like I was trying to become in the work place all things to all people. My life was in a rut, I spent a lot of time and energy focusing on how to be perfect in the work place. I always felt I needed to sacrifice myself, for the good of the project, for the good of my career goals. I began to feel guilty and this only made me full of stress and caused a restlessness in my life. I always wanted everyone to believe I was strong and unflappable. I never wanted anyone to know how much sacrifice I was making in my life to just balance job and personal life. I constantly...
Read MoreCelebrating Women in Construction
A CONVERSATION WITH: Marilyn J.Goslin MK Consulting Engineers Lead Cost Engineer How long have you been in Construction? I have been in the construction industry since 1978, oh dear, 38 years. I started out as a Rodman in a survey crew on Interstate 66 construction in Arlington, VA. What/who influenced your decision to enter the field of Construction? My father – he knew I wouldn’t be happy sitting at a desk. Myself – I knew I needed to be challenged, daily. Were you one of the first women to join the Field Engineers Union? You are the first women to hold the union book…what is that...
Read MoreRisks for Women in Construction
—Women report unique problems and concerns related to working in this industry. There is a lot of discussion about discrimination against women in the workplace in general, but not a lot of public discussion about what really happens to Women in the Construction Industry. The risks for women, stemming from environmental issues, ergonomic impacts health and safety, job site culture among workers in construction, should be uncovered before real solutions can be formulated. While researching Health Concerns Women in Construction face, I came across this article that appears to have been...
Read MoreSuperintendents: Do We Need to be Good at Managing People?
Do you ever notice that some Superintendents seem overly rude or brash? Some consistently engage in verbal abuse. Some may think that in order for them to be taken seriously as a leader, they must be rude, so as to not be viewed as a ‘push-over.’ The general question is, “does maintaining that persona interfere with “leadership,’’ or the process of managing people? The Answer: “It can.” Not every individual under the charge of such a person, responds positively to that energy. Over the long haul, the subcontract team will often (conscientiously or subconsciously) look for ways to...
Read MoreWomen in Construction—How do We Retain Our Numbers?
US Department of Labor indicates that in 2019 there were 11,181 women in the Construction Management Industry who accounted for (10% ) of construction professionals. “The percentage of women in construction overall has hovered somewhere between 9% and 10% since 1996 and is currently at 9.9%. But of the 8.3 million that were employed in field production of the construction and extraction industries in 2018, only 3.4% were women. Building inspectors (14%), painters (7.2%) and helpers (5.6%) saw the highest participation by women last year, with their percentages in trades like carpet...
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