Jessica didn’t always plan to find herself on the road to an established career in construction. After feeling stuck inside at her job in a hospital, Jessica knew she needed more in a career. “I hated being inside so much, just sitting at a desk,” she explained. “I wanted to do so much more, I wanted to actually see myself progress.”
She knew she needed a change of scenery, but wasn’t quite sure what that looked like. After chatting with her brother, who was already at Gray & Son, she figured she’d give construction a try. “He said it was such a wonderful place to work and he was so happy there,” said Jessica. “I figured I’d give it a shot.”
Jessica submitted an application, interviewed with the team and the rest is history. “I started out as a flagger for about three weeks and then they started training me for quality control,” explained Jessica. There, she found her passion. “I just fell in love with it,” she said. “I fell in love with every aspect, right down to the mix designs. It’s just so cool.”
(Wo)Men At Work
Currently, Jessica is the only female on the quality control team. “Sometimes, I feel like I have to work a little harder to prove that I’m absolutely capable of being there, but that extra work really helps motivate me,” said Jessica. “Just because I know that I worked a little harder to make an impression and really be known in the company.”
Jessica’s not the only woman finding herself the anomaly on the team. In fact, of all the people working in construction, women comprise merely 10.9% of the workforce, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even fewer find themselves on the front lines– only 1 in 100 employees found on a job site is female. For context, women make up 47% of all employed individuals– only 1.25% of them work in construction.
However, Jessica doesn’t feel that this lack of representation should deter other females from entering the field. “It’s not as scary as you think it may be. The men on our teams are really nice– they’re people, too,” explained Jessica. “That was one of my biggest misconceptions, that I would have to really fight a bunch of guys and really have to prove myself. But, they’re so open to helping you and they want to see you succeed just as much as they want to succeed.”
The generosity of her coworkers has allowed Jessica to flourish in her field. “I’ve had so much support from our superintendents, I got a lot of support from our foremen,” she said. “I have a foreman who I work closely with. He showed me little tricks of the trade. He wasn’t afraid to throw me up on the paver or have me shovel– he treated me like one of the guys and it honestly really helped. It just showed me that they were really there to support me just by showing me these little things.”
Paving the Way for a Career
To many, Jessica’s career journey is relatable. “I never really went to college. I probably did about three weeks of community college and I just could not stand school,” she said with a laugh. After finding a career she loves without the support of a college degree, she stresses that going to a four-year university isn’t the only path to success. “If you don’t want to go to college, try this field. Just try it,” she urges. “There are so many ways to advance and so many directions that you can go in. Especially in a world where everyone thinks you need to go to college in order to have a good job– it’s not true.”
Jessica is right– according to a 2020 report from Advisor Smith, the most common job that doesn’t require a college degree was first-line supervisor of construction trades and extraction workers. Over 626,000 workers held this job title, and more than 81% of them did so without a college degree. The median annual salary for this position clocked in at $66,210. The highest-paid position for workers without a degree came with the title of construction manager– the median annual salary for this position was $95,260 and over 58% of those who held this position did so without a degree.
With many colleges and universities turning to hybrid or online models, high school students may be questioning whether the traditional four-year university route is worth it. In addition, many have reconsidered their loyalty to their desk job during the current tumultuous job market that has been deemed “The Great Resignation”. For those looking to begin tapping into their earning potential straight out of high school or hoping to spend more time outside, a career in construction may be the answer.
However, Jessica understands that construction can be intimidating, from the subject matter to the machinery. “Don’t be scared of the math,” she laughed. “I thought I hated math. But when you put math and rocks and liquid asphalt together, then I like math.”
The Future is Gray
While the elements of her day-to-day responsibilities have allowed Jessica to throw herself into a job she loves, it has been her self-advocacy that has allowed her to progress. “I definitely pushed for my career, and I was very vocal that I wanted to grow in the company. I wanted to learn,” said Jessica. “In this industry, if you’re quiet, they’re just going to think that you’re happy with where you are.”
The self-starter quality Jessica possess is largely to thank for her success. However, she feels that she can’t take all the credit. The company culture at Gray & Son has been a driving factor in her growth. “The company will fully support you and it’s great to have that support,” she said. “If you try your hardest, it’s easy to get where you want to go.”
Jessica isn’t the only one who feels this way. Her brother, who had a very similar origin story to his sister, has had his own success here at Gray. “He and a friend, two years after they graduated high school, tried Gray & Son. It just worked out,” said Jessica. “He was made a foreman just last week.”
As far as her own career goals, Jessica wants to stay in Quality Control. “I would love to be in the lab in the future and be a part of the mix designs for these award-winning roads that we do,” she said. “I would love to be a part of creating the basics of them.”
Jessica has already been a part of several award-winning projects. Most recently, she and her crews were honored at the Maryland Asphalt Association’s 58th Annual Paving Conference, bringing home a 2021 Excellence in Paving for Primary Resurfacing Awards for the work done on both MD 24 – McPhail Rd. to US 1 Bypass and US 1- Conowingo Rd. to MD 24. Getting recognized for this work helps to drive Jessica and her team. “I’m very passionate about showing that I can do the best that I can,” explained Jessica. “You can really be proud of yourself and go back to the crews the next day and say, ‘look what we can do!’”.
As she gears up for another busy season, Jessica is excited to roll up her sleeves with the Gray & Son team. The support she’s gotten from all levels within the company is what has allowed her to progress and shows promise of what’s to come. This culture is what sets Gray apart. “It definitely makes me want to stay and retire, that’s for sure,” said Jessica.