Don Worrall

Dick likes to relax in the hot tub at his Yellowknife manor house after a spin in his 28-foot cruiser, while Jane enjoys buzzing around town in her Porsche convertible when she's not vacationing at her ranch in Nevada.

Doctor and lawyer perhaps? Nope. He's a sheet metal mechanic, she's an electrician.

Neither went to university, so neither was saddled with student debt well into their 30s, which is one reason they could own their own businesses at a relatively young age.

Both are also friends of a guy who earned a BSc, but realized he'd be happier working outside and seeing the physical results of his work every day. So he became carpenter, and is now a top manager with one of the NWT's largest contractors.

All three began the first four years of their current careers as apprentices, i.e. they got on-the-job training from a certified co-worker for most of each year, and attended school for a couple of months - all the while receiving a respectable pay cheque.

Too many parents today have some unfortunate misconceptions about skilled trades generally and construc-tion work in particular.

One is that construction is only for dummies. In fact, most construction workers need a strong academic foun-dation, and most regularly perform various complex tasks, with skills they learn through life-long learning on the job or during brief sabbaticals. Conversely, construction offers a realistic opportunity to climb the corporate ladder, even into management, with only Grade 10.

Construction jobs are not as a rule dirty, noisy and physically arduous. Most are indeed "hands on" but that is usually considered an advantage over endless desk work by those who choose trade careers.

Women generally might lack the physical strength of men, but most construction work requires dexterity, stamina and good hand-eye coordination -- all of which women possess equally with men.

Despite the current economic downturn, skilled tradespeople will be in high demand all across the country for many years to come, and knowledgeable, open-minded parents would do well to encourage their kids to con-sider construction careers that are rewarding in more ways than one.

Don Worrall is Executive Director of the NWT Construction Association, representing contrtactors in the NWT and Nunavut. He can be reached via email at director@nwtca.ca.