From excessive style to onerous hat: Why I traded in a style job to be a builder

When you think about a builder, what image springs to thoughts? Wolf-whistling lads on website? Full English on the native caff with towers of buttered bread? Low-slung trousers straining to comprise a bottom? For most of my life, I’ve by no means given a lot thought to those lazy stereotypes. Of course, I knew homes and workplaces obtained constructed, however any additional element was foggy. Over the previous 20 years working as a style journalist and creator, let’s simply say building wasn’t precisely entrance of thoughts. That area was occupied with hemlines, heels and sizzling traits.

My disconnect is neither shocking nor unusual. Currently simply 1% of expert building website staff are girls, and the gender pay hole is appalling – 95.6% of ladies in building corporations with reported information receives a commission lower than males. Women tilers earn 59% lower than males, feminine electricians 46% much less and plumbers are 39% down. We needs to be up in arms and out on the streets for these girls.

So why and the way have I – a 42-year-old middle-class girl with two kids beneath seven and a lifelong predilection for 4in stilettos – determined to swap excessive style for a tough hat? Like so many ladies of my era, my profession hasn’t gone in a straight line – extra like an unhinged rollercoaster.

After spending the noughties and 2010s zigzagging throughout the globe as {a magazine} style editor, I took my first profession pivot. I’m now 10 years deep into content material creating – collaborating with style and residential manufacturers to make social media content material. Five years in the past, I adopted one other spoke and have since written 15 books as an creator and ghostwriter. I’ve turn into the very mannequin of a self-made, multi-channelled millennial girl.

It was whereas I used to be writing my final e-book, Your Not Forever Home, about rental decor, that I began digging into why so many ladies imagine they aren’t as much as DIY. I’ve at all times been useful due to classes from my grandparents, however I’ve made loads of errors: a pair of curtains 15cm completely different in size, my face sprayed with boiling water whereas altering a faucet, self-hung cabinets falling on my head, chopping off the electrical energy to the bottom ground… the listing is limitless. No extra, although, than a bloke.

So once I learn the statistics in regards to the building {industry}, it lit slightly hearth inside me. With that paucity of feminine {industry} position fashions, no surprise it’s onerous for girls to think about themselves in a software belt, whilst an beginner simply hanging an image body at house.

Then, final summer season, my husband and I purchased the household house we’d been renting for the previous three years, my youngest son began reception and the die was forged: I used to be going to realize the talents and {qualifications} I wanted to rebuild our stunning however dilapidated home.

I needed to think about the prices fastidiously. Luckily, I’d already created a versatile profession, so whereas retraining has piled on logistical stress, I knew I might stretch my schedule whereas nonetheless protecting my payments. I settled on a course at a area people faculty as a result of it affords coaching throughout 5 trades, from brickwork to carpentry, and I needed to attempt all of them to see the place I used to be greatest suited. It prices £250 a month for 3 days every week and by the top I’ll earn a City & Guilds certificates, which is able to allow me to start the following degree of qualification alongside my chosen path.

When I spoke to my friends about my plans, although, their response was scarily uniform. ‘Construction would be my worst nightmare,’ they parroted (as I possible would have, too, till a number of years in the past). The physicality, the bias, the filth, the blue-collar standing, the sexual consideration. The listing of cons cited appeared insurmountable…

Then got here induction day and I used to be a complete fish out of water. I used to be one among six girls in a room of 150 males and boys, most aged 16–18. Mortifyingly, a few of them thought I used to be a trainer, calling me ‘miss’ and hiding their telephones once I approached.

But the school proved to be inclusive – now I’m 4 months in, with three different ‘mature’ girls additionally pivoting their careers, and I really feel very a lot part of the furnishings. So far, the tutors have been encouraging and I can’t clarify the enjoyment I really feel in working with my fingers. Surveying my first return wall – constructed with my pink acrylic nail extensions intact – I felt an enormous sense of accomplishment.

While the stereotypes are tough, I can now say from expertise that a lot of the work in building is delicate and meticulous, requiring dexterity, precision, creativity and even artistry. The line between the trades and craft is so arbitrary. Why is bricklaying – a ability that takes years to grasp – not seen because the artwork kind it’s? Plus, skilled brickies operating their very own companies can earn greater than £100k a yr. Construction roles can supply a profitable, fulfilling, in-demand and AI-proof profession ladder. Why are we gals counting ourselves out?

Obviously, any profession pivot comes with abdomen lurches. I’m nonetheless doing my outdated work to pay for the brand new. Manual work is tiring, however in all honesty, compared with a day within the trenches with toddlers, it’s manageable. I refuse to let the whispers of doubt win.

After I move my assessments, I’ll search for an apprenticeship in a small, native agency and start constructing a group for my own residence renovation; my dream is to create a female-led design-and-build firm. There are many the reason why girls would possibly desire to work with tradeswomen of their house, not least that so a lot of my buddies inform me their builder will solely communicate to their husband. I might like to serve them higher.

To some other girl occupied with retraining in a commerce, I simply need to say: go for it. It gained’t be straightforward. You’ll surprise what the hell you’re doing and never everybody will cheerlead you. But in the event you take pleasure in working together with your fingers, are determined to get away out of your laptop computer and want to earn good cash whereas maintaining your physique spry, get googling native grownup building programs. It’s excessive time we ladies began kicking up some mud.

I nonetheless double-take once I take a look at myself within the mirror, coated in lime, carrying steel-capped boots. But I’d prefer to assume my expertise in style has proven me that model isn’t simply in regards to the garments you put on. Although there’s often a Sézane knit beneath my hi-vis vest, and my eyeliner flick and lippy are principally in place – some habits die onerous.

How to pivot profoundly

Tempted to reinvent your profession in 2026? GH careers skilled Erica Sosna guides you thru the method.

You’ve had the second – the tug in your chest that claims, ‘No more.’ Perhaps your {industry} has undergone vital modifications – or you could have. So, if 2026 goes to be the yr you radically reinvent, right here’s find out how to enter a sustainable, thrilling new chapter.

1 Gather information
The greatest pivots are constituted of deep inside. Discover what really evokes you, not what you assume you ‘should’ do subsequent. What experiences are you in search of? When do you’re feeling most alive, proud or helpful? Ask why this pivot is asking. Are you operating from one thing (burnout, boredom, a poisonous office) or in the direction of one thing (function, creativity)?

2 Go on a profession date
The concept of a brand new profession feels thrilling, however the actuality is messier. So, take a look at earlier than you leap. If you assume you need to be a backyard designer, spend a weekend shadowing one. Curious about psychology? Take a brief on-line coaching course. Considering carpentry? Volunteer on a group construct. Think of this as ‘career dating’ to check whether or not the fantasy suits your life in follow. Be certain to take a look at how the {industry} is performing, present charges for certified professionals, the length of any required retraining and the flexibleness of working hours.

3 Do the maths
A pivot will value one thing, whether or not time, cash, standing or safety. Get the numbers straight earlier than you begin. Map out your family funds. How would you fund your relaunch interval? Could you think about freelancing, utilising financial savings or working part-time? The potential for a profession change to get derailed is greater whenever you don’t know the way you’ll put meals on the desk.

4 Rewrite your story
Every pivot wants a narrative that connects who you’ve been with who you’re turning into. You already possess transferable abilities – it is advisable translate them with slightly storytelling. Reflect on the golden thread that connects your earlier profession historical past together with your new ambition. A challenge supervisor in retail can turn into a stellar producer in movie. A trainer would possibly make a superb UX designer. Skills like communication, empathy and management can transcend industry-specific roles. So reframe your CV and LinkedIn round themes, not job titles. Think problem-solving, stakeholder administration and storytelling. Recruiters love readability and confidence.

5 Build your bridge community
Create a listing of 10 contacts who work in or close to your new area of curiosity. Ask for 15min ‘insight chats’. Pose questions like: ‘What surprised you most about this industry?’; ‘If you were starting again, what would you do differently?’; ‘What helped you get your first break?’. These conversations can typically result in introductions, mentoring or hidden alternatives.

6 Share your progress
Start constructing proof. Take a night class, achieve a certification or begin aspect initiatives that show your means. Share your studying on LinkedIn, Instagram or private weblog.

7 Stay curious and versatile
Expect setbacks and second-guessing. Keep asking: what am I studying? What’s working? What wants to vary? Your pivot isn’t about proving your self yet again. It’s about turning into extra you.