Carpenter
Name: Becca Higgin
Career stage: Early career - less than 5 years' experience
Working: On site
High School Subjects: Sports, biology, psychology and sociology
Favourite: Sport
Further study: Carpentry apprenticeship through an RTO
where and what: Trades Institute Victoria - cert III carpentry and cert IV in building and construction
"There are so many amazing women out there supporting and mentoring each other, helping to make our industry even better. It’s super special to be a part of that."
the inside scoop…
What does a Carpenter actually do? Carpenters are the only trade who get to be a part of every stage of constructing a home. We’re there from day one setting out where the building will go. Then we frame everything up creating the floors, walls and roof. We install the windows and doors and clad the outside of the building making it water tight. The final stage is fitting off all the sparkly new fixtures our customers have chosen and make it feel like a home.
What does a day in your life at work look like? Early starts, often getting to see amazing sunrises. Once we arrive on site first things first and that is getting the site radio on because working without tunes is a no go! Nailbag on and work begins. About 10am we have smoko and refuel the body. Back into work until about 12-1pm when we take lunch and again get some energy into our bodies ready to finish the day strong! In terms of the work, everyday is different, the variety in carpentry is one of my favourite thing about it.
What's the best part of your job? The endless possibilities, I can building anything I want with my skills and tools.
What made you realise construction could be for you? Back when I worked an office job I volunteered to help build a school in rural Nepal. It was one of the best experiences of my life and after a taste of tradie life I was hooked!
What's something that surprised you about working in construction? The women in trade community. There are so many amazing women out there supporting and mentoring each other, helping to make our industry even better. It’s super special to be a part of that.
Tell us about balancing work with your other interests, or family. I love that my job is physical and at the moment I don’t work for myself so that means when I’m not on site I’m not thinking about work. I work to be able to be comfortable at home and happy!
What's the best thing about working in construction? I’m super proud to be a female chippy. We’re still far too rare and I love seeing more women getting into trades. Having a job that is both mentally and physically demanding is both hard but so rewarding. It’s a great feeling when you know a client is super happy with what you have made for them.
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