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Build Your Future With A Rewarding Career In Mechanical Contracting

When a high school student thinks about the future, the career possibilities are virtually limitless; after college these options are narrowed greatly. Confronted with the numerous opportunities facing young men and women today, it is understandable that so many are confused and uncertain about their future.

It's not uncommon for young people today to be seduced by the glamorous professions depicted in movies and on television. In a recent survey, a significant number of high school seniors said that they planned to be a "star" in one media realm or another. When hearing of the astronomical salaries being paid to professional athletes or luxurious lifestyles of the stars, it's easy to see the attraction of such a career.

For the majority of young people the dream world of movies and television is seperate from the decisions needed to be made about a career in the real world. Most young people are looking for careers that provide a sense of personal satisfaction while at the same time making an obvious and significant difference to the world around them and providing sufficient income to live comfortably and be able to raise a family.

What most young people are looking for is something that is not simply a job, particularly not a job that seems like a dead end, where there is no chance of being creative or constructive; merely the same repetitive tasks over and over for years on end.

One field that affects all of us every day, but is often overlooked when thinking of careers is that of building and construction. And one of its most important segments, the mechanical contracting industry, is actively seeking capable young men and women to fill current and future positions in this dynamic growth field.

But what is mechanical contracting? Does it offer the kind of work and future that I want? Will it really provide creative challenges? Is the work really worthwhile? Does it have value for society? What are the satisfactions beyond merely holding down a job and earning a paycheck? What about advancement and personal growth?

These are not only fair and sensible questions, they are questions that every young person investigating various career possibilities should ask themselves. Answers to some of those questions about mechanical contracting are answered below.

 

What kind of jobs does the industry offer?

There are a wide variety of jobs available. Estimators, draftsmen, foremen, designers, pipe welders, managers, salesmen, plumbers, pipefitters, engineers and accountants are but a few of the possible careers in this field.

Are these creative jobs?

They certainly are. Consider that every individual on the contractor's team plays an important and significant role in the creation of the final living structure that is being built, and has a hand in the creation of something that didn't exist before. When the job is completed, the finished building stands as a monument to all the men and women who were part of its creation.

One of the great personal rewards experienced by people in this industry is that throughout their careers, they can pass a huge hotel or hospital, a well-designed shopping mall, a vital power station or lifesaving pharmaceutical plant and say, "I helped to build that." In today's society, not many people get to experience such tangible evidence of their efforts. But those in the mechanical contracting field have the opportunity to experience the greatest form of satisfaction, pride in a worthwhile accomplishment, almost every day.

 

What Is Mechanical Contracting?

The term mechanical contracting covers the mechanical skills, crafts and management techniques that are among the fundamental requirements for every type of large building, whether it be a school or a factory, a hospital or a gigantic power plant. The mechanical contracting industry is responsible for installing the heating and air conditioning, piping and plumbing systems without which these buildings and other facilities would be merely empty shells. They would be without interior climate control, ventilation, pollution and emissions control, water supply and waste removal systems that are essential for modern human usefulness. However advanced, or beautifully designed a building may be, without the heart, veins and arteries supplied by the men and women of the mechanical contracting industry, it would be as lifeless as a marble statue.

The mechanical contracting industry functions through a group of individual, independent contracting firms. These firms competitively make offers to builders or governmental authorities to install the mechanical systems in a given building at a specified price and within a specified time frame. Usually, the lowest bidder gets the job. In order to compete and be able to complete the job for the agreed upon price, each firm that enters a bid must have a rather sizable team of highly skilled and productive individuals. Does it really provide any benefit to other people?

Apart from the obvious benefits, of providing dependable heating systems necessary to sustain life in cold weather, consider the relative importance to the good life of something as easily taken for granted as efficient waste removal. Even the most ardent back to nature advocates rarely suggest a return to the outhouse.

Good plumbing bears as directly on the public health as is possible. The horrible plagues that swept across Europe in the past, bringing death to millions, could have been greatly reduced or contained with good plumbing and water treatment. Or think about the healthy indoor climates found in offices, hospitals, hotels, apartment houses, factories and schools. Most people in New Jersey live in metropolitan areas where air pollution is a serious problem. The only real escape is inside the buildings where we work, play, sleep and live most of our lives, surrounded by four walls and a roof. Without the skills and dedication of the people in the mechanical contracting industry, these buildings would be uninhabitable.

As it is, the industry provides mechanical systems that not only automatically maintain comfortable temperatures by alternately heating and cooling these living spaces, but filter and clean air for breathing, and humidify or dehumidify it according to need. In short, it may be said without exaggeration that the main reason for this industry's existence is to serve people by creating an ever better environment for them to live in.

 

Does this industry offer a stable base for a personal career, and the growth potential to create even greater opportunity in the future?

Continually arising new frontiers will require increasingly skilled craftsmen trained in mechanical contracting. Here are a few: air pollution control; desalinization of sea water to augment the diminishing fresh water supplies in our state; development and installation of control systems to banish pollution of precious existing fresh water sources; and cryogenics, the science of handling and utilizing extreme cold by means of specially designed systems to serve society in new ways, from fresher frozen foods to biochemical research.

These are among the major opportunities for growth. To meet them successfully the industry must offer growth to its people in their jobs, and even more importantly in their training and development. Gone are the days when an apprentice plumber or steamfitter learned his trade simply by working alongside an experienced journeyman. Today he must have a substantial grasp of mathematics and physics. New techniques of construction management and control call for computers and many other tools of modern technology. And leadership ability is more than ever in demand.

That's why, in addition to stability and exciting growth prospects, this industry offers still another advantage: personal growth through continuing education and training. Looking to the future, the industry through its organization, the Mechanical Contracting Industry Council of New Jersey (MCIC), is already conducting training courses in advanced leadership and management skills as well as in technical education. MCIC has been a leading pioneer in this field, being the first industry organization in the state to offer free courses in supervisory training for example. MCIC has also been sponsoring a Mechanical Contracting Degree program at Kean College since 1972.

These educational opportunities have been so welcomed by the industry that the number and type of courses available has been continually expanding.

 

Many Kinds Of Jobs

A few of the specific jobs available in the mechanical contracting industry have already been mentioned, such as plumber and pipefitter, two skilled crafts which are basic to the industry's functioning. Some of the job opportunities are "inside" jobs, such as office, headquarters or shop occupations; others are "outside," in the field, done on the jobsite where the actual construction is taking place. And some, of course, at the management level, are both inside and outside.

Most of the occupations in the industry have "mobility," meaning that the employee is not stuck in one place doing the same thing all the time, as in a retailing or manufacturing career. As soon as a building project is completed, the mechanical contracting team moves to another location where the next project is underway. Obviously this makes for much greater job creativity and challenge than mere routine work. Even the inside jobs have variety, since new projects are constantly replacing old ones. Every construction project, even two for the same type of facility, has its own unique features.

To be specific, here are some of the more important job classifications in mechanical contracting, with a description of what these specialists do.

Pipefitter and Plumber

The pipefitter and the plumber have very similar skills and both work "outside" on the jobsite. The main difference is that the pipefitter works on heating systems, air conditioning systems and other specialized piping. The plumber applies his skills to plumbing systems, water supply, waste disposal, drainage and similar piping systems. To qualify for either of these occupations, the applicant must pass an aptitude test and serve a five year apprenticeship period of combined on the-job and classroom training before he becomes a fully qualified journeyman.

The basic job function of both the plumber and pipefitter is as follows:

Guided by building plans or blueprints and written directions (specifications) the journeyman lays out the parts, fits and assembles them and then installs the completed assembly. Some jobs may also require maintenance and servicing of the system after installation.

More specifically the plumber or pipefitter does all the following when required:

- Selects type of pipe and materials according to job specifications;
- Coordinates work with other construction trades;
- Cuts pipe using hammer, chisel, pipe cutters, hacksaw or cutting torch;
- Threads pipe using threading machine;
- Bends pipe by hand or with a pipebending machine;
- Assembles variety of metal and nonmetal pipe and pipefittings;
- Uses various methods to join one piece of pipe to another, including welding & Secures pipe to structure with clamps, brackets and hangers using hand tools;
- Installs and maintains air conditioning and refrigeration systems;
- Tests piping systems after installation.

 

Field Manager and Foreman

As these titles suggest, both of these job categories are outside, onsite occupations. The field manager usually directs the work of one or more teams of pipefitters and plumbers. Each team works under a foreman. The foreman is the "team captain" and coordinates the work of each craftsman so as to keep each section of the overall job progressing at the right speed. Qualifications for these two positions include ample knowledge and experience in pipefitting and plumbing plus managerial and leadership abilities. Ordinarily these jobs are filled through promotion from the ranks of journeymen pipefitters and plumbers.

 

Draftsman

This inside specialist is like the plumber and the pipefitter in that the job requires working with tools and special skills and talents. The tools, such as the T-square and triangle, are as different as are the talents, but the draftsman's role is equally important to the successful completion of the job. This particular job function has also felt the impact of computer technology in the last few years. Increasingly, the draftsman's task will be relying more and more on computer aided design hardware and software. Following are a few of the draftsman's job functions:
Prepares clear and accurate working plans and detailed drawings from rough sketches;
Checks dimensions of parts, materials to be used in relation of one part to another and to the whole structure;
Inks in all lines and letters on pencil drawings as required;
Lays tracing paper on drawings and traces drawing in ink;
Prepares finished drawings;
Uses knowledge of various machines, engineering practices, mathematics, building materials and other physical sciences to complete drawings.

 

Estimator

Another inside job is that of the estimator. As the title suggests, the estimator is charged with determining the specific cost of any construction project by itemizing and adding up the separate costs of materials, equipment and labor needed to complete the job. Sometimes the estimator is an engineer, particularly in the larger contracting firms. In many firms, the estimator is an expert specialist who has acquired skill through study and practice and has been promoted to this position.

 

General Manager and Project Manager

Depending on the size of the mechanical contracting firm, these two top executive positions may be combined in smaller firms, and in larger ones there may be more than one project manager. In general however, these positions are held by individuals with years of successful experience who have applied their best efforts to learning all aspects of mechanical contracting. These include not only the craft skills, estimating and scheduling but finance and advanced leadership and management skills.

Many executives holding these positions today came up through the ranks. More and more however, college training is necessary, especially in management skills. Almost all top managers nowadays have college educations.

 

Professionals

While most jobs at all levels of mechanical contracting are open to those who are able to demonstrate greater responsibility, performance and leadership-even though they lack formal professional training-there are certain positions in which a college degree is essential. These include the professional engineers, designers and accountants who are also essential parts of a successful contracting business.

 

Other Executives

Other executive jobs of equal importance which often but not always call for a college graduate are the comptroller and the purchasing agent. Briefly, the comptroller is the chief financial executive and in many firms he may also be one of the owners-who sees to it that the costs of performing the work at hand do not exceed the amount of money the firm is to be paid for fulfilling its contract. The purchasing agent-in some of the smaller firms this role may be filled by the estimator-buys all the supplies, materials and equipment needed for each project at the most economical price available, thus allowing the firm to submit the most economical bid possible to a builder or owner, in order to win the contract.

In common with many other types of firms, mechanical contracting also has need of bookkeepers, stenographers, typists, file clerks and receptionists.

 

Role of the Mechanical Contractor

As was mentioned earlier, the mechanical contractor and his team are vital to the overall construction process. So important is this complex organization of skilled specialists that the mechanical contract for most types of buildings is usually the largest single contract involved in the construction.

On the job, the mechanical contractor works with other specialty contractors who install the electrical system to provide light and power, erect the steel framework, lay the flooring and cover the walls, apply the paint and plaster, install insulation, glass and other necessary equipment and services.

 

Growth Potential

Members of the mechanical contractor's team in whatever capacity, rapidly become familiar through contact with these other specialists and professionals with the overall construction process-the art, craft and science of modern building. As they play their parts in installing boilers, controls, pipes of many varieties, fixtures, air conditioning and other indoor climate control units, their understanding of this modern equipment increases steadily. As they help protect and enhance the well being of the people who will live and work or play in these buildings, they gain true satisfaction. They have secured a rewarding career in the construction industry and are truly stars in their own fields.

If members of the mechanical contracting team wish to progress further or select other growing areas open to them, there are industrial piping and processing systems to be installed in chemical, petroleum, power, desalinization and other plants where complex, specialized piping is required. Here too, they can acquire the knowledge and skills needed to attain a worthwhile career.

MCIC hopes that this booklet has given you an interesting and thought-provoking view of one of the most exciting fields open to young people today. Whether you like to work with machine or hand tools, or have an engineer's or designer's talent, or are good at organizing projects, MCIC warmly invites you to think about-and look into-a career in mechanical contracting. We believe that all the potential rewards we've talked about are here-creativity, service to others, worthwhile satisfying work, excellent compensation and stability plus the finest personal growth possibilities anywhere. In mechanical contracting everybody can be a star.