Young Writers Society

Believe it or not, but construction has been around since the cavemen times. It started when the caveman had to construct bows, arrows, spears and more. However as time has passed we have added more complicated fields of construction that our primitive ancestors were not capable of. What I'm talking about are the fields of construction like plumbing, masonry and electrical.

The field of construction covers four areas; masonry, electricity, plumbing and the one that most often comes to my mind, carpentry. All of these four areas require their own specific set of skills, and everybody enjoys their field, hopefully. Let's not forget the jobs that involve construction, much like architecture, heavy equipment operators.

Construction is a field of work that is never seen as “being full” due to many different reasons. Fist and foremost is the fact that over time the human population has increased, and it always will, and no one can deny it. As the population increases the need for housing also increases. Other such things that will be wanted and needed will include amusement parks, shopping centers, zoos and a lot more. Who is going to build all of this? The people who hold jobs in the field of construction of course. I will not lie, but the field of construction has a “poor image,” and the workers don't have a lot of protection.

One such example of this poor protection happened recently. On August 2, 2011 the buildings of many airports was discontinued, laying off about 70,000 construction workers. The only time that they'll know if they get their job back is in five weeks, when congress is back in session.

“All of these problems contribute to the poor image of the industry in the eyes of its clients and the public at large. But the industry also has a poor image in the eyes of its workforce, or potential
workforce, and it is this aspect that is of most concern in this report. The poor image of work in the construction industry is generally thought to stem from the nature of the work, which is often described as “dirty, difficult and dangerous”. But the real reason why construction work is so poorly regarded has much more to do with the terms on which labour is recruited rather than the nature of the work itself. For many construction workers around the world the terms of employment have always been poor. But many others have seen a significant deterioration in the past 30 years, as the construction industry has led the way in the adoption of “flexible” labour practices.”
http://www.ilo.org
To put it simply this means that work in construction area has become more and more temporary and more insecure.

One of the four fields of construction is plumbing. To become a plumber a person needs a high school degree, like most careers these days. Some colleges and technical schools offer classes that cover water supply and drainage systems, along with piping, venting, fittings and valves. Some of these schools also offer certificates to those who complete their course in plumbing. In order for plumbers to work in most states the plumbers need to have a license. In most states, in order for a plumber to get a license, the plumber must pass a certain exam and have 2-5 years of experience. In some states plumbers need a specific license to work on gas lines. The field of plumbing is expected to grow faster than other careers through 2018. Mainly because many experienced plumbers will be retiring soon.
The annual salary for a plumber is almost $50,000, but apprentices usually make about half of that.

The origin of plumbing can be traced back to a time in the B.C. era. In fact, archeologists have found plumbing systems dating back to 2500 B.C. Think about how nowadays we have pipes stretching miles to sewage plants and how back then the plumbing system probably revolved around buildings resembling outhouses or maybe something as simple as a bucket. Think about this and you can grasp the idea of how time has changed the plumbing industry.
The second field of construction involves electricians. Many electricians today have taken courses as an apprentice to other electricians. The courses usually last about 600 hours and they cover safety precautions, electrical circuits and blueprint reading. Besides learning in the classroom, apprentices also receive on-the-job training with the supervision of experienced electricians. Many electricians get their start in vocational classes during their high-school years. Electricians usually work for utility companies, construction firms or service providers. Each electrician “field” has specific skills and different job descriptions. For example, maintenance electricians who work in factories might have to repair assembly lines, while construction electricians might work on remodeling a house's wiring. Most states require their electricians to have a license. In order to get a license one needs to complete a test on electrical applications and building codes. Even self-employed electricians working as contractors sometimes need to earn a license and complete a bachelor's degree program in electrical engineering. The Board of Labor Statistics states that an electrician's annual salary is almost $52,000 and the job itself is expected to grow by 12 percent between 2008 and 2012. As technology grows their will probably be an increase in the growth of electricians too.

The electrical field has been around for the shortest amount of time. Electricity however, has probably been around for the longest amount of time because Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning was electricity. As soon as electricity was used in houses, churches and other buildings is when the need for electricians probably arose. The origins of electricians can probably be traced to around this time period.

A third, but not last, field of construction is carpentry, which is what I am most experienced with. Carpenters usually receive training in two different ways; formal and informal. Formal training can start as early as high school, usually in vocational classes. After high school carpenters will usually continue their training in community colleges, where they can get a technical diploma, certificate or an associate's degree in this field. Informal training is when carpenters learn about their field from experienced professionals. During the years of 2008-2018 the employment percentage in carpentry is expected to rise by 13 percent, as predicted by the Board of Labor Statistics. Jobs are also expected, by the Board, to be better and more available to those who have experience and skills in the field, however, the job itself is expected to shrink because of better technology. Annual salary for a carpenter is almost $44,000. Carpenters can usually be seen working on a lot of different projects. They cut, fit, and join wood and other materials for the construction of buildings, highways and much more. People who are into carpentry will need to know how to construct, install, and repair many structures and need to know how to build frameworks, wood stairways, window and door frames, and hardwood floors.
Carpentry is also the largest trade in the construction industry.

Carpentry is undoubtedly the field of construction that has been around for the longest time. There's no sane way to deny it because all you have to do is look at the cave man and civilizations that evolved from them. The cavemen started making bows, arrows and spears. As time passed people learned to use objects, which were probably similar to nails and made of bone, to build structures.

The fourth and final field is masonry. To become a mason most up-coming masons will join a masonry certificate program or get an apprenticeship with an experienced mason. Any future masons need a high school diploma or GED at the least. To officially become a mason one needs to have at least four years of experience in masonry. Due to masons lifting blocks and other such heavy equipment they need to be in good physical condition. A few states require masons to have licenses similar to the ones given to contractors. Masons are usually not “permanent” and regular employees. The annual salary for a mason is around $50,000, however additional training will allow a mason to get more pay. The growth for this job is considered to be average. The work of bricklayers and stonemasons usually ranges from something as simple as a garden wall to large buildings, sometimes taking years to finish. Anyone who hopes to be a mason needs be very exact, needs to know how to read and follow blueprints, take accurate measurements, and make sure that their lines are straight and level.

Masonry is a field of construction that has been around for over 6,000 years. This can easily be proven by simply looking back to the medieval time period, and before, when people began living in castles. Masonry can also be seen farther back in time because the Egyptians used masonry (and probably carpentry too) to build their periods.

We all watch the news, not many people would deny that. We watch on as the reporters show scenes of destruction as buildings collapse. We all watch as the news teams travel to places that have been devastated by floods, hurricanes and worse. In our country's history we have witnessed all of this but more. We have seen bridges being torn apart, houses being ripped from their foundations, buildings being destroyed from bombs, planes and wars. Sometimes it is all to blame on faulty construction, other times it could be nature or we, as people. We have seen more than I care to recall.

Despite the constant destruction there are people out there that rebuild these bridges, homes and buildings. They probably know that someday, like most things, history will repeat itself. The houses will once again be ripped from their foundations, bridges will collapse and so on. Do they care? Probably so. These people rebuild because it's their job, and they enjoy it.

Cycles are permanent, and forever happening. The water cycle is an example, and so is the carbon cycle. There is another cycle however, that is not recognized a lot. The cycle of construction, of course. The first step is clearing or developing land, the second step is the building. Then comes the final step, the step of destruction. It's a simple cycle. Always repeating itself, and never changing. The largest contributor to this cycle is people of course. We will always be part of the clearing and the building, and sometimes the destruction.

Hi! It's always cool to see essays uploaded here.
I'll just get though the nitpicky details and then get to the good part!

It started when the caveman had to construct bows, arrows, spears and more.

You need another comma after spears I think.

However as time has passed we have added more complicated fields of construction that our primitive ancestors were not capable of. What I'm talking about are the fields of construction like plumbing, masonry and electrical.

You can get rid of the "has" and the "have". So: However, as time passed, we added more complicated fields of construction such as plumbing, masonry, and electrical - areas that our primitive ancestors were not capable of. <---Am I right in believing that you will discuss why our ancestors were not capable of such areas, a lack of tools or innovation? Because it almost sounds like a thesis...

The field of construction covers four areas; masonry, electricity, plumbing and the one that most often comes to my mind, carpentry.

You need a colon for this ) not a semi colon! And the thought "one that most often comes to my mind" is quite long and interrupts the flow.

everybody enjoys their field, hopefully.

Nice show of tone, its your voice in your writing, keep it!

Let's not forget the jobs that involve construction, much like architecture, heavy equipment operators.

This sentence has a grammar error, for instance, if you take out "much like architecture" then you have no verb to link the two clauses. You can read it like this: Let's not forget the jobs that involve construction heavy equipment operators.

Fist and foremost is the fact that over time the human population has increased, and it always will, and no one can deny it.

First* Also, you can delete the "has", and it's a bit too repetitive.
First and foremost, human population will always increase over time. (That sounds more concise and better).

As the population increases the need for housing also increases.

Again, try not to use a verb twice in one sentence. Maybe find a synonym for increase?

For the really long quote in the middle, I do believe there is a certain format you should use. Try looking it up on OWL's Purdue MLA website!

To become a plumber a person needs a high school degree, like most careers these days.

Maybe: A plumber, like most career these days, needs a high school degree.

Think about how nowadays we have pipes stretching miles to sewage plants and how back then the plumbing system probably revolved around buildings resembling outhouses or maybe something as simple as a bucket. Think about this and you can grasp the idea of how time has changed the plumbing industry.

This is a chunk of a paragraph! You need commas so that readers can take a breath in between.
"Think about how nowadays we have pipes stretching miles to sewage plants, and how back then the plumbing system probably revolved around buildings resembling outhouses. Think about this, and then you can grasp just how much time has changed the plumbing industry."

The courses usually last about 600 hours and they cover safety precautions, electrical circuits and blueprint reading.

You need a comma after 600 hours, and then one after circuits.

So I did read through the rest, but this is a pretty hefty read!
Maybe you can condense this essay by taking out all the stuff you don't need. Mainly, I just see one pattern where you don't put a comma after the second item in your list.
I think it should be: A, B, and C.
Also, are you really only a ninth grader? Because this is pretty damn impressive for such a young age. I read through this and started wondering how long it took you to review all this. You make a good point, carpentry has been around for a long time, but most people don't see that it's a continuous cycle, just like the water or carbon one!

Interesting, and incredibly factual. You are going to go far!

The essay required one title page and one cited sources page(which I didn't upload) and the actual report had to three pages at the least.

Thanks for the review.

I was reading thtough your review a second time and I read the bottom this time. Yes I am in the ninth grade, and the "cycle" idea was a spur of the moment (it also sounded really cool to me) and also last year in eigth grade my ela teacher assigned us a lot of writing and she'd always post my writings on an examplary work board (but she retired halfway through the year and she was replaced by Mr.Bowers and he also put alot of my stuff on his examplary work board).
I also had to do a practice writing test in eigth grade, and the real thing later in eigth grade and I made an exceeding grade on both.

It's also my first year in high school and I have all honors classes and in this years ela will be doing a lot of writing, which is going to help me.

Your part about my writing being impressive really made my day, its like a happy-high hehe.

I liked this. It's pretty difficult to make a construction report exciting, but the way you added interesting facts here and there made it good. There were a few fragments and comma misuses but, other than that, it was grammatically well-written. Also, the way you went kind of chronologically by starting with the cavemen was sort of cool. It made it easier to understand. You're a pretty good writer. It's pretty hard for an essay to not makeme full asleep.

I liked this. It's pretty difficult to make a construction report exciting, but the way you added interesting facts here and there made it good. There were a few fragments and comma misuses but, other than that, it was grammatically well-written. Also, the way you went kind of chronologically by starting with the cavemen was sort of cool. It made it easier to understand. You're a pretty good writer. It's pretty hard for an essay to not makeme full asleep.