To celebrate Women in Construction Week 2024, we sat down with a few of the many inspiring women at Schuchart, all working in different functions across our business, to share their experiences as women in construction and give us a glimpse into the many career opportunities for women in this industry.
This is part two of a three-part series.
Abby Bartlett is a Project Engineer at Schuchart, with a focus on ground-up and tenant improvement projects.
Abby initially set her sights on civil engineering, earning her undergraduate degree in it, and interning at a heavy civil engineering firm while in school. Abby joined Schuchart right out of college and has now been here for the past four years.
She attributes the shift from civil engineering to general contracting to her senior capstone project in college, where she took a project management class and discovered that she really enjoyed the work. Abby says, “I love the collaborative problem solving. I love working through challenges onsite and brainstorming ways to tackle them.”
However, like many people in this industry, Abby admits that she kind of fell into construction as a career, saying “when I graduated in 2020, there weren’t a ton of jobs available, but thankfully I grew to love it and see myself continuing in this field.”
So, what did Abby “grow to love” about construction? Abby says her favorite part about it is that she gets to work with a wide variety of people, from owners and clients to designers and trades people. Abby states, “I love how much knowledge I continue to learn every day.”
While Abby’s work differs greatly from Katie’s (who we interviewed in part one of this series), they both align in saying that the most challenging part of being a woman in construction is being underestimated. Abby claims that the culture in construction can be a little insular, leading to this issue, but Abby emphasizes, “I don’t let that hold me back.”
The culture is changing every day, as people like Abby continue to bring fresh perspectives to this industry and are willing to challenge previously held beliefs. Abby says, “I think showing people that the traditional way to do things is not the only way will help open more minds and make the industry more welcoming to all.”
At the end of the day, Abby is excited for the future of construction and seeing more and more women enter the field, and will continue to do her part to help open the doors for those who come after her. Put simply, Abby says, “I love working with other women in the industry.”
Thank you, Abby, for sharing your thoughts and continuing to take the initiative to improve this industry for everyone!
Stay tuned for part three tomorrow.