While many women take a direct route to a career in the construction industry, Brittany Buck followed a more roundabout pathway. Originally from New England, she was pushed to choose an academic education, eventually completing a degree in communications. After some part-time work and dead-end jobs, she took a summer job in landscaping and realized how much she enjoyed working outdoors. Having grown up with a father who was a construction supervisor, she got her start in the industry with a job at her father’s company.

When Brittany started thinking about growing her career, she decided to look at cities that were growing and consequently would have more construction opportunities. She landed a job with R.C. Mathews Contractor in Nashville, where she is now an Assistant Superintendent working on major renovations for universities and historical buildings.

“My biggest hurdle was age, not gender,” was Brittan’s unexpected answer when asked about her hardest challenges. “Being the youngest, you’re always the person who knows the least. Bringing in the next generation can be hard for some veterans in the business to deal with. I had a non-traditional entry with no degree or technical skill set. So, it was really ‘how quickly can I learn everything?’ Construction is based so much on experience.”

Looking back, she recalls having to dig in. “In the first couple of years it was definitely hard. I started from square one. Even two or three years in, it could feel like my first year on the job. But I learned about building a knowledge base and good level of experience.” Her solution to the challenge was simple. “It’s showing up every day. That’s really all there is to it. You take the harsh jobs, picking up trash, fetching tools and equipment. Those are the days you really learn the most. Construction is shifting to where super and assistant super is really a management role.”

Part of Brittany’s career growth was learning a sense of toughness. She describes it in this way; “Being tough is not letting other people’s criticisms change what you want to do or change what your abilities are. When things become challenging, I know that my decision is final.” She recalls an example from earlier in her career. “There was a project I was just finishing up. We had some internal conflict on my project team as we were starting the finishing stages. We all thought we knew the best way to do it. We were butting heads, but we figured out how to solve it. The super of this project put me forward to manage a project on my own, after seeing me dealing with tough group dynamics. I was able to lead that renovation project, which was a $3 million corporate office renovation.”

Brittany describes how her NAWIC membership has been instrumental to her career. “I joined NAWIC when I came to Tennessee. I had heard about it in New England but didn’t get into networking or meeting people. Coming to Nashville, I knew that meeting people would be important, so I joined NAWIC after a couple of months. I got on the WIC Week committee. The following year I chaired that committee,” she recalls. “It was a huge opportunity for me to practice leadership. My leadership style is a lot softer than many. In NAWIC, I can practice my leadership style. It has really helped me to grow my abilities and my confidence. I can bring NAWIC to my job. We grew our impact in the market. I am currently President of NAWIC chapter here.”

Does she think it’s harder for women to succeed in construction than it is for men? “I think it’s more about attitude,” she says, “I know there a lot fewer of us, especially in the field. Women have qualities that are needed on site—attention to detail, listening skills, dealing with big personalities. A lot of times you feel like you have to prove yourself. Attitude and work ethic will go a long way. I’m never shy about being the only woman on site. I’m not afraid of being feminine like wearing pink on the job site. I don’t change who I am for that.”

She added, “I think a major misconception is that women who are building a career in construction are attention seeking or that we’re trying to stand out. We’re just there to do our job like anybody else.”

Brittany talks about the best advice she has received that helped her in hard times. “Be patient -which is not a strong suit for me- your time will come. It takes a while to get your feet under you. The 10-year mark is where you know the job well. You think you know more than you do, but you know you can make decisions well,” she says.

When asked to share some advice for other women who are building a career in construction, Brittany offered that “[y]ou don’t have to know where you’re going to end up to just get started. Stick with it. There are so many different opportunities. If you’re frustrated with your current situation there always a place to fit in and find community.”