Picture this: you're speaking to a crowd of high school students about a career in construction. You're asked what makes a career in construction fun? You answer something like this: "It’s an exciting time to be in the construction industry with 3-D models on tablets in the field, drones capturing thousands of photos in minutes to be added to the as-built drawings, and memorable charrette sessions held during pre-construction. In this collaborative industry, you’re part of something bigger than yourself and the teamwork culture allows for everyone to add their input to the project. The industry is advancing at an accelerated speed and it’s fun to be a part of it. Well, except in the public sector. In this cut-throat market, teamwork rarely exists. There’s no rush to get anything done, that’s not to say the schedule is not important, oh it’s important and you’ll need it for your attorney to help make sure your claims are approved. It can be a drag working on a public construction project, but hey you still get paid while working under a century old law that prohibits the public sector from being fun." You obviously would not be that critical and truthful when talking to future construction professionals. After all we want them to enter the industry as the baby boomers continue to retire. In time, when they join the industry, the next generation will learn about the inefficiencies and difficulties that come when working in the public sector because of the Separations Act. This Week’s Homework Assignment Each of us are to send the Separations Act Repeal Petition to five millennials in the industry, asking them to sign it. We know that at no fault of the younger professionals, they entered an industry that is not as collaborative and progressive as they would like, but we are trying to do something about it. Repealing the Separations Act is not the cure all to improve the industry, but it’s a sign to future industry leaders that we’re not satisfied with the status quo and we want a culture where teamwork exists, a culture where innovation is valued – the type of culture where millennials can flourish. Money isn’t everything to millennials, that’s not to say that pay isn’t important, but from my dealings with this can-do attitude group I know that millennials are ready to take on the world, let’s not handcuff them with meaningless laws that can impede them from improving the construction industry. Here is the Separations Act Repeal Petition and I thank for forwarding it to at least five people this week: https://www.change.org/p/pennsylvania-repeal-pa-separations-act