Heavy Equipment Careers – Why You Shouldn’t Specialize

There are many individuals who investigate heavy equipment careers but their approach is often focused on a single piece of equipment. Bulldozers are always a popular choice, possibly because they are one of the most visible pieces of heavy equipment in use. However, specializing in one area can have its down sides.

We now live in a world in which diversity is becoming the key to success. If you place yourself in the position of an employer, who are you going to put off during tough economic times? I will give you a choice – a bulldozer operator or an operator that can work with three or four different types of equipment. Common sense says to dismiss the bulldozer operator.

The employee that can operate a diverse range of equipment is far more valuable to the employer. In fact, as much as I hate to say it, the chances are that two or three specialist operators will get their marching orders since the employee with diverse talents can replace all of them – although not at once.

At present, there is a strong demand for heavy equipment operators across the full range of equipment. The trap is that many new operators will decide to specialize as an operator on one machine. They will certainly find plenty of work over the next 12 to 18 months – but what happens then? If there is another downturn in the construction industry, they may well find their heavy equipment careers grinding to a stop.

In the meantime, those with diversity are able to either find or maintain their employment because of the value they offer to an employer. There is a simple long term lesson to gain from this – if you are looking at heavy equipment careers, maintain as much diversity as possible and this starts by undertaking your heavy equipment training on a range of machines.

Sure, you can specialize in one area if you wish, but whenever you get a chance to operate other pieces of equipment, grab it and keep your diverse skills up-to-date. If your employer knows you have this diverse range of heavy equipment skills, your value to them will increase and with it an assured career as a heavy equipment operator.