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If you answered “Yes” to most of these questions, you might consider a career as a con- struction equipment operator. To find out more about this job, read on. What’s the Work Like? As a military construction equip- ment operator, you will repair or build structures. You will use any of many different machines, both large and small, to construct airfields, dams, bridges, roads, and buildings. You might operate trucks, bulldoz- ers, backhoes, forklifts, pile-drivers, graders, or cranes to clear and grade land and prepare it for construc- tion. You might operate a crawler tractor to construct embankments and excavate hills and slopes, or you might use it for cleaning, stripping, backfilling, stockpiling, or pushing a scraper. Other commonly used ma- chines include control power shov- els, which are used to dig holes and trenches to lay or repair sewer and other pipelines. Excavation and loading machines equipped with scoops, shovels, or buckets are operated to dig sand, gravel, and earth and load it into trucks. You could use winches, cranes, and hoists to lift and move heavy construction materials. General construction equipment operators use air compressors, pumps, and pneumatic tools. They also operate specialized construction machines that pump, compact, ditch, and augur. And don’t forget that the heavy construction equipment itself needs to be transported to and from a site using a tractor-trailer. Another area of construction is paving roads or airfields using asphalt or concrete. Tamping equipment operators run machines that compact earth and other materials for roadbeds. Concrete-paving machine operators control machines that spread, vibrate, TALKING MONEY Compensation in the military is primarily based on years of service. A private with less than two years in the armed forces draws a base income of about $19,000 annually, whereas a corporal with four years’ service earns about $29,000 per year. Government benefits are famously excellent and include career training, health care, some money for college, and life insurance. Most soldiers on active duty also receive further compensation. In civilian life, construction equipment operators have a mean annual salary of $45,000, according to 2016 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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