Javier Dominquez is a framer and sheetrocker building a tidy living laying out studs and track, and framing up walls as a subcontractor in the commercial construction industry.
Recently, he helped build the YMCA on Wichita State University’s campus.
Framing and Sheetrock
Framers are carpenters, but they don’t always deal in farmhouse tables and furniture like you see on HGTV. More commonly, they build the supportive structures that hold buildings up — and those structures could be steel or southern yellow pine.
Once the frame is up, these carpenters install sheetrock to make walls, ceilings and interior architectural features. Finishers, another type of carpenter, come in after the walls are secure to tape off joints and make panels look like one smooth piece of construction.
It’s work that suits Javier. He likes working with his hands and moving around throughout the day. He never saw himself as the type to just sit in an office.
High School to Construction
Instead, he started building his construction career right out of high school. He wanted a steady job with good pay and found he could make better than minimum wage sweeping floors as an entry-level laborer.
He wasn’t sweeping long. He trained on the job, going through an eight-week course that taught metal framing, sheetrock, finishing and ceilings.
Javier’s a full-fledged carpenter, but he’s not done learning. Now, he’s taking classes for his associate’s in construction science at WSU Tech.
He plans to keep climbing the ladder.
Javier takes pride in his work and helping build his community.
His favorite job is the one just down the road from his house. Every time he passes by with his family, he tells them, “I built that. I did that with my hands.”
Just like Javier, your future is in your hands. There are 325 commercial construction companies in Kansas actively looking for craft professionals to join a 9,000-person workforce.
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