Part of what makes the construction industry strong and thriving is the different backgrounds and perspectives of the people in the industry. Amber Mayer, Assistant Project Manager for GBCA member EDA Contractors, has a great story about how her background in fashion helps her today in the construction industry.

From Amber Mayer:

How does a girl from the fashion industry make it in the construction industry? The two are more alike than you may think. I went to school in New York City for Accessories Design and graduated after 2 years with my Associates Degree in Fabrication. I lived in NYC for my first year of school and worked in a retail store in the middle of Times Square. …

After I graduated, I [commuted] to NYC [from Philadelphia] 3 days a week to work in the fashion industry creating and making handbags. I worked 10 hour days in the downtown area of NYC called SOHO. I loved what I was doing, but I didn’t love NYC and started to get worn out with the commute. … I knew I no longer wanted to do fashion when all the jobs I was applying to were in NYC. So, I moved on from fashion and started to think of other areas that interested me.

I was remodeling my bathroom at the time and realized how much I loved construction. I loved sketching out different designs and planning out what was going to go where with cardboard and tape on the floor. … Then it really hit me that fashion and construction are the same; something is designed and built and all the little details in the middle could be linked together.

I’ll break down the steps of creating; by reviewing how to make a handbag. I would spend hours sketching out the perfect handbag. Once I had my design, I would figure out the size of the bag. Once I had the dimensions, I had to figure out all the pieces. What kind of fabric do I want to use? What about zippers, hardware, handles? …

This is similar to construction and my job of being an Assistant Project Manager. Once I receive a new job, I review the specs, figure out all the materials being used, and check out the drawings. The specifications tell you everything you need to know. When I get to ordering material, I need to make sure I’m not forgetting the little things that are most important, like fasteners. …

So how does a girl from the fashion industry make it in the construction industry? Well, with my fashion design background, I think that helps me because I already have a sense of how to build something. Building a bag is no different than building in construction. It’s all the little pieces that are used to come together that make it different but the concept is very similar!

Click below to read more from Amber’s story!