(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Joshua Robles enjoys challenging himself as much as possible in his career and life.
“When it comes to work, I am highly motivated in construction because it allows me to be part of something that I can always look back on,” he said. “I feel as if I am leaving a mark by being part of its growth.”
Robles was raised in Brownsville and still calls the city home. He graduated in 2019 from Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology.
Robles worked part-time at Origoworks in Brownsville before graduation and then worked his way up to become a project superintendent.
“A typical day usually consists of arriving at the job site about 7 a.m.,” he said. “I begin the walk-around of my site to make sure everything is in order to begin the day.”
Robles consults with subcontractors to make sure they have their materials for the day. He also reviews construction drawings to ensure the project is being built as it should and deals with site issues as they come up.
Construction superintendents are classified as first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers by www.onetonline.org, which predicts 79,400 new jobs will be created nationwide by 2028.
Texas had more than 75,000 first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction earning an annual mean wage of $68,900 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“The Valley is constantly growing, so with that being said, there is always room for more workers,” he said. “I have had the privilege of working with many workers, and I have learned that the Valley is home to some of the hardest workers.”
Robles is a graduate of Homer Hanna High School in Brownsville.
He chose to attend TSTC because he has worked in the past in the construction industry.
“Due to this experience, it made me want to pursue an education in construction to learn about the career in a more formal and technical way,” he said.
Rick Vargas, an instructor in TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program in Harlingen, said Robles was always dedicated and focused in his classes.
“He understood the importance of the skills he was learning and how much it would help him in the future,” Vargas said. “I knew he was management material from the start. It was great seeing him coming into the program and learning so much for two years, and using his own experience to earn a job and come back saying that it was worth every sacrifice to be where he is now.”
Robles said people who choose to major in TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program will have made a great decision.
“It is an excellent program that allowed me to take things I was taught right into the field,” he said. “It is a hands-on program that allowed me to feel as if I was in the actual work setting, so you know what type of career is ahead of you. The instructors became amazing mentors for me and never failed me in guiding me throughout my education process.”
Robles’ goals are to learn as much as he can about the construction industry and go back to college to further his education.
For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
