Construction worker turned entrepreneur Tavia Lynn shared why she left the job she ‘loved’ after following her passion of ‘creating things’ into what could have been a lucrative career
A woman who earned a staggering sum of money in the construction business shared the reason she left the job she loved. Tavia Lynn, 23, was delighted by her job in construction, and always knew she had wanted to work in trades. But a love for “creating things” was not enough to keep her aspirations alight.
Tavia has since shared the cruel response she first received was not enough to make her give up, but countless instances which followed left her feeling uncomfortable on the construction site. She has since shared leaving the business at 23 was her only choice.
The construction worker turned model and entrepreneur has since shared the reason she ditched construction. The at-the-time 19-year-old picked up her initial skills watching YouTube videos and could have landed herself £87,000 ($180,000 AUD) in her first year.
She said: “I got into construction because I enjoyed creating things. It helped me feel peace being able to see my progress instantly and the results after each day of hard work.”
But the initial response from members of her family to the decision to pursue construction was one of mockery. When Tavia told a family member she wanted to be a builder, she recalls that he “laughed in my face.”
She said: “I was doing everything from professional painting and refinishing cabinets to trim and flooring. I loved it.” But those in the field were “making comments” about Tavia, who says that male co-workers had made the “talk at work sexual”.
Tavia told news.com.au: “I remember one guy specifically telling me, ‘You’re getting paid all this money just to look pretty. You’re just here as eye candy. It made me feel like I was a joke and that nobody was taking me seriously.”
Even a male friend asked Tavia if she was in the right business. She recalled: “He asked if I really wanted to do manual labour for the rest of my life, and he said, ‘If I looked as hot as you, I would not be doing this’.”
Tavia also believes group chats were made by her work colleagues to discuss her looks without her knowing.
She would go on to leave the industry and has since found success elsewhere as a model and content creator. A recent post to her Instagram showed Tavia training in a boxing ring.
Tavia posted: “Training to be a hero: this was my first ever boxing training and it’s a harder workout than you could ever imagine.”
A YouGov poll of 2,125 adults found 53% of young women, aged 18-24, blamed the “lack of gender diversity” as a barrier to technical careers, including electricians and construction.
Almost one in four young people (36%) believe a lack of gender diversity is still a barrier to entering the electrical and plumbing industries.
