I’m a female builder – I gave up my glam sales job & high heels for work boots… now I have to keep the blokes in line
A FEMALE builder has revealed why she gave up her glam sales job and traded her high heels for work boots.
Lynn Johnson, 54, had been donning her heels and popping on lipstick every day working as a housing sales advisor.
But after 30 years she decided to give up selling houses, and start building them.
The Lancashire mum-of-one swapped the cosy, warm lifestyle for lugging trash to the skip on freezing cold mornings – but she hasn’t looked back.
And while Lynn is still currently studying to become a construction site supervisor apprentice, set to be qualified in just two months time, she’s already keeping the blokes in line.
The mum said she’d been waiting on her son to reach his teens before she changed professions – and now the pair are dreaming of starting up their own company.
Lynn said: “Swapping my heels and lipstick for work boots and high vis was the best decision I ever made.
“I’d been selling houses from the age of 21 and I wanted a change.
“I was always interested in construction, and when my son grew older, he didn’t need me around so much, so I decided to make the switch.
“I wanted a challenge – and I’ve certainly set myself one.”
Lynn said she was “always interested” in becoming a builder but didn’t take the leap until she quit her sales job in November 2021.
And while 54-year-old picks up the rough jobs, including having to “lay down the law” to male colleagues, she loves seeing a home built from the ground up.
Comparing her job in sales to her current role, she said: “There were a lot of women in the office – it was very glamourous. Now I’m on site at 7am, frozen solid. It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding.
“Seeing a building site go from a foundation to a whole row of houses with actual families moving in gives you a lot of satisfaction – it brings communities together.”
The mum added: “I have to lay down the law every now and then if the standard of work isn’t up to scratch, but I get on well with all the lads and have a really great team.”
While Lynn’s last job was commission based, and she took a pay cut to follow her dreams, the mum is “hoping to earn about £20,000 a year more than I would have in sales”.
She also has big plans to build her own home one day.
Lynn added: “My son’s coming up to choosing his GCSE options, and I’m encouraging him to apprentice in a trade, either as a joiner or as an electrician.
“It would be great to have a mother and son company one day. He’s very proud and wants to follow in my footsteps.”
It’s not unusual for women to break social norms and leap into male-dominated industries.
A female plumber who went to beauty school shared her journey recently.
Meanwhile a female lumberjack, female mechanic and female farmer also revealed why they love their jobs.