Page 24 - Careers & Stuff 2021

> JOSE JAQUEZ
Jose Jaquez’ first job in the field, working as an apprentice bricklayer, was helping to build the new Odessa High School in Middletown. “That was the biggest job I’ve been on. That was close to nine months,” says Jaquez, noting that he liked knowing where the job site was going to be for such an extended time. As he helped build the school, he got experience working with brick, concrete block, and stone veneers.
A 2019 graduate of Hodgson Vo-Tech, Jaquez originally thought he’d go into
a different line of work. “I went for auto body, but when I actually tried out the shop, I just didn’t really like it,” he says. “When I had masonry, the teacher was really cool and I just liked the type of work.”
Now Jaquez is heading into year three of an apprenticeship with the Newcastle-based Joseph Rizzo & Sons. In addition to the full-time job, on Monday and Wednesday evenings, he heads over to the shop at St. George’s Technical High School to continue working on small projects to practice his trade (it’s kind of like having shop
all over again, he jokes). The classes
are run through the New Castle County Vo-Tech School District Adult Education Division. At the end of another year, Jaquez, 20, will be a journeyman mason. Asked what he likes most about the job, he replies: “It’s hard work, but I guess I would say the money.”
For Jaquez, construction is a family trade, though he is quick to point
out that he is blazing a new trail with masonry. “My whole family — uncles, cousins — they all do construction, but they all do concrete work, so I’m the only odd one that actually lays block and brick.” Soon he’ll have some company: Jose’s brother, Noe, just graduated high school with a focus
in masonry, and the pair are looking forward to working together.
Looking a little farther down the road, Jaquez has plans to strike out on his own. “I am just working and trying to get as much experience as I can,
so maybe one day in the future I can have my own business,” he says, noting that he expects to start small, with his brother and maybe a small crew of laborers. “And I guess if it’s going good,
grow a little bit.”
For now, Jaquez is taking the
opportunity to learn his trade from the experienced craftspeople around him. “For the most part, everyone’s really cool and helpful. They help you when you have questions, but every now
and then you just get that cranky old bricklayer,” Jaquez jokes, adding: “But it’s those old timers that really know basically everything, and they can teach you.”
And having been at it long enough now himself, Jaquez likes to see the finished projects that he worked on. “It’s cool to see, once everything is done, and you just drive by and you’re able to say you built it.”
22 CAREERS & STUFF | DelawareBusinessTimes.com
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