From Stay-at-Home Mom to Director of Preconstruction: Purdue Construction Management Grad Hopes to Give Other Unlikely Construction Professionals a Seat at the Table 

Carlyn McClelland, director of preconstruction for Final Phase Electric in Elkhart, Indiana, knows that success does not follow a predictable path. After all, her own career journey has had more than its fair share of twists and turns. From going to trade school as a stay-at-home mom, to pivoting her construction career and earning her master’s degree in construction management online after a life-altering injury, McClelland’s unlikely journey has made her a voice for change within the construction industry. Now, she wants to build a more inclusive future for construction professionals – one brick at a time. And she is using what she learned in Purdue University’s online Master of Science in Construction Management program to help her do it. 

“Purdue’s program changed my perspective on what construction can be,” McClelland said. “The traditional way is not always the best way.” 

McClelland knows a thing or two about bucking tradition – her journey to becoming a construction professional was anything but traditional. It started with her earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She did well in college and enjoyed her studies, as well as her post-graduation career as a probation officer. But, looking back, she can see how social expectations shaped her college experience. 

“I went to college because that’s what was expected of me,” McClelland said. “I didn’t know much about [trade school and other options] at the time.” 

A few years after graduation, McClelland decided to leave her career as a probation officer to focus on being a mom. During this time, McClelland experienced a lot of change – she had a stillbirth, and then she lost 150 pounds. Her journey with grief inspired her to focus on her health, and through focusing on her health she developed new interests. One of those interests was home remodeling. 

“Starting off, I got into home remodeling because I wanted to teach my sons some useful skills, and I wanted to help other moms fix their houses,” McClelland said. “But then I fell in love with the entire construction industry. My hobby got out of control.” 

So, at 36 years old, McClelland enrolled in a trade school to learn more about construction. This hands-on educational experience taught her about the value of pursuing a trade, and her unlikely journey from stay-at-home mom to construction worker attracted national attention. In 2017, she applied for and won the mikeroweWorks Foundation Work Ethic Scholarship, which helps students fund their trade school educations. Winning the scholarship and meeting Mike Rowe, the “Dirty Jobs” star who has long championed the importance of trades, made her an inspiration for other women seeking trades careers. Her story even ended up on Good Morning America, where she spoke about the importance of female representation in the trades. 

“In the media, I became a spokesperson for why trade school is a great option,” McClelland said. “Those media experiences are what prompted me to start thinking about opening my own business.” 

The money from the mikeroweWORKS Foundation scholarship paid for McClelland’s last year of trade school. She earned her associate of applied science in construction trades and green technology in 2018 and then went to work building her residential construction business: Proverbs 31 Construction. The business was a huge success – she was doing hands-on work every day and taking on projects big and small. But then, suddenly, things changed. While doing routine work, she had a ladder accident that resulted in a catastrophic injury to her right ankle. She realized almost immediately that her future – and the future of her business – were irreparably changed.  

“After the accident, I realized that I couldn’t do the hands-on work I set out to do, and I couldn’t continue running my business,” McClelland said.  

“It was really hard,” she continued. “But then I picked myself back up and decided to change direction.”  

Finding a New Direction in Purdue’s Construction Management Master’s 

It was one of McClelland’s construction mentors who first encouraged her to consider construction management, a less hands-on part of the construction field focused on controlling a project’s scope, time and cost to produce the best quality outcome. She became interested in pursuing a construction management career, and soon found Purdue’s online Master of Science in Construction Management program, which seemed like the perfect jumping-off point for a career pivot. 

“Purdue found me at the perfect moment in my life,” McClelland said. “I made the choice to throw my heart and soul into the program so I could make the best out of a not ideal situation.” 

With Purdue, McClelland took classes from professors who had extensive industry experience and loved the field. They challenged her to think about construction in new ways and pick up additional skills, like commercial construction management, risk management, value engineering and operations science. They also emphasized the importance of collaboration. During her time in the industry, McClelland had experienced how adversarial the construction field can be – but through working with her professors, she came to understand that collaboration, not competition, is key to sustained success.  

“What I learned about incentivizing collaboration through contractual arrangements and the project’s delivery method solidified my belief that bringing everyone on the project together is the key to improving productivity,” McClelland said. “From owners to field staff to project managers and administration, everyone has a role to play.” 

McClelland also enjoyed the program’s project-based curriculum. Each course she took was based around a hands-on project, which she usually completed with a group of other construction professionals. These projects helped McClelland put the principles she was learning into action – like the class she took on value engineering, which helps managers prioritize what owners want out of a project while maximizing value. Her group projects also helped her form lasting relationships with her classmates – many of whom are still part of her life today.  

“I still have a text thread going with a lot of my classmates, and we help each other navigate the construction industry,” McClelland said. “If I have questions, I can reach out to my classmates or professors and have that support network.” 

Over the course of her program, McClelland developed a passion for lean construction, a movement in the construction industry that focuses on maximizing value and minimizing waste through encouraging collaboration and continuous improvement. Among construction’s old guard, lean construction is still considered a nontraditional method, but, at Purdue, McClelland was always encouraged to think outside of the box. That’s a lesson that she’s taken with her, and it’s become a central part of her new career as the director of preconstruction and acting project manager for Final Phase Electric. 

“I believe strongly in the tenants of the lean construction movement,” McClelland said. “One of the core tenants of that movement is respect for people. In my career, I’ve learned that there’s no real separation between different kinds of construction professionals, whether you’re a manager, out in the field, or working in the office. No matter your identity, no matter your background, no matter if you don’t think you fit in – we all have a place at this table.” 

In the future, McClelland would like to continue making room at the table for a new generation of construction professionals. She hopes her story can encourage other women to pursue construction jobs, and she’d love to influence the future of the field through teaching and consulting. From her perspective, change is good – it’s something the industry should embrace, just as she has. 

“Purdue’s program taught me to never settle for good enough,” McClelland said. “And I believe that – it carries through in my faith and my work.” 

Learn more about Purdue’s online Master of Science in Construction Management on the program’s website. 

**Photo credited to Bailey Wolfe**