Pros & Cons of a Career in Concrete Repair and Leveling

Learn all about the advantages and disadvantages that come with being a concrete repair technician.

If you’re tired of the same-old, same-old and looking for a career change, or you’re just starting out in the workforce and aren’t sure which path to follow, it's important to weigh all your options carefully in order to make the best decision for your personal needs and professional goals.

A career in concrete repair and leveling, while not well known, can be very lucrative and rewarding with lots of opportunities for professional growth.

Here at A-1 Concrete Leveling, we’ve been lifting and repairing concrete for over 30 years, and we’re excited to expand our team of dedicated concrete repair technicians. 

However, because we know that there isn’t much information out there about concrete leveling as a potential career path, we want to make as much about it available as possible so that you can consider whether or not it’s the right path for you.

This article will walk you through the pros and cons of a career in concrete leveling, giving you the information necessary to decide whether it may be a good fit for you.

Pros & Cons of Concrete Repair and Leveling Jobs Overview

This chart lists the advantages and disadvantages of a job in concrete repair listed briefly, but there are detailed explanations of each in the sections that follow. 

Pros of Concrete Repair and Leveling Jobs

• Less labor-intensive than other trades

When compared to new concrete installation and most other construction, landscaping, and outdoor trades roles, concrete repair is far less labor-intensive.

While it’s true that as a concrete repair technician, you’ll be on your feet most of the day, you won’t constantly be lifting excessive weight, and the work you’ll be doing is much lighter and easier on the body than jobs in similar sectors.

Check out the following articles to get more context on the work that concrete repair technicians do on a daily basis:

• A Day in the Life of a Concrete Repair Technician
• The A-1 Concrete Leveling Process

• Less restrictive with regard to weather 

Compared to other concrete work, especially new concrete construction, there’s more opportunity to actually do concrete repair work as we have to worry less about rain and colder weather impacting our results.

We can do leveling work during active rain and winter months as we don’t rely on the normal concrete curing process. Our leveling compound stays below ground and is not exposed to the elements, meaning it’s protected from everything but extreme cold while installing.

Even during the coldest times of the year, when outdoor work is impossible, we can perform leveling and repair jobs on residential interior floors, warehouses, industrial facilities, and other commercial buildings. 

Also, the majority of heavy shop and truck maintenance can be done during the slow season, so while leveling is off the table, there’s usually something else to work on.

• Seeing multiple projects completed is rewarding and satisfying

As a concrete repair technician, you and a teammate will be responsible for going out on your own and completing multiple jobs within a workday. You will work on these jobs from start to finish, seeing customers’ concrete transform in the process, and witnessing their excitement and gratitude at a job well done.

This is an opportunity to see your hard work come to life before your eyes. You’re the one who controls the outcome, and you get to see the dramatic before-and-after change that you created with your own hands.

Completing these projects and seeing how your hard work affects others positively brings a lot of satisfaction and feelings of accomplishment and helpfulness. Although it may not seem like it on the surface, a career in concrete repair can be really meaningful and rewarding.

• Every day is a little different

Many people coming from jobs that are repetitive or monotonous love the flexibility and variability that come with a career in concrete repair.

As a concrete repair technician, you’re constantly out in the community meeting new people, completing different jobs with different variables, and seeing new places as you visit various job sites.

No two days look exactly alike, and it helps keep a job in concrete repair and leveling exciting and interesting.

• You have autonomy and independence throughout the day

A-1’s concrete repair technicians are out on their own for most of the workday, without supervision from management. While the main office and management staff are only a phone call away, you’ll have a lot of independence, and responsibility to get things done right.

With this independence comes the opportunity to grow, gain new skills, and earn additional professional responsibilities. Showing consistent growth and the ability to manage projects without constant supervision is a great way to earn more money as a concrete repair technician, as well as move up in your career.

Having so much need for personal ownership in a job may put some people off, but we see it has a huge advantage, as you have the opportunity to show how valuable and responsible you are as an employee from the get-go.

• Can be an opportunity to grow professionally

As long as you're working for a concrete repair company that aims to support both you and your professional goals, you can reach whatever aspirations you may have.

For example, many employees who started as concrete repair technicians here at A-1 are on pathways to management roles and franchise ownership.

Just because you start out as a concrete repair technician does not mean that’s where you’ll end up forever. In fact, A-1 Concrete Leveling values employees who show initiative, drive, and aspire to move up in their careers.

Cons of Concrete Repair and Leveling Jobs

• Coldest months can be the slowest

While concrete leveling can be performed in colder weather, the coldest months are usually the slowest.  This can be a disadvantage of the job, as it may not be possible to work some days during these cold months.

Some concrete repair technicians stay on payroll during the slower season, and some decide to take seasonal unemployment and return to work in the spring. 

Each year is a little different and hard to predict ahead of time, but you’ll be able to work closely with your franchise’s management to find the best way to deal with the seasonality of concrete leveling for your individual situation.

• Weather exposure

The vast majority of A-1’s concrete leveling jobs are outdoors, and being out in the elements day in and day out can be physically draining.

Dealing with the heat of summer and cold of winter is something that not all people are equipped to handle, so it’s important to consider whether or not constant weather exposure may be something you’re willing to put up with.

With this being said, A-1 Concrete Leveling puts the safety of our employees before anything else, so you will never be asked to work in extreme weather conditions.

We have a detailed article about leveling concrete in the rain and bad weather that can provide you with additional information.

• Unique specialty trade

Concrete leveling isn’t something you can learn with prior education or trade school experience. Instead, it’s something that has to be learned in-house.

This can make starting a career in concrete leveling intimidating for some people, especially if they don’t have prior experience in other types of concrete work. 

However, finding a concrete repair company with a good hands-on training program can help you master the art of concrete leveling in no time. 

Here at like A-1, we’ve created a dedicated concrete repair training and development program so that you can learn everything from the ground up alongside experienced concrete repair technicians.

• Schedule and routine variability

While most people may see this as a pro, a job in concrete repair and leveling is not monotonous or rigidly structured, and the daily schedule can be relatively unpredictable. For someone who thrives on repeating the same tasks and schedule every day, concrete repair may not be a good fit.

In most of A-1’s franchises, all concrete repair technicians start every day at the same time, but the nature of the construction world makes it hard to predict the exact time your assigned jobs throughout the day will take to complete. 

For most jobs, we don’t know exactly what we are getting into until we actually begin working, although we know what to expect. This variability creates schedules and routines that are bound to fluctuate at times.

• Personal autonomy and independence

Although your job in concrete repair and leveling may not be a management or team lead position, it still requires decision-making and problem-solving abilities. 

You must be responsible and able to think on your feet in order to be successful in this type of work, and you and a teammate will be on your own, away from management, for most of the day. 

This can be a disadvantage of the job for some people, as they would rather be told what to do every step of the way instead of being autonomous and independent throughout their workday. This may not be the best candidate for a concrete repair position with A-1.

With this being said, here at A-1, you’re never completely on your own, especially when you’re unsure of a problem or process. Management and more experienced concrete repair crew members are only a phone call away.

Your Next Steps

Now that you’ve gotten familiar with some of the advantages and disadvantages of a career in concrete repair and leveling, you’re equipped with the knowledge to help you decide whether or not it’s the right professional pathway for you.

At the end of the day, becoming a concrete repair technician is a great way to challenge yourself by learning new skills, gaining professional responsibility and independence, and growing in your career over time.

Here at A-1, we never expect our employees to come in knowing how to level concrete, but we make it our goal to teach you everything you need to know and provide you with all the resources necessary to thrive and excel in your new position.

If concrete repair sounds like a profession you’d like to consider, don’t hesitate to apply for a job with A-1 Concrete Leveling!

Available Positions