Last year, in senior Seth Bush’s AP World History Class, he built a catapult for the Age of Empires project.

Together, he and his dad spent hours in their backyard launching random objects they had found while adjusting the resistance of bungee cords until they discovered what worked best. 

Seth’s journey in construction did not begin last year for a school project. He has been handy with a hammer and nails since he was a little kid, following in his father’s footsteps. 

“My dad does a ton of side projects all the time, [such as] building decks [and putting] in sprinkler systems,” Seth said. “As a kid, I just latched onto that.” 

Seth enjoyed the process of building a colossal catapult, but he has more of a penchant for building other objects. He especially loves to build accessories for his truck, those of which include speaker boxes.

As someone who adores the act of working with his hands, Seth has truly found a life’s calling in construction and building. In the future, Seth sees building as a side job while he focuses on becoming a line worker, where he would climb power poles and carry out repairs when the power goes out.

“I’m taking architecture right now in [Robert] Miedema’s class, and it’s pretty fun,” explained Seth, “but I don’t think I could see it as my full-time career.” 

There’s never a day where Seth isn’t working on a project, and he is always in need of something to do. However, with the shortage in building materials, he has learned to improvise by using his recycled materials and being extremely precise with his cutting of wood. Because, as Seth said, “you can’t make wood longer once you cut it.”

With the complications of few materials and the everyday obstacles that Seth encounters while working on a project, getting himself out of a problem is something he has learned to love.

“Every time I build something, there’s going to be a problem [that] I didn’t plan on having,” Seth said. “Getting around it and then being able to see that final product is really cool.”

Seth has been able to use his acquired knowledge of problem solving outside of building. More specifically, Seth has been able to apply what he has learned to help him succeed in his job working at Masters Mowing. There, he works on outdoor projects, such as mowing grass and trimming and edging yards. He and his coworkers are constantly affected by weather, and Seth has been able to alter their schedules around the predicament to ensure that everyone still is able to complete their jobs.

Along with Seth’s love for weaving his way out of problems, he has been able to appreciate and admire the work that he has made with his hands over the years, amazed with what the human body can achieve with persistence and determination.

“[Building is] a good escape,” Seth said. “It’s a good time to think through something and not have to worry about the stress of work and school—just being able to work with my hands and get something done.”

From a little kid learning every tip, trick, and technique from his father to a teenager building catapults for his AP World History class, Seth has been able to discover himself in the world of construction, and even a possible future. As he goes on through his life, he will take one aspect of building that prevails above the rest: perseverance.

“Learn from your mistakes,” Seth said. “Don’t screw up and then give up on it because mistakes are just how everyone learns. Everyone’s going to screw up. So keep working through it and find a solution to it because you will eventually [find one].”