How to Get a Job as a Construction Manager
Consider a cooperative education program, so that you can gain some of the on-the-job experience that’s mandatory for success in this line of work. Practical experience is one of the best ways to glean the technical know-how for the profession, but it’s also a chance for a construction manager to get his or her feet wet with project and people management.
What is the Job Like?
Working in construction management will be a mix of office and field work. Coordinating budgets, preparing project plans, and analyzing appropriate construction methods might be done in the quiet of a firm’s main office. But from time to time, a construction manager will also have to visit a job site to assess progress and interact with the workers. That could mean a lot of travel, depending on how close construction sites are to the main office, and particularly if you’re overseeing more than one project at a time.
Larger projects might require the teamwork of several managers, but in general, this profession is a collaborative one. Construction managers must constantly consult with the architects, engineers, electricians, carpenters, and other construction workers on how the project is progressing. Long hours are common as deadlines approach, and many managers work on-call, since job sites have irregular hours.
