Just wondering if anyone has any advice for me. I just graduated college last month with a business management degree and I want to get into estimating/project management with a large commerical construction company. I'm in north Mississippi and I have a few perspectives around here and the Birmingham area.
Can anyone give me some pointers/advice,etc? I've worked construction before and I think that I definetely have the ability and would find it motivating to work big $$ projects with lots of people.

Oh...my sig is like 2-3 years old lol. Don't mind it.

 

Glad to see someone with similar interests. I'm a freshman at LSU majoring in Construction Management. Wasn't really any help with your questions just F.Y.I lol.

 

I graduated from Texas A&M w/ a Construction Science Degree in '04, and am currently working for one of the larger commercial contractors in San Antonio.

Since you graduated in a Business Management program, I'd suggest working at least your first 6 months to a year in the field as an Assistant Superintendent. It will give you a good knowledge base to use in your future as an Estimator or Project Manager. You'll actually know how things go together, and how long it should take someone to install it. From there I'd recommend 6 months to a year in Estimating, and follow that w/ 1 complete project in a Project Management role.

Adjust these timelines however you'd like, since you said you've worked in construction previously.

As far as advice for the job... #1 Be confident in yourself. The smartest Superintendent I know had the personality of a wet paper bag, and his jobs always suffered because of it. Be friendly with your subs, but don't be afraid to call b.s. on them. And always be mindful of your reputation. Construction workers live in a small community, and word travels extremely fast.

 

aTm:

It's great to hear from someone in the same area of interest. I've got several friends that work for JE Dunn who went straight into PM without spending any time in the field whatsoever...they had the same kind of experience I did (residential mostly), and the company put them through 2 classes PM 101 and PM 102 while they are assistants. My old roommate was a construction management major and he said that he learned more in the first 2 days on the job as an assistant then he did in 4 years of school and that he used maybe 1/4 of the work he had learned in school. He started work at $43,000 per yr...the other guys started around $47,000. (at least that's what they claimed.) Any truth to this?

On another subject...

From what I've seen, project managers make decent money and with good work, can see upper mgt. after 20 or so years.

 

Also on a side note....

Confidence is not a problem. Upper management skills run in my family. When I am competent in my work enviroment, confidence is not a problem.
I am also very mindful of my reputation. I know how word travels fast, in small and large communities, and I use that to my advantage, because I never put myself in a situation where my reputation could be damaged, even in the ****-on job I have right now cutting trees.

 

Green 98 Good luck to you! I graduated with civil engineering and construction management. I have been with a healthcare construction comapny for 5 years now. Started out as a project engineer (assistant PM) for 2.5 years, moved to Louisiana to be onsite assistant PM for a 100,000 sq. ft. replacement hospital ($18 million) for 1.5 years, then moved back to Nashville, TN to work out of the office. Promoted to PM after my field experience. Field experience is a must if you ask me. You learn tons plus gain valuable insight and people tend to give you more respect than if you were just a college grad or "kid" as the old-timers like to call younger people.
If I had any advice it would be try to get in with healthcare construction. The money is better, the market is better. We do mostly negotiated jobs which are 100 times better than hard-bid.
Feel free to ask any questions. I'd be glad to help out!

 

Thanks a lot for your reply! I do have some questions that would help me out quite a bit if answered. The company I'm trying to get on with does some healthcare work, along with prisons, manufacturing plants,etc.

My email is patrick.nurse@hotmail.com. Shoot me an email if you don't mind.

 

You're friends weren't lying to you about their starting salaries. $43k was the average salary for graduates in '04. The highest I heard of was $50k, but the guy had worked for that company for the previous 4 years during school. I've heard that salary offers of $50-55k are getting more common around here now. I've got a friend who went to multi-family residential (apartments), and is working as an Asst. Super right now in Houston. Says hes making $60-70k base salary w/ bonuses for turning over units.

Project Managers do make good money, get alot of responsibility for how the project is running. And you'll probably be promoted to a PM within 5-7 years, if that's what you want. But don't forget about being a Superintendent. Experienced Supers are in short supply right now, because all these major schools keep pushing students to be Project Managers. A good Superintendent can command the same if not better salary than a Project Manager. And an Estimator can get a good salary right off the bat, as not too many people in construction want to spend thier days counting toilets and doors.

I worked for a large commercial contractor (in the top 20 in the US) that had it's corporate office in Mississippi. They do alot of condos along the Gulf Coast, and have also done healthcare, manufacturing, casinos, etc... If this sounds like the same company you're trying to get on with, let me know. I can give you a little insight into their company.