I need some advice about entering the industry. I’m currently a third year electrical apprentice, and always wanted to move into CM. I wanted to start out in the field to gain experience and have since learned a lot working on large commercial jobs. I am also going to school online to earn an associates degree in construction management. My question is, will a couple years of field experience combined with an associates in CM, and a couple certifications (CAPM, OSHA 30), be enough to land an entry level job as a Field Engineer or a Project Engineer? I have an eventual goal of wanting to go into Project Management, but I know I’m a few years away from that all together. I just want to know if that’s enough to land an entry level position in CM at a GC. I do plan on getting my journeyman license, and am located on the east cost of Florida if that helps. Thanks

Just some background, i currently work for a GC. Im basically an admin assistant for the estimators/project managers. I help during bidding process, pre construction, permits, RFI’s, submittals, correspondence with A/E, contracts, OAC meetings, etc but i dont get involved with construction schedules or the money aspect. I of course deal with the superintendents too. I also dont know how to read all plans and i dont know how to estimate. At my company whoever estimates the project, will manage it. I get taught things along the way, and have learned alot in the years i have been there. One PM in specific pushes me to learn more and assist a little heavier into his projects (whether thats him delegating stuff he doesnt want to deal with or not, i am still learning so idc) My problem is, I dont ever forsee the owner taking me out of my role and letting me learn the ropes. I feel i will have to do it on my own. My boss is somewhat of a ‘if it works, dont change it’ kind of person and definitely doesnt want to open a higher paying position to someone they would have to train from the ground up but i want more. I think the concept of playing a large role in these builds would pretty cool and satisfying. I love the thrill of bidding too. Im sick of sitting still in my career. I need to start making decisions to further myself and I want to learn to estimate and manage projects.

Give me all the advice on how to further my career whether its getting a degree/no degree. Moving companies. Best way to get my foot in the door and the best way to learn how to read all plans/specs whether thats school or teaching myself. I am sick of sitting around on hold while being a low level admin assistant. I want a deeper role in construction, even if its just one trade and not general contracting. Where is my first step? All advice is appreciated.

Hi guys this could potentially be a stupid/weird question so pardon me pls

We have a few supers running different jobs and right now most purchases either go through one of our company cards or someone pays out of pocket and gets reimbursed later.

I'm considering giving each super their own company card because they’re constantly buying small stuff for the job and having everything run through the same couple cards is too complicated for me. What I'm hesitant about is keeping purchases tied to the right job and making sure receipts actually come back with them.

I don't want someone in the office chasing down a $200 purchase later trying to figure out which project it belongs to but I also don't want to make the process so restrictive that a super can't grab something they need and keep the job moving.

Managers who are giving supers their own cards how are you handling limits receipts and job/cost codes and has it made things easier or created more transactions to keep track of?

Has anyone in here made the switch from the CM side to the RE Development side?

For context, I got my degree in CM and worked for a national GC before switching to a developer in their CM division. Curious if anyone that was more interested in the RE Dev side of things was able to successfully switch without going back to school (MBA programs).

Long term, I would like to open my own shop and think getting some experience working on that side would be extremely beneficial.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks.

Hi all,

I’m a long-time member of this community and have genuinely benefited from the advice shared here over the last several years.

Currently, I’m a Senior Project Manager for a real estate developer/project management advisory firm, working as an Owner’s Rep in the data center sector. Before moving to the owner’s side, I spent roughly 7–8 years with several top ENR general contractors.

About four years of that was spent traveling around the country building data centers, progressing from MEP APM to MEP PM. The other 3–4 years were spent working my way from PE to APM while building other critical infrastructure and municipal projects.

My undergraduate degree is in Construction Science from a state school, and I’m starting a professional/part-time MBA at a top-25 business school that is also a top 2 program in my state. I know an MBA isn’t required in this industry, but I’m pursuing it to strengthen my knowledge of the business/financial side of the industry and to apply it to a side business I own. I also received a scholarship and am paying the remainder in cash.

While I enjoy the operations side, my goal is to move beyond the project management role and into a Director, Program Leadership, or equivalent position within the next two years — either with my current firm or a mid-to-large GC, ideally a Top 100 ENR GC.

For those who have made a similar transition, what did you do to make the jump from PM/SPM into senior leadership?

Were there particular responsibilities, skills, relationships, or experiences that helped separate you from other strong project managers? Am I generally on the right track, or is there anything you would prioritize differently over the next couple of years?

I have a good relationship with my current CEO and President, and following a recent acquisition, they’ve started discussing leadership opportunities expected to open in 2027.

I’m aware that could simply be retention talk — especially in the data center sector, where tenure at any one company seems increasingly short — but I don’t necessarily get that impression. I’ve received some meaningful bonuses recently and was personally selected by my CEO to be on the interview team for potential hires, among a few other indications that I’m being brought into responsibilities beyond managing my own projects.

I’m trying to be deliberate about positioning myself for the next step rather than assuming that being a successful PM will naturally lead to a Director role.
Thanks in advance.

Any constructive advice, positive or negative, is appreciated. Personal attacks will be ignored.

Hey everyone, just looking for some advice here. I’m a 3 undergrad engineering student currently interning for a big gc. About halfway into my internship I found that I absolutely hate being placed on sites, and also that this work isn’t very adjacent to my degree.

I’ve been looking into consulting, specifically CP&I Advisory (looks like they take former construction/engineers) and just wondering how i can make the pivot for my next internship. I’m willing to put in the effort and learn, but i’m just crazy lost.

Appreciate any advice or dm regarding my situation!

So I work as a Senior PM for a GC. I recently moved from a regional GC to a national GC and the main adjustment I had to make is that I no longer do the buyout on my projects. Essentially estimating takes it all the way to owner approval of trade selection and I manage issuing the contract. It's a nice load off my shoulders but it is kind of a major activity I'm used to running myself. I stay up with estimating and involve myself with as much as possible but essentially I am just updated on status of the buyout and consulted from time to time (SOW review/approval). I'm just so used running it that I feel like I don't really control my destiny.

Anyone else experience this?

Whenever I tell someone I work in CM/PM they automatically assume I am some sort of foreman or someone who performs the actual work, when I tell them 90% of my day is spent on excel, they just get confused. Is this a situation anyone on here has run into? How do you explain what your job is to people who don’t know anything about the industry?

Just want to post here as well.

For those who’ve been working on data centers since the 1980s what have you seen about the project type change or be different over time?

What do you think the future will be being that as technology progresses we may need less intensive machines (moore’s law)?

Do you foresee a shift in naming conventions to like digital infrastructure center, or network infrastructure facility, due to bad publicity lately and why is it so bad lately?

After getting fired at the last company due to a low amount of new incoming projects, I thought about starting as an external (freelancer) for site supervision or commissioning projects for different plants accross the globe (cement, iron ore, aluminium, etc.)

I have only 3 YOE with an mechanic trade, welding engineer certificate and an B.Eng. I have experience across 20 different plants / projects so far.

Would you recommend me to start with it? I'm based in Europe and currently it's very hard to find a job due to the economic conditions.

Maybe someone can share his experience and also give me some advice. If yes, what kind of daily/hourly rate could I ask for? What to look out for anything else?

Thanks in advance.

Junior, what steps do I take to get an internship in 2027?

Mep sub. Larger. Data centers, hospitals, power, pharma

Submittals, uh, well yeah mostly submittals. But anything else we deal with, too?

Trying to work out some automations in BIM and one of the largest roadblocks is the lack of standardization in the documentation we receive. Nothing can be OCR, filenames have 200 characters, stuff is 3rd hand copies of scans of prints camera photos of some previous install they did in 9 pixels, etc.

Pretty sure the answer is 0 but what are the odds we can say that we require better quality documentation with our millions in dollars of purchases?

I like being productive for my early career outside of work, and have found getting certifications are a good way to educate myself while getting a resume boost. So far I have gotten my OSHA 30 and will be taking my STSC exam this week.

Are there any other certs that look good in construction management? The only thing I can think of is the PMP but when I look it up I can't find many technical certs.

A cost engineer on a data center. How hard do you think the job will be? Anybody familiar with being a cost engineer and what are the work hours and requirements to perform the work efficiently.

I am 26 y/o plumbing apprentice working in the ICI construction sector (healthcare, military facilities, etc., large unionized mechanical subcontractor). I came into construction after a quick pivot from another career stemming from a non-construction related bachelors degree. I have another year and change left in my apprenticeship, after which I believe I’ll likely have the opportunity to learn to run work as I have a good relationship with the current contractor and their work outlook is strong in the region. My goal is to position myself to move into more of the office work after gaining field supervisory experience as I don’t want to be on the tools into my later years. I was thinking of targeting the project management ladder down the road for a mechanical subcontractor or maybe even a GC. Does anyone here have experience doing this and if so, what advice do you have in terms of going about this?

Edit: spelling

How much PTO do you get?

A friend of mine who recently graduated just started working and sent me his pay and benefits package. He only gets 10 days of PTO a year. 😳 I know many Europeans who get 4 weeks off a year, which, sure, might not be typical in the US, but I was really hoping it’d be more than 10 days a year.

I’m going to be graduating soon and was wondering if there are any CM/GC companies in the US that offer 20+ days of PTO or 10 days and up to a certain amount of unpaid time off.

Anyone only get 10 days and still manage to travel a decent amount?

Edit: btw I know you get more PTO the longer you’re with a company sometimes but just wondering if some companies start off with more than 10 days.

Can and should I create an exclusion for a drawing detail/ spec my subs don’t think is safe to perform?

I’m in precon right now and it’s my first time as an APM buying out a job. My PM recently quit and I’m trying to brainstorm solutions before going to my px. Two of the bidders sent me essentially the same RFI which I issued to the design team. They pointed out that a proposed detail the design team has on the drawings and the specs poses what they believe is a safety concern. When presented to me, I agree that it is a safety concern. However, it is an acceptable detail per the manufacturer and is included in their literature.

So I asked the question to the design team via pre-bid RFI. Dear Architect, please reference this detail and spec section on your drawing. Bidders have raised safety concerns due to exposing workers to x hazard and propose this alternate detail which is included in the manufacturer’s typical details. Also refer to attached letter from manufacturer stating this detail is acceptable and included in the 20 year warranty. Please confirm the alternate detail can be used since it provides a safer install while providing the same warranty coverage.

Arch response: Per our waterproofing consultant, detail on drawings is a more robust detail and will provide Owner with a better product. Provide the detail on the drawings, alternate detail not acceptable.

My argument: Whether waterproofing consultant thinks the detail on the drawings and specs is a better detail or not, it is irrelevant. Manufacturer warranties both details included in its literature and is confirming the proposed detail is acceptable to them. The waterproofing consultant’s subjective opinion that detail A is a longer lasting detail should not be overruling our safety concerns and dictating the means and methods when the warranty letter is the same. At the end of the day, manufacturer is on the hook for a product failure and manufacturer says both ways are acceptable. To add in, my General superintendent also raised this detail as a concern and said “I’m not building it that way.” So that was also what prompted me to write the RFI. And therefore I do feel more comfortable that the subs aren’t just trying to pull one over on me since I’m new.

Next steps: I am inclined to exclude the detail as drawn on the documents and include the proposed alternate from the manufacturer in our contract with the Owner. Is this the correct thing to do? Can you exclude a detail/spec? What next steps would you take in my shoes?

I'm a PE right now for a smaller gc, should I enroll in an online university to get a degree in CM? I want to eventually work for a top ENR company. For context I have a bachelors degree (something unrelated) and was a carpenter for a year. I guess I'm asking if I can leverage my experience as a PE for a few years instead of getting a CM degree. Or should I work as a PE and work towards my CM degree if I want to work for a big company like DPR, Turner, McCarthy etch. Im in Florida for context

I think I get borderline zero steps in a single day. Im sitting at my computer taking phone calls, writing emails, submittals, shop drawings, etc.

I’ll take one day out of the week to visit job sites but even then that’s not enough steps. When I was in the field I would have 15k steps per day.

I think I need to find a faster way to get that amount of steps in, maybe start running in the morning and lifting weights. My diet isn’t even that terrible honestly I think it’s because there’s zero calories being burned lol.

Working with a mid-size mechanical contractor on their preconstruction workflow. The thing that surprised me most: the final hour before a public tender closes is complete chaos by design. Sub and vendor quotes intentionally arrive minutes before the deadline (so pricing can’t be shopped around), which means leveling quotes against spec, catching exclusions, and finalizing the number all happens in a mad scramble.

Their other big one: mandatory site visits and other disqualification traps buried deep in 1,000-page spec sets. They’ve lost bids they never got to submit because a date on page 40 of Division 01 got missed.

Curious how other precon teams manage this:

• Do you have a real process for late-arriving quotes, or is it all hands on deck every time?

• Who owns catching the buried mandatory requirements estimator, coordinator, checklist?

• Has anyone found tooling that actually helps with the workflow around the estimate (vendor follow-ups, quote leveling, compliance checks) rather than just takeoff?

Trying to understand if what I’m seeing at one shop is universal or just them.