How to Become a Construction Manager

Sometimes all it takes is to find a different project to work on—all project managers dream of working in a field that is one of their hobbies. Construction project managers oversee construction projects from start to finish. Construction project management is a promising career for those who are just starting out and those who have been in the field for years. The median salary for a construction project manager is approximately $112,000 annually, much higher than the national average.

It can help project managers reduce pollution levels, eliminate waste, and save energy. I want to emphasize the importance of having a mentor at the beginning of your project manager career. We’ve previously talked about how you could research the activity of other project managers before deciding whether this path is right for you or not. A mentor’s purpose is also to honestly highlight your mistakes so that you can use them to develop yourself further. That’s why you should find a skilled project manager who’d be able to allocate part of his time to teach you what he already knows. You’ll master project management methods, methodologies, frameworks, processes, and best practices by working close to their side.

Construction Project Managers and Related Professionals

It is not uncommon to find project managers in construction or even in other industries who manage teams successfully without experience (or even any formal degree). Those who wish to follow the same path and want to know how do I become a construction project manager even without any experience in the field, here are the how-to steps. Construction project management is such https://remotemode.net/ a field where things often do not happen as expected as it involves various players both internal and external. Factors like situations, scenarios, government policies, political pressure, dealing with local bigwigs and plenty of other things. Patience with the flexibility to change is an important soft skill that plays a great role in construction project managers’ routine.

Before you begin your project management journey, you have to see if this career is right for you. Read the stories of other project managers, reach out to them, ask questions, or try a project management internship. Additionally, you can take some introductory online courses to get your first look at this subject.

Education

What’s more, employment opportunities for construction PMs are expected to grow 8% by 2031, a figure also higher than the national average for other occupations. This equates to about 36,400 more jobs in the next decade than there are currently. The CMAA is a professional organization of construction project managers, and they offer a Certified Construction Manager course. They require a certain amount of experience before potential applicants can take the exam.

Working with a real project can teach accountability and outcome management. If you’re looking for an efficient way to manage your project or your employee’s work, check out this list of task management software. When looking for education programs, it’s best to find one accredited by the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) to ensure you are learning the latest expertise and standards of the industry.

Which are the essential PM certificates out there?

The variety of roles a construction manager needs to perform makes it imperative to have a flexible work schedule instead of fixed work time. The managers can control their work schedule to a large extent and may be able to choose the days and hours they work and conduct many of their duties independently instead of typical office work and reporting. Obtaining a Certified Construction Manager (CCM) certification is immensely beneficial for becoming a construction project manager. They need to ensure that teams should be equipped with the tools, and other resources they need and adequate time too. Advanced degrees and professional certifications also can provide a competitive edge over managers with fewer credentials.

Project management tools can now ease your work and eliminate the hassle of working with paperwork that can be lost forever. The PMI standards are used mainly in the USA, Canada, and the Middle East and contain the project management processes and techniques needed to complete projects. It’s more of a reference guide that outlines project management standards https://remotemode.net/become-a-project-manager/ rather than an actual method. Lean supports delivering high-quality products with fewer people and resources in less time. A focus on customer value, bottleneck removal, and repeated process improvement eliminate waste. Using this method can help a small team deliver excellent results in a short amount of time without spending a fortune on materials.

Best Project Management Courses You Can Take in 2022

Alternatively, you can look at some of the most commonly used project management terms. It would be best if you never started working as a project manager without discovering first the processes and tools commonly used in project management. Before participating in an actual project, you must know if you can use those techniques and platforms. If you’d like to see what other skills you’ll need for your next project manager job, check out our complete analysis of 200+ project management job descriptions. Project management is one of the most complex fields of work out there. A project manager (PM) leads an entire project through initiation, planning, execution, control, and completion.

• If possible, try to get a variety of experience working in different aspects of the construction industry, from carpentry to project management.
• Knowledge and experience within this industry will expose you to other careers too, such as an architect, engineering manager, civil engineer, property developer or investor, or a health and safety officer.
• Founded in 1819, Norwich University serves students with varied work schedules and lifestyles.
• In addition to this, you’ll need to have great interpersonal skills to direct your co-workers when you become a manager.

When owners, designers, and contractors don’t understand one another, a manager can serve as the translator. In some situations, a manager serves as a diplomat and defuses potential conflicts among different parties. As a construction manager, your job is not limited to a single location.

The most important part is ensuring that you take classes in project control and management, design, building codes and standards, construction methods and materials, and similar coursework. Although there is no international licensing programme for construction project managers, professionals like civil engineers and construction managers may get professional certifications in the field. These certifications depend on the level of their education and experience. They usually have the satisfaction of seeing a job through from start to finish.

• Both certification organizations provide self-study courses, followed by exams.
• The nature of construction jobs means there is a beginning and an end, and you need to know where your next job is going to come from.
• This is because they have the “relevant years of working experience” often required by hiring companies.
• Before participating in an actual project, you must know if you can use those techniques and platforms.
• Professionals interested in how to become a construction manager should understand that the path to landing a high-level management position in the field can take time.
• Such professionals replace formal education with practical construction experience.
• Reports such as Gantt charts allow a construction project manager to see at a glance where each element of a project stands.

If the building's defective, over budget or over deadline, it's on your head. Commercial management of construction projects requires first-rate planning skills and the ability to cope with the unexpected. If you're new to the job, you need to learn your trade quickly to deserve your commercial construction manager salary.

It’s a great choice if you enjoy both the hands-on work of construction and the upper-level responsibilities of a manager. Also, try Paymo for free to start working with project management software or use it to track your learning process. Paymo is free without limitations to schools, colleges, and universities. The views expressed in the above project management training opportunities are different. They are complementary, and you’ll need all of them for successful project delivery.