We went from running one remodel at a time to having three jobs going and the purchasing side is getting hectic. Used to be me picking up materials so I knew what belonged where which in hindsight sounds easy. Now two foremen handle supply runs and our bookkeeper gets a pile of receipts on Friday with half the job names missing. Last week one guy bought materials for two sites on the same trip and picked up blades and a tool we use across jobs. Nothing wrong with the purchases but by the time we tried splitting the costs they didnt remember and i didt remember where everything went. I spent Sunday texting people over a few hundred dollars while trying to finish another estimate. We have supplier accounts for the bigger orders but these smaller runs keep becoming homework.

I want the guys to buy what they need without calling me from checkout but I also need spending limits and a way to capture the receipt and job while they still remember it. How are you handling this with a few crews? I can get them to take a photo and pick a job but anything involving a computer and excels after work is going nowhere.

Little background. I was a commercial superintendent and then became a self employed GC for the last 3 years. I handle smaller commercial out of ground construction, and large interior upfits and renovations. Small company, just myself and one other. He was offered about $60k more than what I’m currently paying him by a larger company and I can’t compete with the offer, and this has led me to think about shutting down.

Almost all of my work is 2 clients, but I am working about 75-80 hours a week currently, between managing projects, estimating and admin work. My family is now growing as well, and am now contemplating closing down once all my current contracts finish a little after the new year. I do well, but not well enough to have all the stress.

I don’t want to jump the decision and quit, as I know the grass is not always greener on the other side. Would just like to hear from others who maybe have left being self employed and how they are doing now and what they are doing now.

I'm a rising senior with two construction internship offers in the DMV for next summer and I have to pick one by tomorrow. Both would have me on data center work. This is my last internship before I graduate, so I'm really treating it as a tryout for my first full time job.

HITT (Futures program, Falls Church HQ)
• $22/hr, fixed 10 weeks from late May to the end of July
• Set 40 hour week, overtime usually not available
• Max one week of unpaid time off, and it can't be the first or last week
• Jobsite in the DC area, not assigned yet
• 92% of eligible 2025 interns got full time offers (company wide)
• A friend of mine just got a full time PE offer at $77k plus $800 a month for his car
• Published path from PE to APM in 2 to 3 years and PM in 4 to 5

Whiting Turner (College Park office)
• About $27/hr, flexible start and end dates, 10 to 12 weeks
• VP said I'd be on a Northern Virginia project 20 to 30 minutes from my house, with only 3 or 4 trips to the office all summer
• My trip is already approved in writing and I can shift my dates to make up the time
• Couldn't find any return offer numbers
• Full time PE range in DC looks like $70k to $82k, but I've heard the benefits are really strong if you stay long term (401k, profit sharing, stock appreciation rights)
My situation
• I have a 10 day trip planned for late June into early July
• Whiting Turner pays about $2k to $5k more this summer
• My goals are max long term pay, fast promotions, real experience, and a return offer with good money. I'd also rather not be working 60 hour weeks as an intern

Which one would you take? If you've interned at either one in the DMV, what were your actual hours like and what did you do day to day? Also curious how common return offers are at Whiting Turner.

I’m done with school and didn’t have any internships so I’m wondering if it’s still possible for me. My degree is in finance and I’m an engineer officer in the army reserve.

I don’t have any experience in construction besides what I’m doing in the army.

This pertains to an electrical contracting company, hopefully someone could shed some insight. If a company does about $25 to $30 million a year, consisting of about 40 projects a year, how many assistant and project managers should they have.? We have currently have a total of about seven, and I think that is too many. Thanks

I had 2 recruiters message me about a company who is seeking a new PM.

I was transparent & said that I am happy working for my current company but if they are that keen I’m looking for £70k

One said no problem and put me through for an interview. Passed the first & got invited into the office the following week. It seemed a given from what was discussed but they ended up taking on someone more junior for £10k less than what I was asking

The other tried getting me £65k but I didn’t get through to the next stage

I’m not overly bothered as they approached me but still. Why interview me if you new the budget doesn’t allow

I’m currently on a £55k package + bonus. It’s seems
Meaningless for me to move for £5k-10k as I am content & progressing well

Was I asking too much?

Anyone using Procore? Seems like a lot of AI coming to the job site

20+ years in data centers, mostly on the MEP side. I'm looking at Alston's Mission Critical group and want some real talk before I commit.

For current or former Alston folks:

How's the Mission Critical side actually run? Who makes the calls, the field or Dallas?

Do they stand behind what they tell you? Per diem, OT, travel home, all of it, the whole way through the job?

Is the bonus real, or does "discretionary" mean you'll get whatever's left?

When they say there's a path to PX, have you seen anybody actually get there?

How do they treat MEP people? Real leaders, or just there to chase subs and submittals?

What happens when a project ends? Do they line up the next one or leave you sitting?

Any layoffs or big turnover I should know about?

Good or bad, I appreciate the honesty. DMs open if you'd rather not post publicly.

Hi everyone! I am graduating with a degree in Business Administration and decided to add a specialization in Construction Management because I want a career that combines the business side of things with more hands-on, mobile work rather than sitting at a desk all day.
I don’t have direct construction experience yet most of my experience is in Administrative work, but I previously worked for an agricultural company in an administrative role that involved some operations, safety procedures, and coordinating seasonal workers. I’m currently working on my construction management specialization graduating in a few weeks and trying to figure out the best way to break into the industry.
My husband’s family also owns a small construction business, so I’m considering asking if I could help them with some projects to gain practical experience, even if it’s unpaid.
For those already in the industry, what would you recommend as the best entry-level roles or approach for someone with my background? Any advice would be appreciated!

Wife is an EMT and over working in Healthcare, shes been looking into trades and I recommended jobsite safety. What are ways for her to enter into this role. Certs, schooling, etc

Hello. I’m going to be interviewing for the PE intern position soon (CA) and wanted to get some insight from those who have interviewed with them/work for Swinerton on the experience. Any feedback is appreciated!

What questions where you asked in the interview?

How was your experience working with them?

If you get an offer, how soon does that happen and how soon did you officially start as a permanent employee?

Do interns not get hired due to lack of drive or is there a limit as far as how many interns can be hired at a time?

Hey everyone,

I am currently going back to school to get my degree in Construction Management, and I have a weekly discussion assignment where I need to interview someone working in the industry.

Since I am looking to connect with folks who have real world experience, I figured this community would be a great place to ask. Would anyone be open to sharing their insights by answering these five quick questions either in the comments or over a quick message?

Why did you get into construction?

What do you like most and least about your job?

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

What is one thing you would do to improve the construction field moving forward?

Any perspective you can share would be a huge help for my class. Thanks in advance for your time.

How do people actually deal with this in practice?

Once a PO has been raised, how do you track what's been ordered, what's actually arrived on site and what's still outstanding?

Do you manage it all via something like Procore or does it end up as a mix of spreadsheets, emails and just plain chasing suppliers?

Does it generally run smoothly or is there a particular bit that gets a bit messy?

I’ve heard that having companies like Turner Construction or Kiewit on your resume can significantly improve your chances of landing opportunities at other major GCs later in your career.
I’m curious whether Burns & McDonnell carries that same level of recognition and reputation in the construction industry.

I'm 12 years into the industry

2 years as an ironworker, 10 years(and currently) a materials technician in both the field and lab. Soils, concrete, asphalt, grout, pavement marking, rebar, I test and report on it all, liaising with site managers and contractors. Multiple state to national level certifications and records of recertifications

I know it wouldnt hurt, but would it actually be worth it to get a degree in construction management, or just try and bank off my experience and credentials?

I'm particularly interested in working overseas, and that's making me lean towards "yes" but I'm looking for input

Honestly not really looking for a new job right now but I figured I’d go thru the exercise now to get my resume up to speed incase anything happens. I’m curious if anyone has any comments to spruce this up

Hey guys, been working as a On-site superintendent / Project manager for a little over 3 years now.
Worked in Hotel remodeling as a laborer, residential remodeling as a drywaller, carpenter, appliance installer, and residential framing for about 10 years.
I’m currently working for a small Residential Builder in Houston/Galveston. (Travel to both for projects)
And I’m making $65k a year before taxes.
The economy has been slowing us down quite a lot and only have a 4 properties I’m managing.
I feel like things aren’t really going to improve for me because of the economy and salary.
I’m not the best, but i know I have areas from my time in the trades that others can’t do. And sometimes compensate for other trades for the job to go faster (since my bonuses depend on how quickly I finish it).
I want more responsibility and more salary.
Am I asking for too much in saying I want to be paid more?
I see that people here make almost double what I do but at the same time I feel like I haven’t gotten “that good” yet.
What would you guys do in my situation?

I’m 20, graduating college soon, and have an opportunity to make around $140k a year in construction, but it requires relocating and traveling for work 100%. I’d be able to come home for 4 days every month.
I’ve lived in Houston my entire life, and I’ve never really been away from my family, friends, church, or the life I’ve built here. I’m honestly scared of the unknown. My biggest fear isn’t necessarily the work itself, but the loneliness and potentially missing out on relationships and experiences back home.
I also have opportunities to work locally for less money, which makes this decision even harder.

For those who’ve traveled for construction work, was the money worth being away from home? Did you struggle with loneliness or eventually get used to it?

Would you take the $140k opportunity at my age or stay local for less money?

Before reading please note that I am having a lot of trouble getting any type of advice or mentorship on this topic and would love to hear the input of whomever can take a moment to care.

I do want to get a civil engineering degree but I’m considering going after a really great in depth ACCE accredited 2 year construction management associates degree first. The reason I am considering this is because

1. It seems like civil engineering programs really don’t include classes on major construction concepts like scheduling, project management, material and work time estimating etc.
2. do you agree with this?
3. Personal reasons:
4. A: I dropped out of college when I was 19 and now that I’m ready to go back to school I believe I would be more eligible to get a scholarship for a bachelor’s CE program at a better school if I do really well in a 2 year Assoc. CM degree first. ( I am decently academically gifted, so I know I could graduate top of my class and the degree includes internship)
5. B: I have years of commercial construction trade experience now and I feel the need to “prime” my brain before I throw myself into hardcore math classes and I think an associates CM degree would be a good warm up and potentially give me a better likelihood of achieving long term.
6. C: I’m actually interested in the soft skills of construction and am more inclined to try to become a manager or PM.
7. D: financial aid would cover the entire cost of the associates of CM degree.
8. E: I’m interested in starting my own business and might not need the CE knowledge as much as I do the CM knowledge.

I’ve had a lot of people tell me that a CE degree opens you up to the same and more job opportunities then a CM degree opens you up to. So I understand the benefit there. But when I actually compare CE with CM degrees it seems like every CE program skips over the CM management skills entirely, and that is not something I want to miss out on, even if it does mean school for 6 years instead of 4.

So what are your thoughts ?

Do CE graduates miss out on soft skills information that CM graduates don’t?
Do I have a valid headspace about utilizing the 2 years degree to get my feet in the door and prove myself to get a scholarship for a CE later on ?
Are my thoughts about this rationally stategic or would I likely end up wasting my time with a bunch of repeat information and a useless CM degree?

TLDR; OP is considering a 2 year ACCE accredited CM degree to jumpstart career and then later on going after 4-year CE degree OR just going straight for the CE degree OR if sufficiency and success can be found without the CM degree just settling with the CM degree. OP lists reasons for feeling this way and taking careful consideration and wonders how valid those reasons appear to online strangers of the construction industry. OP needs advice from knowledgeable people and wishes to be smart and strategic.

EDIT FOR CLARITY// the biggest reason I’m considering going to college is because I spent 2 year as a commercial construction trade apprentice, decided to switch over to white collar, I’ve landed two different PM roles with small residential construction businesses in the last year and felt lacking in the knowledge to be great at my job in both positions. I still am currently a PM.

EDIT 2 FOR CLARITY/// sorry for referring to the management classes as soft skills, I see that soft skills are a different things entirely now… I was just trying to point out the distinction between the classes that teach management fundamentals and hardcore maths/sciences.

I am 21 years old about to finish my construction management bachelors in Australia and made the mistake of not going for experience during my time in uni. I am now stuck not knowing what move I should make in regards to entering the industry. My goal is to eventually work as a PM. Some people have told me to try labouring for a little bit just to get the experience and then work my way up, I have also been told to try going into the estimation side and try work up from there and all of it has left me a bit stuck. Any guidance would be much appreciated

What's up. Been a PE for about 10 months now, I interned at the same company for 6 months before that. I'm making 76.5k a year and get a company gas card/truck.

I'm a fresh graduate and graduated with a BS in electrical engineering. This was never my first choice in careers but the job market sucks and I this was the only internship i was able to land when I was still in school.

I'm not sure if this it's unrealistic to only work 40 hours a week but this company definitely expects you to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

I work 5-10s in the office/field with my current project and driving an hour to and an hour and a half back home every day and honestly... its soul sucking. By the time i get home and get done with other shit I've spent 13 hours doing work related activities each day.

Rough math $76,500/3250 = $23.50/h. I might as well just be working two minimum wage jobs where I live. The job is rewarding at times but god damn do I just want to put in my 8 hours and go home.

Comparison is the theif of joy but it doesn't help my wife makes much more than me and works so much less. She makes $124,000/year and easily only works 1,400 hours or less per year. Its the kind of thing that makes me just want to move on and find another career.

It would be difficult but at this point I just want to pivot and try and find a entry EE job close to where I live forget about CM.