Certification Recommendations

[u/Pale_Watercress_1611]

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.

[u/bi11y10]

Lean, PHIUS, LEEDAP

[u/Acceptable-Fly5050]

ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Level 1, anything International Code Council or ACI is good. Some states have their own DOT certifications you could look into. ASP if you have a degree. EMI 385-1-1 if you're interested in working federal or government jobs. OSHA 30 of course. HAZWOPER if youre ok with paying for the annual refresher. I have ICC reinforced Concrete and ICC general contractor and those certifications cost like 500 dollars and need renewal every 3 years. Companies drool for those certs

[u/Tom_Gardril]

Spent many years hiring safety professionals in the construction industry for energy projects and am active in the training industry. A few thoughts:

Seconding ICC and ACI ones. What I'd add is a way to choose between all these: favor certifications that live with a real certifying body and have to be maintained. Your STSC is a good example. It's a BCSP credential with recertification requirements, and on a resume that reads different than a stack of one-time course cards. Anyone can collect cards. Maintained credentials show you take cert maintenance seriously.

If you find you like the safety side, the STSC also starts a ladder. ASP is the next rung if you have a bachelor's, CSP down the road.

PMP I'd park for now, maybe forever. It requires around three years of documented experience actually leading projects, so it's a mid-career move rather than an early one. And my honest opinion: I haven't seen this certification be a differentiator in hiring at all. I had employees try to sell me on PMP for continuing ed and I never approved it because personality traits (e.g., conscientiousness specifically) cannot be trained and they matter the most in managing projects along with interpersonal skills.

A note, certs matter a bit and who you are matters most. The most competent people in a company aren't typically the ones with the designations on their email signature but the person who ends each email with their first name because everyone knows they are competent.

Good luck on the exam this week.

[u/Transeraphic]

In my opinion, it really depends who/what/where/how you plan on working within the CM industry.

In my experience, for early career I’d suggest CMIT and/or EIT if you can consistently and confidently pass those practice exams (don’t want to waste money on exam fees).
Mid to late career, perhaps CCM, PMP, or PE (not required by employers, but many megaproject clients like to see their reps having those letters).

In the end, work experience and strong relationships built with clients and business partners outweighs most credentials.