Construction Management as a College Major (Part 2 - Positions)

The variety of the available positions and job duties of new Construction Management graduates are tremendous although most graduates start off in a few standard positions. These positions are usually basic entry level field or office positions entitled something like Project Engineer, Assistant Project Manager, Assistant Superintendent, Office Engineer, Estimator, Cost Engineer, or Scheduler. Although an employee performing a position at one company, may have a different job description performing the same position title at another company. Construction Management majors get hired by all segments of the construction industry. This includes but is not limited to commercial construction, highway construction, marine construction, residential construction, industrial construction, hospital construction, mechanical construction, and electrical construction. Other employment can be in many subcontracting fields, suppliers, environmental firms, rental equipment, software representatives, working for owners of companies that build many of their own facilities, safety managers, and a host of others. Why is a Construction Management graduate so flexible and in such a demand. The Construction Management of America Association defines Construction Management as a professional service that applies effective management techniques to the planning, design, and construction of a project from inception to completion for the purpose of controlling time, cost and quality. Construction Management is a discipline and management system specifically created to promote the successful execution of capital projects for owners. These projects can be highly complex. Few owners maintain the staff resources necessary to pay close, continuing attention to every detail--yet these details can "make or break" a project.With this type of background, any segment of the construction industry and other employers that hire Construction Management graduates have seen success in students applying their management skills across the industry regardless of the segment. Couple that with the U.S. Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistic that within the next 10 years 58.4% of jobs in US will be construction related, it seems obvious why there is a current and future demand for Construction Management graduates across the industry.The U.S. Department of Labor currently notes that Construction Managers who work in the construction industry, such as general managers, project engineers, and others, increasingly are called constructors. Through education and past work experience, this broad group of managers manages, coordinates, and supervises the construction process from the conceptual development stage through final construction on a timely and economical basis. Given designs for buildings, roads, bridges, or other projects, constructors oversee the organization, scheduling, and implementation of the project to execute those designs. They are responsible for coordinating and managing people, materials, and equipment; budgets, schedules, and contracts; and safety of employees and the general public.In the Construction Management degree programs across the nation, Constructor is a common term students learn to call themselves. There is a national certification test offered twice a year for these newly minted Constructors. Level one called an Associate Constructor can be taken before graduation and then Level two called Certified Professional Constructor that can be taken some years later after attaining the required experience as a manager in the construction industry.