How do you become a construction manager?

With the construction industry booming and continued growth expected, being a construction manager is a stable, lucrative career.

Indeed, it ranks #18 on Glassdoor’s newly-released list of the 50 best jobs in America for 2019. Construction managers earn a median annual salary of $91,370, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and employment opportunities are growing more quickly than the national average.

But how exactly do you become a construction manager?  What qualifications or degrees are needed to enter the field? The answers are not always simple.

To fill a managerial role at most construction companies, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in construction management or a related field such as civil engineering. The field places a high premium on experience, however. Very often, the most competitive candidates are people who have already worked in the construction industry. They may have started out as carpenters, equipment operators, electricians, or masons. To make the move into management, though, they’ll need a college degree.

As construction becomes intertwined with computer technology, a degree will become even more essential – and companies may increasingly look for managers who can bring high-tech skills to the job. They’ll need to understand Building Information Modeling and other sophisticated tools. They may need to understand how to program robots and other unmanned and autonomous systems. 

“We’re going to be seeing automated systems – including robots and drones – doing more and more of the work that was formerly done by human workers at a construction site,” says Gary Burke, director of the newly-launched construction management and critical infrastructure program at Capitol Technology University.

Companies may be especially interested in construction managers who understand cybersecurity. With more and more work on the site involving computer networks and IP-enabled equipment, the possibility of computer-based crime and sabotage is becoming a concern. Intrepid hackers can potentially steal bidding information and CAD drawings; they could intercept or block communications among crews on the site; they even could cause equipment malfunctions that slow down or halt work.

Managers who understand how to protect against cybersecurity threats – and how to mitigate the impact should an attack occur – can expect to be in high demand over the coming years, particularly at companies involved in critical infrastructure or other high-stakes projects.

In general, the construction management field is evolving rapidly, just as the industry itself is changing, notes Burke.

“For a long time, the construction industry was known for being very slow to change, compared to other industries,” he said. “That is no longer the case. It is now arguably one of the fastest-changing industries out there today.”

Interested in a construction management career? Obtain the skills, knowledge, and credentials you need with a degree from Capitol Technology University. Contact admissions@CapTechU.edu for more information, or phone 1-800-950-1992.