How to make a career switch from real estate development to Construction Management?
I hope to make the transition from Real Estate Development / City Planning into Construction Management after the completion of my MBA. I’m currently attending the Univ. of Ill at Chicago full time and hope to finish my coursework by January 2010.
Hopefully I can find an opportunity since I have done some project management while working for a developer after college (materials purchase orders, preparing subcontract agreements, trades coordination) and had a chance to take some Architecture courses in college.
Anybody have advice here? Can I do it without an Engineering Degree?
I love this question. Because I am a construction management major and have been in the business for almost 8 years and have thought about going into real estate development and city planning.
You have a pretty good start. I assume you want to become a project manager. I would try to find a general contractor in the area who has a project engineering opportunity or a field engineering position. Make sure you get exposure to cost, schedule, and budgetary management as well as the details of the flow of work where you have interest (Commercail, Residential, Civil, Industrial). If you have a background in real estate, I would say a combination of residential and commercial would be where you would want to focus.
Be honest with the general contractor. Tell him/her where you have interest and what experience you have and don’t have. They just want to know you have interest in the industry and are curious. You definitely have enough experience to get your foot in the door.
You don’t need an engineering degree to become a successful project manager. In some cases it is extremely beneficial…if you are interested at working at an oil refinery or industrial setting they prefer people with a mechanical and chemical engineering background. It really depends on the nature of the work you are going to be involved in. But working for a general contractor where it’s more construction driven than engineering driven…there is no need for an engineering degree.
After a couple of years in the field you will want to make sure and get your PMP. Right now you need field experience more than formal schooling.
Make sure you are familiar with software programs like Primavera and Project, and extremely proficient in Excel and Access.
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