Ok right now I'm 23 years old, been going to school for 6 years for Civil Enginnering. I am thinking about switching major and getting a BS in Construction Management and need some advice. I've kinda of hit a wall with Civil Engineerig, I've had some semesters with bad grades, mostly because of the math reqs(I like math but I'm not a math geek). Now this semester I have no motovation to do my studying, which is ALOT. This summer I got a intership with an enginneering firm and did construction inspection all summer. Doing construction inspection was OK, kind of boring, but I liked being outside and getting paid for watching people do work is never a bad thing. However, now that I'm in school and its getting to be winter out I've been inside doing office work for the last couple of months. Which I've come to find that I hate doing! I sit behind a computer screen for 3-4 hours aday in my cubicle. I do drafting on AutoCAD, same thing over and over again day in and day out. :bash Since I have no motovation to do my calculus homework anymore(or at least this semester), I like being outside in the elements(wether its -30 or 95 degrees out), I like heavy equimpment and construction ever since I was a little kid, I'm thinking about going into Construction Management. Also I've been in college for 6 years and I just want to get the F-out of there and start making some money. I frigure it we'll take me just as long to complete my CE degree as it would for a CM degree, but the CM degree has easier courses and less math, so my chances for failing and retaking courses is alot less. Which would get me out the door faster. I just need some advice on this. Such as, what would I be doing my first couple years out of college? I've heard the job market is good for CMs, but I'd like to have an opinion from someone in the biz, so how is the job market? How is the pay? Is there anything else I should know or be aware of?
You can do it! I would stick with the engineering. A lot more doors will open for you with a PE stamp than a diploma for Construction Management. You can do CM with a CE degree, you cant necessarily do CE with a CM degree. You know what I mean? Stick to it, You can do it I did!
If you ever plan on going into business for yourself, then i think you are farther ahead with continuing your civil degree. I worked for a company whos owner was a civil engineer. It was by far the best run, consistent, company I have worked for. The owner couldnt operate a machine to save his life, but he could bid, engineer, and run the projects with two hands tied behind his back
i think it depends on what you want to do in the future. I agree with what Turbo said about going into business for your self. I have a construction management degree from the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. I have been working for a highway contractor as a field engineer for about 10 months and love what i do. I spend about half of my day in the office and half of my day in the field. I also was going to do Civil Engineering until i did an internship with a civil engineering firm and realized it wasnt for me.
I am currently in the Construction Management program at Colorado State and I still have to take Calculus, Accounting, and other math courses. I had thought about making the switch to Civil Engineering due to the more options I would have.
stay CE....you can always go into a CM job with a CE degree...but you will never be able to design things with a CM degree
Thats a no brainer, if possible stay with the CE, if you like it and can do it you will make more money that a CM any day. As a matter of fact some guys are CM's with out collage, I think that would be hard to find a CE with out degree.
I'm a structural engineering student minoring in construction management. The thing with engineering is that you really have to have to motivation to do it. I've had a couple friends find themselves in trouble because they just didn't put the time into their work. The work is hard, but if you put enough effort into it you will find that you can do well in classes you never thought you would be able to. You have to be willing to make the commitment, or else you may find yourself in a job you dislike, and unable to do the work. That said, picking a career field based solely on the fact that there are more opportunities can be a recipe for disaster. If you are truly more interested in construction management, then make the move and strive to do well so you can make your own opportunities.
After 20 orso years I have gone back to school to do CM, lots of guys with the same expieriences as me,a couple of younger CE's doing it to further their careers as well.Get your CE degree then decide, it will never be a load to have. even thinking of going on and doing safety management what would be your opinion of that my expierienced peers?
Well I'm still up in arms about this. I have to decide soon.
Mathematics?? Hard to fathom he'd have trouble... but he did.... OCR