If your desire is to become a construction manager, then you have chosen a great career path. A construction manager is a person that organizes the start and completion of a project. They oversee every aspect of the job until it meets the customers expectations. To help you succeed at your goal here are some steps that you will want to take.

Steps to Become a Construction Manager

$83,860
Associates Degree
More than 5 years
None
523,100
17%
86,600

Find Related CareersSOURCE: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

1. Start the process by beginning to work as a construction employee. You will gain valuable experience that will be needed to know how the job is done, how people do the job and the best way to help them learn better ways of doing the job once you become the construction manager.
2. While you are gaining your experience you will want to enroll in a certification program. This is one way to improve your qualifications and attract attention to your expertise. Visit the website of The American Institute of Constructors or the Construction Management Association of America to get the certification you need. There will be an exam that you will have to pass and your education and work experience will be verified to determine if you qualify or not.
3. You will also need to gain the skills needed to manage people. Enroll in a construction management degree program through your local college to learn about all the different technology and ways to be an effective manager of construction. Even though a degree is not required in some cases it is better to combine the degree with experience to attract the attention of people looking to hirer a construction manager. Some degree paths that you may want to consider include: Construction Management, Construction Science, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Architecture and Chemical Engineering.

What to Expect as a Construction Manager

A construction manager is a great way to expand your goals in life. After you have the right experience, certification and education you can expect certain things. Here are some of the things that you can expect.

1. In 2010 the median pay for a construction manager was right at $83,860 per year. Some positions paid lower while others paid even higher than the median pay amount.
2. As of the same year there were 523,100 construction manager positions. Over the next 10 years it is expected that this number will only rise.
3. The job outlook for the next 10 years was a 17 percent increase in the number of construction managers in the United States. This percentage is in line with overall growth average of other job related fields. A person with a bachelor’s degree and job related experience is likely to be hired for this position.
4. You can also expect to some level of advancement into the upper management field at some point in your career.
5. Upon being hired the employer will focus on your qualifications, job related experience and any certifications that you may have finished. The more you have on your resume the more likely you will get hired.
6. You may end up with an office that you will operate out of between job assignments. Some may end up working out of an onsite office so they can be available to workers as they come and go.

The path to becoming a construction manager will take some time to complete. Most of the requirements can be done at the same time. For instance, while you are going to school for your degree you can be working in a job related field. Once your education complete you can even focus on getting the certification you need to advance.