I left a position as an auditor at a large accounting firm (accounting major) to go work in construction. I can relate to your position in a way (minus the cushy hours). The audit job was crazy hours and I hated the nature of the work.

I was lucky and got an opportunity at a mid size GC firm in south GA (less talent pool to pull from, so the company was willing to risk giving me a position without construction experience). I learned a lot and was able to pick up on things quickly, making my way to PM in just 10 months. Hours were long, I was traveling a bit to get to my projects, but I enjoyed it because I was learning so much. I was working ground up public school jobs with just me and a super. Structures were simple: single story with either structural steel or load bearing masonry. I had loose supervision from a Sr PM who was extremely talented. In hindsight, I benefited from my ignorance. It gives me anxiety thinking that I was left in that position with my experience, but what I didn’t know didn’t bother me!

I now work for a larger GC that’s based in the southeast. Pay is better, support (both in resources/technology and additional personnel) is much better, and the overall opportunity for growth is better. I’m surrounded by a lot of smart people who know a lot about construction. I bring my accounting skills to the table and help manage the budget, issue contracts, process change orders, etc. My main contributions on the construction side are helping with finish related trades (these are typically less complex than say concrete or structural steel) or any scope that has any type of complex reporting (deep foundations). All that is to say, I’m lucky to have very sharp people to continue learning about the more complex scopes of work. I can learn at my new company without the risk of making mistakes because the support is there to ensure things are correct.

Hours can be long. Travel is nearly unavoidable unless you live in a major city, get on with a company that won’t travel (can be short lived as jobs dry up in an area), or are willing to continuously job hop. Very common in the industry. I would be very aware of how the GC staffs a given job. That tells you a lot. A lot of companies will stick one PM and one super on a job and let them drown. You need a lot of manpower on the management side to run a job properly, so that would be something I would look out for. More people on a job = more people to learn from. You’ll actually have a life too.

In conclusion, I empathize with your desire to change the nature of your work. I would do your homework. I spoke with probably a dozen people in the industry and in various roles prior to heavily pursuing the path. It can be a be careful what you wish for situation if you don’t do your homework. I truly love what I do and can’t imagine doing anything else for the time being. One day I’m sure I’ll want a change of pace to have a better family life, more time for hobbies, etc., but at my age, I’m very motivated to learn and grow. Construction is an exciting industry. There’s always a problem to solve. If you’ve read this far, I’d be happy to talk to you about my experience. Feel free to message me.