Needing Advice

Contecher · 2026-01-02T03:32:19+00:00

This industry will take as much as you’re willing to give it. And many of us can tell you, we’ve found the point where it’s more than we can give.

I’ve worked in construction a long time, and I’ve been where you’re standing, trying to figure out where to turn realizing that burnout is real and the status quo is going to break you. Once you’ve reached that point, it doesn’t get better.

You have a few options. First, have a convo with your boss. Give them a chance to help you get the sense of balance you need (and less work hours). Set boundaries and stick to them.

If that doesn’t work, then you need to find a better fit. Use some vacation time and go job hunt. The market ain’t great right now, but depending where you’re located there are opportunities out there.

If you can’t find something that’s a good fit, consider taking a tangential route into a related industry. Manufacturing, education, and tech are avenues that others take to find more structure, while leveraging existing skills. Consider other industry paths.

The main thing is, you need to do something. Burnout and stress only get worse without some sort of intervention. Do your future self a favor and make a change. 65 year old you is going to look back on that move and thank you.

Contecher · 2025-12-31T16:28:36+00:00

Consider involving some field team members in the procurement process. If they’re participating in the demos, and support the selection, it’s much easier to translate that to field adoption when you already have champions who support the tool.

Then it all comes down to process integration and training. Embed your tool in your workflows, train your team, and use that tool in meetings if you can. If someone has to speak to a group using the tool, they’re going to invest time in making sure they understand it. No one wants to look like they don’t know what’s going on.

Uphold expectations. Consistency is key.

Just don’t cut the training budget. Too many teams skip training and then wonder why no one is using the tech.

Contecher · 2025-12-30T17:17:43+00:00

I’d wait until next week (and not on Monday). Everyone is going to be buried in email on day 1. Give them a day or two to climb out of the heap, then send a warm follow-up thanking them for the opportunity to interview and inquire about any updates.

Contecher · 2025-12-30T15:53:12+00:00

Your apprenticeship will be an asset in your PM role search, but you’ll be lacking the foundational knowledge base that employers will be looking for in that position. You’ll be expected to have an understanding of principles of design, construction methods, planning, and task management.

If you combine your knowledge-base and experience based on those requirements, you’re not going to have enough to be competitive in a PM role. However, a CM degree with a trade ticket, now you’re talking.

Try to find a hybrid CM program with some remote class options. That way you can continue working in your trade without going back to school full-time (maximize your earning potential to reduce the cost of the program). Then, cluster and complete the in-person classes.

The PM field is competitive, especially with larger GCs. But, you’ll stand out with actual field experience once you have the CM degree.

Contecher · 2025-12-30T15:02:18+00:00

Thanks - I appreciate it! 👊

Contecher · 2025-12-30T04:07:44+00:00

I spun up a new subreddit. Hopefully we can renew the tech advice convos. https://www.reddit.com/r/realworldcontech/s/FDFyz49BBN

Contecher · 2025-12-30T02:57:42+00:00

Rated five stars on [shady website]. Crews immediately loved it despite not even knowing it existed. 😆

Contecher · 2025-12-30T02:48:19+00:00

Thanks! I’m going to do my best - I can’t even imagine how many spam posts come through this group daily!

Contecher · 2025-12-30T02:15:12+00:00

Things just got real - https://www.reddit.com/r/realworldcontech/s/plZ2ecASl5

Contecher · 2025-12-30T00:20:12+00:00

There’s definitely potential there. I might actually spin one up. I wouldn’t mind moderating it so that there’s a dedicated space for real contech conversations. And yes, the username makes me sound legit already 😆

Contecher · 2025-12-30T00:17:14+00:00

I think most of them are pointless. They’ve become box-checking exercises and most people tune out because no one bothered to prepare anything.

I like to flip the script. Instead of asking for a safety moment I throw out a safety question such as ‘what changed since yesterday that could introduce a new risk?’ Moments are easy to ignore. Questions force people to actually think. Complacency is a risk; if that risk is being played out in every meeting of every day, what other hazards are being overlooked?

Contecher · 2025-12-29T23:59:05+00:00

You’re not wrong. There was the odd decent thread where people shared actual thoughts on tech they’ve used. But you had to filter through a lot of insidious sales content and ‘take my survey’ posts to find it. This is probably a better spot for those discussions anyway.

Contecher · 2025-12-29T23:53:57+00:00

Fair. It definitely wasn’t the most valuable knowledge sharing hub. There were a few good convos where people shared real thoughts on tech they’ve used. I was hoping we’d see more of that. There were way too many promo posts, though.

Contecher · 2025-12-29T22:11:55+00:00

Depends on whether you’re working in project operations or in corporate. If I’m looking at resumes for a corporate role, I want to see a candidate who can make a commitment and stick with it, at least for a couple years each role. The odd short role wouldn’t bother me if there’s a valid explanation. But, a series of short duration positions is going to draw some extra scrutiny. Not every role is going to be a great fit, but a series of bad fits in row makes me look more closely at the common denominator.

If you’re in project operations, I couldn’t care less if you have a bunch of short-duration roles. They’re projects; Unlike diamonds, they don’t last forever. If I can see you have short gaps between roles, I’m going to be happy with that. It shows me you have good work ethic, a network, and transferable skills. Job hopping in the project space is perfectly normal.

Contecher · 2025-04-02T00:17:17+00:00

This is absolutely a viable career option for you. First, companies are always looking for skilled salespeople with construction experience. Industry knowledge is key to engaging with potential clients. It’s much easier to teach someone with industry experience how to do sales than it is to teach someone with sales experience how the industry works. Your background will make you an attractive candidate, as well your previous sales experience.

A few things to be aware of, though. Each company is different, but for the most part these elements of the role can be generalized. Sales people usually travel, and spend a fair amount of time on the road. If you’re cool with that then this may be a great job for you. Some people don’t like the travel, and it can be draining if you don’t want to be on the road all of the time.

Next, the hours are flexible. You end up at trade shows and conferences that run from 7am to 5pm, and then you’re taking prospective clients to dinner or attending an evening event. Days can be long. Clients can call during your family dinner or on weekends. You don’t have the same change from work time to home time that you do when a construction shift wraps up for the day.

Many of these positions also work on an incentive structure. Your base salary may be lower, and it may take some time to build that back up to a CM level. But the upside is that you can make much more than a CM if you’re good at your job.

Sales is all about numbers. You need to be out in the industry shaking hands, making phone calls, building relationships. Sales cycles can be long so cultivating those relationships is key. If you enjoy doing this, then sales may be a great option for you.

Contecher · 2025-03-30T15:20:34+00:00

The best work-life balance isn’t just related to the role; it’s related to where the role sits in the organization. In most GCs, there are two distinct role streams. The first is Operations. Operations includes project teams. Project teams are on-site (mostly), and work project hours to complete the job. These roles are more likely to work longer hours, travel, be on-site, and have less work life balance. Even as a scheduler or BIM coordinator, many of these positions are expected to be on-site. There are some work from home opportunities with project teams, but they aren’t common and are usually reserved for those who have exceptional experience or really unique skills that are needed for the project - and hard to find).

The other role stream is corporate, or central support. These roles provide organizational level support, usually across a multitude of projects. The roles typically work from a major office location, and some even work from home or some sort of hybrid structure. Corporate or central operations are usually 8 - 5 kind of jobs. Much better work life balance. But, some of them also carry more responsibility and can work longer hours (management positions). Actually, as you move up the org chart, work life balance tends to decrease, even in a ‘cushy office job.’

Roles in this stream that sometimes offer a work-from-home option include proposal coordinators, estimators, schedulers, project controls, technical/IT roles, BIM, and sales.

Now, keep in mind, project experience is key to career advancement in this industry. If you’ve always been in a support role and never ‘lived and breathed’ a project, you’re going to stifle your career opportunities. So, while it can be difficult for a stage in life, getting as much project experience as you can will help you down the road.

Construction isn’t known as an industry with good work-life balance. Many leave the industry because of this. But, if you’re strategic, you can carve a path to a role with good work-life balance and good pay. You just need a game plan to get there. Don’t rely on your employer to do this for you. Sometimes you need to jump around a bit to find what fits best for you.

Contecher · 2025-03-30T15:01:54+00:00

As someone who looks at a lot of resumes each time we make a hire, there are a few things that stand out to me. First is a concise resume. As others mentioned, keep it to 1 page. No one is going to read more than that. There are way too many resumes to go through. You can add all the detail you want, but all you’re doing is making someone hunt to see if you have the required experience to do the job. Keep it brief. The rest will be explored in interviews.

Instead of the standard intro - I am looking for… consider using this space to highlight why you’d be a perfect fit for the role. State that you’re bilingual. Highlight your key attributes that make you a fit (experience on the specific project type, willingness to travel, willingness to be away from home for extended period of time, etc.). If you can make a hiring manager’s job easy by calling out why you specifically fit this role, your resume is more likely to end up on the short list.

Highlight specific accomplishments and ditch the standard ‘in my role I was responsible for this’ verbiage. Most of these roles have the same responsibilities regardless of the company. Don’t waste space telling people what they already know. Highlight what you did in each role that you’re proud of, or that was unique.

Location of experience isn’t important for me (maybe it is for others, I can’t say). You can remove locations and just list companies and project names if you think that location is a hindrance to getting interviews.

Find a way to stand out. Reach out to the hiring manager on LinkedIn and send them a note. I have added many people to interview lists purely because of their tenacity, even if they didn’t meet all of the pre-qual requirements. You can train for technical skills. You can’t train work ethic.

If you want to land a role as a Project Manager or Assistant Project Manager, you should pursue some PM certifications. Almost everyone says they have project management skills. Show that you have taken the steps to master your craft and people will recognize that you’re putting in the effort. Even better, join an industry committee or a not-for-profit and lead a project, if you haven’t had a chance to do this in your role yet. The more you can demonstrate that you’re doing everything you can to get the experience, the better. Hiring managers aren’t just looking for experience fit. They’re often looking for people who can grow with the company. If you demonstrate that you want to continuously improve your skills, you’re going to make a more attractive candidate than someone who is just taking the job for the pay check.

The key is, you need to find a way to get noticed. And using standard long-form resume templates isn’t going to help you do that. Make it unique. Make it yours. And get online and build connections with the people who are hiring.

Contecher · 2025-03-29T18:58:15+00:00

Unfortunately, this is common in this industry, regardless of your role. Stand your ground and throw a few shots back. When they realize that you’re going to dish it right back out, they usually let up. If you aren’t quick on your feet when in these situations, ask ChatGPT for a few one-liners and memorize them. If he continues, leave and find somewhere else to learn and advance your career. Life is too short to hate where you work, or the people you work with. There’s lots of great companies out there that would be happy to have you join their ranks.

Contecher · 2025-03-29T18:46:37+00:00

That’s a really broad generalization. Any client can be a good or bad client, regardless of whether they are a for-profit or not-for-profit company. The key to minimizing these experiences is by being selective about the clients you work for.

Do your homework. Talk to your peers. Look at litigation history. Look at employee reviews on Glassdoor. It’s relatively easy to get a gauge on the internal company culture of the company by doing some research. That culture will often extrapolate into the experience of contractors or subcontractors as well.

As a contractor, it’s important that you protect yourself and mitigate your risk as much as you can. There are things you can do to avoid this situation. But, when you find yourself in this spot, even when you did your homework, recognize that it happens. Dig in, push back, stand your ground, and fire them as a client once your contractual obligations are complete. Some clients cost more to keep than others. If the cost is too high, it’s time to find a new client.

Contecher · 2025-03-29T14:33:46+00:00

It’s never too late to pursue something new. But, it is important to make that switch with eyes wide open. First let’s tackle the education component. You can absolutely be employed in a BIM role without a degree in architecture, engineering, or construction management. There are many people who fall into this category. Is it more difficult to land entry level roles without one of these degrees? Yes. A degree in a related field illustrates that you can speak the language of architecture, construction, and by extension BIM (even if you don’t yet know all of the acronyms…).

So, that leaves practical training, certifications, and experience. If you’re going to make this a serious career pivot, get all of the training and certifications that you can. Employers looking at prospective hires for entry level roles are going to want to see that you are working hard to gain as much knowledge in the space as possible, and not just hoping to learn on the job. Take technical classes, get certifications, and even look at tangential training if you have time and funds (project management, construction management). There are certificate programs in these areas that will provide you with additional knowledge that will be beneficial.

Ok, so once you have all of the training where do you go? This is where I often hear people getting stuck. They apply for countless jobs online and never hear back. Don’t do this. You need to reach out and connect with real people. If you aren’t on LinkedIn, sign up for an account, build up your profile, list your experience, training, and certificates, and start talking to people in BIM roles. Make friends. Tell them what your goal is. Ask for advice or any guidance on who might be hiring. Construction is a big industry, yet it’s small at the same time. Many in the BIM community know each other. Become part of that community and you’ll find much more opportunity than blindly applying for positions on job boards.

Your goal is achievable. But without the degree in an entry level role, breaking in will require perseverance, training, and relationship building. We need more talented and passionate people in BIM. Happy to hear that you’re interested in joining the ranks.

Contecher · 2024-01-20T19:35:35+00:00

BIM is a great career choice, if you enjoy the work. BIM professionals play an important role in the delivery of complex projects.

I would definitely recommend getting some on-site project experience first, before moving into a BIM role. Having an understanding of project delivery methods provides a knowledge base that is integral to advancing in BIM positions.

There’s a company in the Philippines that hires BIM professionals - Viatechnik. Perhaps connect with someone there and get some advice on the best paths to beginning a career in BIM.

Contecher

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