Construction Project Management
Have you noticed that even during a deep recession there are cranes, and bulldozers, and concrete mixers, and all manner of people in hard hats busily building things? Yes, the level of construction activity slows down during economic downturns, but there is always work to be had in construction if you are skillful at it. Construction project management skills are always in demand.
A construction project management job can be exciting if you like to see tangible progress daily; meet deadlines frequently; solve unexpected problems; and deal with a variety of people from recently immigrated laborers to professional engineers and architects. Construction project management jobs are a blend of office and outdoors; you may be in a suit during the morning and shirtsleeves in the afternoon. Variety and constant activity are hallmarks of construction management projects. So if you like that sort of thing, consider a career in building construction project management. Be prepared to work your way up from the bottom, though.
A construction project manager doesn't graduate from an Ivy League school and waltz right into a six-figure "boss man" job. No matter what your paper qualifications, you have to prove yourself to the no-nonsense front-line workers who you will manage. You will carry bricks, climb scaffolds, buck a rivet gun, and eat your lunch standing up outdoors in a blizzard -- same as the rest of them. You may even be challenged, goaded about your "fancy edjicashun", and offered a chance to show how well you can box. You will earn respect or you will not be followed, and without willing followers a construction management project can go embarrassingly wrong.
There is more to project management in construction than manual labor and bellowing orders, of course. Training is needed to work with construction project management software employing techniques such as critical paths, Gantt charts, etc. Extensive knowledge of building codes, safety regulations, labor law, materials properties, and other technical subjects is required to be an effective construction project manager.
Your income will not be steady; when a project ends so does your paycheck, until you find another construction project management job. But the money is good when you're earning it, and a smart construction project manager always has one eye out for the next job. You will learn to network, make valuable contacts, seize every opportunity to let people who can hire you know that you're available, talented, and easy to work with.
Construction and project management are fields rich in opportunities no matter what general economic conditions may be. People are always in need of more places to live and work. Existing buildings wear out and have to be replaced. Even "deconstructing" a building that has outlived its usefulness is an opportunity for a construction project manager. Demolishing a building is just like building it in reverse. You can't just blow up the place and haul away the pieces. You have to take out parts in an orderly fashion, salvage what can be used elsewhere, sell the rest for scrap, arrange for environmentally responsible disposal of trash, etc. Whether a building or the economy is going up or down, construction project management is always happening.