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I wanted to go into carpentry but I was wondering..
Do you NEED a bachelors degree in construction management to be a construction manager or can an associates degree work too ?
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4 answers
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Ed’s Answer
You are basically talking about two different sets of skills Tyra. You could follow a path in which you hone your skills to the point of becoming a master carpenter but that wouldn't guarantee that you would have developed the skills necessary to run your own business or even other people's projects. There are many people involved in the construction industry and although some wouldn't know how to hold a hammer and others wouldn't know how to submit an RFI both people are crucial to the success of a project. Management can benefit from carpentry skills to perform their duties but it's not required, carpenters can benefit from business training to increase opportunities but it's not required to become a master builder. It's easier to go into management with a degree and it's easier to go into carpentry with an apprenticeship both depend on the quality of the program you enroll in. While in the long run you will have more of an opportunity for financial rewards by going into management, in the short term you could make more as a skilled carpenter but you would soon reach a limit. Both can take pride and feel rewarded by the completion of a project but the for the tradesman it's always more personal. Find your happiness not other people's. Many tradesmen go home and cry into their beer lamenting not having chosen a more lucrative path and many executives spend their weekends building bird houses in their garages. The great news is that you have time to try both paths out and see for yourself what you like, good luck.
You rock! This advice is very helpful.
Tyra
Updated
Kris’s Answer
Tyra, in the construction industry it seems that experience still weighs more heavily than education. "construction manager" is a broad term. If your interest is carpentry, you would want to first become a carpenter, then work your way up to foreman and then to job superintendant. That only requires working in the trade, and no formal education.
If you want to jump right in to the role of construction estimator, inspector, or manager, without hands on experience, you will need an education. A bachelors degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in construction management, or a masters in construction management.
A willingness to perform hands on work, any experience with hands on work is respected in this industry. If you are female, it will be more difficult to break in to the industry than if you are male. That is rather unfortunate, but that is what I have experienced as a female. That is not to dissuade any female from pursuing construction. On the contrary, I encourage all females to follow their dreams. Just know that you have to toughen up. You have to prove that you are the smartest in the room. You have to prove that you are not afraid. You have to fight for respect. But it is worth it . And your fight helps those who follow after you.
Call your local carpenter union and ask about an apprenticeship
Contact your local university and speak to an advisor about job opportunities following graduation from your degree of choice
If you want to jump right in to the role of construction estimator, inspector, or manager, without hands on experience, you will need an education. A bachelors degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in construction management, or a masters in construction management.
A willingness to perform hands on work, any experience with hands on work is respected in this industry. If you are female, it will be more difficult to break in to the industry than if you are male. That is rather unfortunate, but that is what I have experienced as a female. That is not to dissuade any female from pursuing construction. On the contrary, I encourage all females to follow their dreams. Just know that you have to toughen up. You have to prove that you are the smartest in the room. You have to prove that you are not afraid. You have to fight for respect. But it is worth it . And your fight helps those who follow after you.
Kris recommends the following next steps:
Thanks for the help.
Tyra
Updated
John’s Answer
Hi Tyra!
The short answer is "No", you don't need a bachelor's degree to be a construction manager or a foreperson. HOWEVER, I'd encourage you to zoom out and ask a bigger question, want do I want in life? A construction manager or foreperson, for you may be what you think you want to do right now. But it's likely you will want even more, the money that it provides and the things that the money can do for you. A 4-year degree, in business or engineering or both can help a great deal going higher than just a low-level manager. It can be very hard to go back to school once you've started your career. It can be done. But it's hard. So, if you have any thoughts about wanting to go further, manager, you should strongly consider getting a degree in the field.
If you were going to try to get the manager job without the degree, the way you would do it is by starting in lower jobs and working your way up. In fact, to get the manager job, you will NEED EXPERIENCE! How do you get the experience you ask? By getting a lower job and working your way up. Businesses are always in need of hard working, smart, motivated people. So, get a job NOW in the industry you want to work in. Work all through college. Work your way up in the industry. When you graduate, you'll have the degree AND experience. You'll be a very attractive candidate for manager jobs.
Best of luck,
-John
Get any job in construction
Get a degree in business and engineering
Work your way up in your company. Change companies if you need to go up.
After you get your degree, continue to work your way up and changing jobs and companies until you get everything you want out of your job!
The short answer is "No", you don't need a bachelor's degree to be a construction manager or a foreperson. HOWEVER, I'd encourage you to zoom out and ask a bigger question, want do I want in life? A construction manager or foreperson, for you may be what you think you want to do right now. But it's likely you will want even more, the money that it provides and the things that the money can do for you. A 4-year degree, in business or engineering or both can help a great deal going higher than just a low-level manager. It can be very hard to go back to school once you've started your career. It can be done. But it's hard. So, if you have any thoughts about wanting to go further, manager, you should strongly consider getting a degree in the field.
If you were going to try to get the manager job without the degree, the way you would do it is by starting in lower jobs and working your way up. In fact, to get the manager job, you will NEED EXPERIENCE! How do you get the experience you ask? By getting a lower job and working your way up. Businesses are always in need of hard working, smart, motivated people. So, get a job NOW in the industry you want to work in. Work all through college. Work your way up in the industry. When you graduate, you'll have the degree AND experience. You'll be a very attractive candidate for manager jobs.
Best of luck,
-John
John recommends the following next steps:
I am really grateful you took the time to answer this question.
Tyra
Updated
David’s Answer
Simple answer: No. A degree in Construction Management is not necessary to be a construction manager. So, if not necessary, what do you need and/or why might a degree be helpful anyway?
You either need experience or training or both. If you work in the construction industry, you get hands on experience and, if you pay attention, you also get to see how construction actually occurs. What is the order in which things are done. What kind of details are important. How is responsibility apportioned. In other words, you understand from a very hands on, practical approach how things are built.
On the other hand, if you get a degree in Construction Management, you learn in a classroom setting about the construction process, how it occurs and what may be most important. But, you don't have the hands on, practical experience that can not be learned in a classroom and are invaluable in the "real" world.
So, a job in the construction industry is almost a must for practical experience and a degree deepens and broadens your knowledge. In addition, having a degree, even if not used in the direct field exposes you to different disciplines that will help you in work and life even if you end up on a path that is different than the one you initially envisioned.
I'll also add that trying to get into a top notch school that costs a fortune won't necessarily do you any more good or get you a substantially better education than a good Community College program or a program at a lesser University.
Think about what you enjoy doing and think about the skill sets involved. Finding work that employs the skill sets that you have and enjoy exercising is important. What skills sets does Construction Management rely upon, do you have those skill sets and do you enjoy using those skill sets? If the answers look positive, get practical experience and training. You'll achieve your goals more quickly.
Contact a few decent size construction companies that have either a Human Resource department or at least someone responsible for hiring. Try to set up an "informational" interview and be prepared to ask questions about what they look for in the hiring process and what their recommendations might be.
You either need experience or training or both. If you work in the construction industry, you get hands on experience and, if you pay attention, you also get to see how construction actually occurs. What is the order in which things are done. What kind of details are important. How is responsibility apportioned. In other words, you understand from a very hands on, practical approach how things are built.
On the other hand, if you get a degree in Construction Management, you learn in a classroom setting about the construction process, how it occurs and what may be most important. But, you don't have the hands on, practical experience that can not be learned in a classroom and are invaluable in the "real" world.
So, a job in the construction industry is almost a must for practical experience and a degree deepens and broadens your knowledge. In addition, having a degree, even if not used in the direct field exposes you to different disciplines that will help you in work and life even if you end up on a path that is different than the one you initially envisioned.
I'll also add that trying to get into a top notch school that costs a fortune won't necessarily do you any more good or get you a substantially better education than a good Community College program or a program at a lesser University.
Think about what you enjoy doing and think about the skill sets involved. Finding work that employs the skill sets that you have and enjoy exercising is important. What skills sets does Construction Management rely upon, do you have those skill sets and do you enjoy using those skill sets? If the answers look positive, get practical experience and training. You'll achieve your goals more quickly.
David recommends the following next steps:
Thanks for the help.
Tyra