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Would you recommend college for construction?

I'm very hands on and don't like school. #construction

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Glen’s Answer

I started in construction 45 years ago and my father's cousin took me onto his crew. I loved the accomplishment of putting buildings together. I did go to college for 4 years and got a degree. I have continued to take classes, have a certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and run multi-million-dollar projects today. A lot of my friends enjoy working with their hands and did not like the reading and testing that goes along with getting degrees and certifications. Many of my friends have risen to the level of General or Senior Superintendent and work on large jobs with me. Every man on my jobs is indispensable from the apprentices to journey men, craftsmen or tradesmen to superintends and general superintends. They all have my respect and recognition for the hard work they do every day. In the field you can make about as much as a craftsmen as you can a project manager. If you have ambitions of working your way up to the top or own your own company, someday you will need to think about certification and degrees. However, as expensive as colleges and universities are today you could wait a few years to see where you want to go in construction and if you find you want to go to the top or run your own operation, then you can go back to school. That is the way I did it. I went back 10 years after I started to work with the crews in the field.

Glen recommends the following next steps:

So, I would find a trade that you like. Electricians and Mechanical work is a little more challenging. Carpenters and finish workmen can see more of their work after the job is complete. Get someone to mentor you and teach you the trade. Most unions have training programs and are looking for young talent to bring into the brotherhood.
At some point, you will probably notice that there are opportunities to become foremen and take on leadership responsibilities. You may want to do that for a while and then consider going to college or get a certification.
Not many people will go back to college if you want to be a superintendent. You will not need it at that point because you will be skilled and a leader. That does not mean you can't improve your skills from there, but you are in charge of getting it done and you will be doing a great job of that.
I wish you luck. Whatever you want to do, you can do it if you concentrate on doing your best. I should probably find a time to quit, but I love the work in construction, more than anything else that I have looked at doing. I don't think I will ever quit wanting to be around good young people like yourself.
Thank you comment icon Awesome Glenn! William Matthesen
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Dan’s Answer

Hey Eli

I would start your College search with Degree programs in Construction. Today a very hot degree to get is Construction Management.
There are a other programs that relate to construction like Civil Engineering, Surveying, Architecture, Building Engineering.

If you read about the programs and find any of them interesting than you can start your search for a college from there.

I was initially surprised back when i graduated high school that I could go to college for Construction. I went to a college in Boston called Wentworth Institute of Technology. It was very rewarding and I learned so much there. They even offered Coop semesters during Junior and Senior year where we got to go work at actual Construction companies and get valuable experience.

Hope this helps


Best of Luck

Dan
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Samantha’s Answer

No I would recommend just getting a job for construction.
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Terry’s Answer

Hi Eli

Not sure college is needed, but I would recommend you going to college to further your education. Think of the long run with construction, at some point in your life you may become a leader in the industry and would need the skills to improve your knowledge from the business side.
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Simeon’s Answer

College is much more of a consideration if you are looking to get into some form of management. Think of where you'd like to end up in the construction industry in the long-run and see if there are ways to work your way up into those positions.
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Spencer’s Answer

Hi Eli,

Construction is such a booming industry right now. Unless you have some sort of desire to either own you're own construction company one day or becoming I an engineer, I don't think college is 100 percent necessary. I would recommend a couple of things though. Trade schools are a great place to start. A lot of time you can find a trade school in or near your own backyard. Reach out and research local union laborers in the area. Most have their own apprenticeship programs or dedicated trade school you can enroll in. Lastly, you can always apply to a construction company and get real-life, hands-on experience. Roofing companies are always looking for summer help, a great place to pick up some experience.
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