becoming a pm

[billdozier]

Hey guys just wondering if you can give me some advice on becoming a pm in ten years. schools to look into type of company to go work for. Some background on me Ive ran a small mc/conduit stub job three years ago Also worked as a leadman on a highrise condo in which we had no overtime or major mistakes. went from there to helping wire a church running conduit building service wiring contactors etc. Unfortunately due to economic downturn I was laid off. Wound up at a small resi company wiring tract homes. Have done a stripmall for this company and some trouibleshooting adding circuits on a small medical office building. thanks for any advice

 

[kkwong]

Some junior colleges and regular universities offer courses in construction management. I have also heard of some colleges like DeVry or other trade schools offering courses as well.

 

[quogueelectric]

Hey guys just wondering if you can give me some advice on becoming a pm in ten years. schools to look into type of company to go work for. Some background on me Ive ran a small mc/conduit stub job three years ago Also worked as a leadman on a highrise condo in which we had no overtime or major mistakes. went from there to helping wire a church running conduit building service wiring contactors etc. Unfortunately due to economic downturn I was laid off. Wound up at a small resi company wiring tract homes. Have done a stripmall for this company and some trouibleshooting adding circuits on a small medical office building. thanks for any advice

learn to use a fax/scanner when sending documents or anything for that matter. This will eliminate the I told him so or the He never told me arguments

 

[jeremysterling]

The company I work for has a class that teaches that. RFI's, ASI's, change orders, gear packages, lighting packages, specs, scopes, exclusions, ME coordination, fire alarm, value engineering, documentation, revisions, compression, phase codes... Pity the fool that does not use the phase codes...

 

[SmithBuilt]

learn to use a fax/scanner when sending documents or anything for that matter.

Fax, scanner? What are those?


One company I work for has completely quit sending or taking faxes. I still accept them via website since my fax machine died. But the fax machines days are numbered.

 

[ITO]

Bone up on your computer skills, and work on being a damn good foreman first.

 

[gra electric]

Bone up on your computer skills, and work on being a damn good foreman first.

I couldn't agree more. Also, start now by reading books on P.M. position. Don't waste your money at a college, because most companies in our line of work really don't care that you have a degree. They mainly care that you work like a horse, and don't take any crap from people. You really have to have a backbone if you want to be a PM. It is not a glorious job, and its a lot of long hours. But a great PM is worth his weight in gold.

good luck
Gerry

 

[cdslotz]

College construction management classes are more suited for GC PM's. GC's hire almost exclusively from these programs.
Most of our PM's are master electricians. They have all worked in the field at some level. All of them are skilled estimators. They know their way around most major estimating software. Several of them, such as myself, spent years with their own business. A PM must know it all, as if it was your business.
Some companies require that you manage the jobs you estimate, so you need both skills. We don't. We have estimator's then we hand off the jobs to the PM's. I choose to estimate because I don't like to PM, but I have years experience in PM.
I would suggest you get a job as a Project Engineer, which is like an entry level PM. You do a lot of paper work, submittals, O&M manuals, change order take offs and light estimating, billings, etc. You may be put out on a job in the office trailer. Learn all you can from the PM.
The earlier you do this, the better.
In about 20 years, you may turn out to be a good PM