construction management, business development

I always had this dream about building large infrastructure projects in poor countries to help people.

I first worked as a field engineer and then cost estimator. I am now working in business development.

As field engineer: I first worked as a field engineer for an office building project. On my first day my project manager gave me a set of blueprints and highlighter. I walked the floor and drew or highlighted the project progress. I worked with over 50 subcontractors and vendors.

As cost estimator: I worked with blueprints and a computer to estimate the time, money, materials, labor, and everything required to build a project. A lot of my time was spent on quantity takeoff and communication with subs and vendors for pricing and scope negotiations.

As business development manager: Every morning I spend an hour reading articles about buying trends My day usually fills with conference calls, internal capture team meetings, or calls with clients. I also have to have some quiet time after conferences or meetings when I write meeting minutes and get notes into the system so everybody can see the information. I also develop and manage capture actions. Sometimes I spent all day in the office catching up on proposals and working on strategies. Other days I'm on the road at meetings with clients.

I wish I had known in college to build my negotiation skills. It’s not just about a better salary or different position. Negotiation is knowing how to listen and ask better questions.

runningfamily

Project planning and scheduling. In construction management you may use all different technical classes, such as materials, health and safety, or design. Every aspect of civil engineering knowledge is important.

People skill are so important. At the end of the day, it's a matter of communication. You communicate to get information, to ask question, and to answer other people's questions.