My Interest in Pursuing a Career in Construction Management

After grade eleven, I wanted to become a construction manager mainly because I wanted the heavy responsibility of being able to control and manage sites. My interest in pursuing a career in construction management initially came from a work experience I had at a local construction management company; I was able to witness and grasp the essential qualities required from me in order to do the job well. Despite the fact that I lacked some of the necessary qualities needed, this only made me more intrigued and determined to set out to find those qualities which I unfortunately lacked to become a successful construction manager. The more I constantly educate myself about construction management, the more certain I become that a leading career as a construction manager is befitting for me.

Not too long back, while I was doing research for an economics assignment I discovered that twenty percent of American workplace fatalities occur in the construction industry. I found this statistic unattractive like most, but I believe it is one of the things that had a big influence on my decision to pursue construction management; in order to prevent future events like these from transpiring. Over a period of research, I learnt that budget and leadership skills are of the utmost importance in order to become a successful construction manager. It is in my best interest to influence the way the construction industry operates.

After I decided to become a construction manager, I was determined to find the qualities necessary for success. In the process I read books by Paul Netscher, Gang Chen, Nick Ganaway, and a host of others. Of all the great managers I have learnt about, the one that inspires me the most is Gang Chen. This is because unlike most construction managers, he had the essential qualities for a construction manager and he was also a brilliant businessman.

I believe that success as a project manager for construction, especially in this day and age, requires technical competence and a combination of management, leadership, communication and business skills. Leadership is something that I’ve taught myself to master, and my school recognized this by appointing me captain of the volleyball team, which I believe has further improved my leadership and communication skills. In addition, I have set up a SAT club in my school where seniors who excel in math help each other learn and surpass their studying capabilities by asking each other questions they might have. This has improved my communication and leadership skills tremendously.

Reading the book successful construction project management by Paul Netscher taught me how important it is to have business and financial skills. In order to improve those skills, I volunteered at a construction site management company, as a one-week experience. This experience turned out to be very educational, especially due to the imperative fact that my work experience was directly related to the course I want to study.

Whenever I have time available outside my school club and academic activities, I am very keen on sports. My favorite sports or activities being volleyball, football and chess. As of right now I am planning to start a volleyball team outside of school, to improve overall general physical fitness.

It is my expectation that a degree from your college would fill in as a strong base for an effective career in construction management, where ideally, I would be associated with the advancement of organizing sites with more creative and efficient destinations.

Works Cited

1. Chen, G. (2017). Construction project management: A practical guide for building and electrical contractors. Wiley.
2. Ganaway, N. (2019). Construction management: A comprehensive guide. Independently Published.
3. Netscher, P. (2016). Successful construction project management: The practical guide. Lulu Press, Inc.
4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2022). Commonly Used Statistics.
5. Ries, R. (2011). The lean startup: How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses. Crown Business.
6. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Occupational Outlook Handbook: Construction Managers. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/construction-managers.htm
7. U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). Construction Spending. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/index.html
8. U.S. Green Building Council. (2022). LEED v4.1 Building Design and Construction Overview. Retrieved from https://www.usgbc.org/guide/leed-v41-building-design-and-construction-overview
9. World Green Building Council. (2019). Building Sense Now: Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Green Offices.
10. Zhang, X. (2020). Leadership Competencies of Construction Project Managers: A Systematic Review. Journal of Management in Engineering, 36(6), 04020032.