Career Change from Commercial GC

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Been in a project engineer role for a couple commercial GC's for 6 years to the day. I make good money, good benefits, but the stress is killing me. Anyone ever leave the commercial GC industry and, if so, what did you go to?

Also, would like to be in a position where I'm not as dependent on being near a big city...

 

[schmalzy]

Have you considered transitioning into Precon/estimating? Owners rep and third party inspection may be an avenue as well. I’m not a GC but a commercial specialty sub.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[307]

Define “good money”. It can mean wildly different things to different people and may be a primary factor in any career decision.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Define “good money”. It can mean wildly different things to different people and may be a primary factor in any career decision.

Six figures, but in the Seattle area. Rent is 28% of my income for reference.

 

[Meshnasty]

Have you considered transitioning into Precon/estimating? Owners rep and third party inspection may be an avenue as well. I’m not a GC but a commercial specialty sub.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had the same thoughts.

I’m in a different, yet similar industry and switched from being on the contractor side to the owner’s side. Which was a large stress reduction.

I’ve now recently switched to being in pre-construction and the stress went from external to internally induced, but still much less than being a contractor. I also now only work 45-50 hours compared to 60-80.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Have you considered transitioning into Precon/estimating? Owners rep and third party inspection may be an avenue as well. I’m not a GC but a commercial specialty sub.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, precon is a possibility for sure. Maybe I just need a tour through that side of things to compare.

Maybe I'll prefer managing change orders and tracking material over drawing pretty lines in On-Screen haha

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

I had the same thoughts.

I’m in a different, yet similar industry and switched from being on the contractor side to the owner’s side. Which was a large stress reduction.

I’ve now recently switched to being in pre-construction and the stress went from external to internally induced, but still much less than being a contractor. I also now only work 45-50 hours compared to 60-80.

I have a buddy that just went to the owner's side. He sends a lot of instagram posts my way during work hours...probably about as useless as the owner's reps on my project! But with a bigger paycheck.

 

[Meshnasty]

I have a buddy that just went to the owner's side. He sends a lot of instagram posts my way during work hours...probably about as useless as the owner's reps on my project! But with a bigger paycheck.

I had more down time as an owner’s rep, but I still managed my scopes pretty tightly. I always wondered what some of the owner rep’s who worked with me did during the day other then do nothing work related in their office for 90% of the day than get mad at the contractor when things were wrong.

Good pay checks, work truck, and having my fuel paid for were all pretty nice.

I did commercial for about 18 months but the pace was too slow for me. However, in that time I meet the guy who I always thought had one of easiest stress free jobs ever. I think he represented some financiers where he would just go from site to site BS with the site team, check the baseline schedule against actual progress and take pictures. Seemed like a decent job, but not sure he was making construction money.

 

[Kurts86]

If you have a PE license that opens up a lot of consulting options whether for design or random stuff like Forensics Engineering/Fire Investigation.

 

[willidru]

Going the CM or Owners rep route can be less stressful and offer better work life balance. I can’t imagine it being overly challenging or exciting but much less stress. Most give decent base pay and benefits but less opportunities for bonus.

 

[cnelk]

After 26 years of being a PM/Owners Rep for a commercial Govt agency I called it quits and retired.

There was no way I was going to live with the stress any longer.
That shit will kill ya

 

[Engineer260]

Depending on your degree and interest in traveling you could also look into structure inspections for bridges, signs, signals.

 

[Mikido]

Been in a project engineer role for a couple commercial GC's for 6 years to the day. I make good money, good benefits, but the stress is killing me. Anyone ever leave the commercial GC industry and, if so, what did you go to?

Also, would like to be in a position where I'm not as dependent on being near a big city...

Go to a utility. Best move of my life, with a 30% paycut

 

[ODB]

I'm feeling a lot of these comments...


no great ideas but wish you well... hell, I work remote and have for 5.5 years and it's amazing how micro-management weasels its way through the internet... oof.

 

[schmalzy]

Yeah, precon is a possibility for sure. Maybe I just need a tour through that side of things to compare.

Maybe I'll prefer managing change orders and tracking material over drawing pretty lines in On-Screen haha

Don’t know what industry/focus and size of your company, but a business development role would be pretty cool too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hans]

I worked as an estimator and project manager for a commercial GC for 9 years... recently took a new job as Construction Specialist for an Architecture firm. I'm reviewing submittals, pay apps, answering RFIs, documenting progress on projects under construction, establish preliminary budgets for owners while projects are in design phase. What I don't do.... stress out about being over budget or behind schedule, deal with coordinating subcontractors and shitty employees. I was looking for a change and this has been great so far!

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

I worked as an estimator and project manager for a commercial GC for 9 years... recently took a new job as Construction Specialist for an Architecture firm. I'm reviewing submittals, pay apps, answering RFIs, documenting progress on projects under construction, establish preliminary budgets for owners while projects are in design phase. What I don't do.... stress out about being over budget or behind schedule, deal with coordinating subcontractors and shitty employees. I was looking for a change and this has been great so far!

That's interesting, I don't think I've worked with an architecture firm with someone in that role. Seems like a great idea.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Anyone ever gone to work in construction insurance? Had a previous coworker go and do that. Investigate builder's risk claims. Seems like a steady 40 hour work week, decent pay and bene's. Maybe more paperwork pushing than I'd like but seems like an option.

 

[schmalzy]

Anyone ever gone to work in construction insurance? Had a previous coworker go and do that. Investigate builder's risk claims. Seems like a steady 40 hour work week, decent pay and bene's. Maybe more paperwork pushing than I'd like but seems like an option.

I’ve looked into it some on the consulting side after I saw the people the insurance companies were using. Some of the guys barely knew if anything what they were looking at.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[loganwayne]

How big of a place do you work for? I went from a pretty big place for our region working 80-100 hrs to a smaller company and I work 35-40 hrs now. Still have stress but I also have a great boss and company owner which helps alot. Much smaller company with my boss, me and one other pm on the commercial side. We are still doing several 15-20 mil. a year jobs.
I broke down my salary to hr and I basically doubled my hourly rate and cut the stress in half.