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If you are interested in applying for construction management jobs, there are many different online degrees that can help you achieve your goals and quick track your career. The best part is that you can earn these degrees from the comfort of your own home and make a schedule that works for you and your current work and time commitments.

The best candidates for most construction management jobs have experience on the job and also some sort of formal construction project management training. To do this most effectively, one way that is recommended is to earn an online construction management degree or an online construction engineering degree, in addition to gaining hands-on experience through an apprenticeship or on-site training. Regardless of the degree you select, it is very vital to make sure the online university you choose is accredited. This is the only way to ensure your degree will be recognized by future employers and other higher learning institutions, which is vital if you ever need to transfer your credits.

The construction management courses that you will be required to take while achieving your degree will give you all of the necessary skills that job site experience cannot provide on its own. Plus, many degrees required for construction management jobs allow you to select different areas of focus you can specialize in. The different types of course work you can focus on include business and financial management, contract administration, cost estimating, building codes and standards, information technology, inspection procedures, site plotting, engineering and architectural sciences, construction project management training. Another key focus of your degree can be technical training on how to use the most advanced industry software in the construction management field.

Once you graduate from your online degree program, you can choose which types of construction management jobs are right for you and the skill-set you have worked hard to build. Some construction management jobs will require you to be involved in each project from its inception until construction is finished. This means that you would oversee not only the workforce, but also all of the construction materials, tools, equipment and safety measures that are required for each phase of the project. Other construction management jobs may allow you to focus on the degree specializations you have chosen. For example, if you have completed course work and apprenticeships related to architecture and engineering, you should consider looking for construction management jobs where you would manage or directly interface with the architects and engineers on the project.

There were over 380,000 construction management jobs in the United States in 2002 and the number of construction management jobs is expected to remain on par with the number of individuals entering the field for at least the next five years. So, now is a fantastic time to earn your online degree and get the experience you need to start your dream job in construction management.

Earning a Construction management degree online has quickly become a well loved way to jump start a career in construction project management. The field of construction management has been growing over the last ten years. This can be attributed to many different factors; the first of which being that development companies in the construction industry have started placing very high value on employees who can successfully perform construction project management. This is really no surprise considering that excellent construction management can make or break a complicated project. It requires an extremely strong level of detail-oriented work, communication and management skills, as well as a solid understanding of all industry-standard technologies and software.

If you are interested in construction management for your career, there are several steps you can take to qualify for the type of construction management jobs available today. The first step is to look for higher education institutions that offer a construction management certification or degree. Many traditional universities now offer variations of these degrees and you can also seek out schools that offer a construction management degree online.

If you have a fulltime job now and are hoping to increase your earnings potential without decreasing your current income, the best option may be for you to apply to a school that offers a construction management program and degree online. This will allow you to keep your job and finances in check while you work toward your construction management degree. In doing so, you can avoid costly out-of-state tuition fees, any relocation costs or additional costs of living that you may incur as a campus or university-based housing resident. The one vital thing to remember is that the online school you apply to must be accredited. This not only ensures that any future employers will honor your degree, it will also ensure that you can easily transfer your credits to another school that offers a construction management program and degree if necessary.

Another fantastic way to learn more about construction management and gain the hands-on experience you will need is to apply for an apprenticeship or internship with a company that has one or more fulltime construction management positions. If you already have a fulltime job and do not have enough time for an internship, you could find a mentor who can teach you about the job after hours, or you could even question to shadow a construction management supervisor for a day to get a better understanding of what the job is like.

These tactics may be time consuming, but you can keep reminding yourself that it will be worth the time and energy spent: the average salary for construction management positions was approximately ,000 in 2002.

But you go about gaining your degree and work experience in the field of construction management, it will be a step in the right direction for your career and your life.

A construction project manager is a qualified individual with a degree in construction management, civil engineering or construction science. Being in charge of construction projects, he has to ensure that the entire project is completed on time, without exceeding budgetary limits. It is a high pressure job. The manager has complete control and is responsible for everything related to the construction project.

The mark Construction Project Manager is loosely used to define any supervisory level managers who direct supervisors in construction projects. He may also be called by other titles such as construction superintendent, general construction manager, executive construction manager, constructor or even contractor or sub-contractor. He could be a salaried employee of a construction company or engaged to manage a particular construction project.

The construction project manager has to be involved in the project from the beginning through to its completion. By employing his knowledge and expertise in terms of the efficient use of required resources, he has to ensure the achievement of predetermined objectives of cost, time, and quality. To make sure of these objectives, he has to choose which construction methods are appropriate for cost effective scheduling. He has to discuss architectural and engineering drawings with design engineers to effectively plot and harmonize every facet of the project. This may include preparation and use of complicated flow charts and bar charts, and various graphs for data representation. Nowadays, project managers use computers to analyze, conceptualize and implement plans and designs.

The construction project manager has to plot a logical, phase wise implementation of the project, assigning predetermined timeframes for the completion of each phase. He has to take all measures to see that the time frame is adhered to.

These days, there is a fantastic demand for people with a excellent academic foundation in the field of construction management. Employers generally prefer a degree in construction science, with special focus on the management aspect. It is a four-year degree course offered by over 120 colleges in the country.

Coursework for a degree in construction science is very comprehensive. Some of the subjects covered would be engineering and architectural sciences, mathematics, statistics, computer science, project control and development, site plotting, building design, construction methods, construction materials, value analysis, cost estimating, contract administration, building codes and standards and inspection procedures.

The American Institute of Constructors (AIC) and the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) also give certification after written examinations and verification of education. The AIC awards the Associate Constructor (AC) and Certified Professional Constructor (CPC) designations and the CMAA awards the Certified Construction Manager (CMM) designation.

There are better job prospects for candidates with work experience. The preference in the job market is for academically qualified people who have undergone internships and worked in the construction industry. They should be well versed in building technology.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers conducted a salary survey in July 2005 and found that candidates with a degree in construction management got an average annual salary figure of ,923.

There are bright career prospects for a professionally qualified construction project manager. Practical work experience is of vital importance before a position of independent functioning will be offered. A few years experience at a junior-grade position on construction projects is a prerequisite required by most employers. The position would fetch a handsome salary package and commands a respectable position in society.

The business of construction has its highs and lows, as there are investments of equipment and tools as well as payroll for labor in today’s economy. For smaller contractors the question of worth in purchasing construction estimating software comes to the drawing table.

A small contracting business is one not determined by the amount of take home pay, or the number of projects one has fulfilled, rather it entails the various jobs the must be taken care of by the contractor. Smaller contractors have other areas of interest to stay on top of, such as duties of human resource, business accounting as well as estimations and other area of business. On the other hand, a large contractor generally has a title of General Contractor. Therefore, there are others hired to perform other necessary duties, since a larger business is based on a larger scale.

The large and medium size construction companies will find the use of construction estimating software vital to a properly run business. But, a smaller construction company may be a bit more reluctant of purchasing such software, if the general contractor has no experience with computers.

Contractors and a newly hired contractor who are familiar with using computers should feel at ease and encouraged with the use of construction estimating software as a fantastic work tool for needs of estimating any construction job as well as many other tasks related to the construction field.

Many construction estimating software programs correspond nicely with business bookkeeping software that is helpful in making estimates for business clients more accurate. Construction estimating software also improves the businesses financial order as

well as time management and the long-term probabilities of profits. Construction estimating software is easy to use and offers many benefits to a construction company and anyone who is comfortable with computer use would honest well to buy construction estimating software for their business.

Contractors who are inexperienced with the use of computers may be hesitant of purchasing construction estimating software, but with a bit of time and patience it is easy to learn and to use. Construction estimating software is a worthwhile buy for any construction business; it will pay for itself many times over, while helping you gain better profits for the work that is efficiently done with the use of such software. The small amount of time learning the program will in return give you more time to do things you want to do while not being at work, without the headaches of worry for duties while you are on time off.

Some of the benefits of using construction estimating software besides enabling your to make the best estimates and bids for jobs, it will also keep track projects and present documents, bookkeeping and write up the contracts. Construction estimating software enables the small contractor to reach the professional practices to match those of larger contractors. The more use of construction estimating software the more time saved and money made.

Construction estimating software is beneficial to any construction company, more than likely your competition already has their own software in place. Take the time to learn the new construction estimating software so you can stay on the edge of your job duties. Some construction estimating software is relatively affordable and well worth the buy in long range terms of success.

The Terrors of the Time and Material Contract in Home Construction

There is a form of contracting prevalent in the home construction world that is very perilous to the American homeowner. It is called the time and material contract. In construction slang it is known as “T & M.” This contract is the cause of run away costs on seemingly inexpensive home construction projects. The wise homeowner will be very, very wary of signing a time and material contract with any home construction contractor.

The basics of the time and material contract are quite simple. The contractor charges the homeowner for the actual time that all workers spend on the homeowner’s project plus all the costs of materials. The contractor’s profit is built into the hourly rate charged to the homeowner by the contractor for all of his workers. Sometimes a wily contractor will have the audacity to add a percentage as their fee or extra profit to the contract.

The T & M contract is nearly always suggested by a contractor to an inexperienced homeowner. They will say that the homeowner’s job is just too complicated for a fixed price bid and the best way to do this project is by time and material. It always sounds so reasonable that the homeowner has no reason to believe that things will not go well on their project.

The time and material contract has been around for decades. It became very well loved in the late 1970’s and 1980’s on industrial construction projects around the globe. The time and material contract was used on large scale industrial projects where it was thought that the teaming of the owners and the owner’s contractor would result in a win-win situation for both the contractor and the owner. The contractor would have limited risk and the owner would have a project built for about the estimated price.

The time and material contract on these industrial projects took the form of the cost plus fixed fee contract. The contractor was paid for all the hours of all their workers plus the cost of all the materials. The two were added up to give the total construction cost. Then the fixed fee percentage was multiplied times the total construction cost and then added to the whole. The typical fixed fee was in the 2% to 10% range.

Sounds reasonable doesn’t it? It wasn’t though. The catch was whether or not the owner had hired a contractor willing to take a reasonable profit on a project rather than a huge profit at the owner’s expense. It turned out that there were not too many industrial contractors that could resist the lure of easy money at the expense of the owner.

What really happened is that the contractors used every means at their disposal to drive the hours of labor and material up as high as they possibly could so that the fee would also be higher. As it turned out the construction costs grew much higher. So high that owner’s around the world were nearly bankrupted by this form of the T & M contract.

The time and material contract ruined the work ethic in hard working construction workers by rewarding slowness and laziness. This behavior was condoned and even encouraged by the managers of the construction companies. The reason for this was because the contractor made more money the longer the project took to complete.

The T & M contract also encouraged the use of unnecessarily expensive materials in an effort to drive up the cost. When two equally qualified materials could be used for the construction the most expensive alternative would always be selected because it drove up the construction cost and thereby increased the contractor’s fee (profit).

The time and material contract has largely disappeared from the Industrial Construction world because of its terribly abusive practices and its inherent ability to ruin any construction budget. But, I am miserable to report that it is alive and well in the home remodel and new home construction world in America today!

The American homeowner needs to stay far away from the T & M contract even if a contractor says it is the best way to work their project. In actuality it is only rarely beneficial to the homeowner but nearly always extremely financially rewarding to the contractor. The time and material contract is a recipe for disaster for the typical homeowner inexperienced in home construction management.

How does this relate to the homeowner’s small remodel or new construction project? It relates very well because many contractors convince the inexperienced homeowner (in regards to construction) that it would be really hard or near impossible to give them a fixed price for their project. They market the following kind of statement, “Your project is too complicated to give you a fixed price. But, I can promise you that if we do your project on a time and material basis your costs will be much lower.” It sounds excellent but the truth is really the opposite.

This is because the underlying negative aspects of the T & M contract remain the same for the homeowner as they were on the industrial construction projects. They drive labor and material costs up as high as possible. An unfortunate student of mine found this out the hard way.

I received a phone call in early 2007 from one of my former students (from my class on how to be your own general contractor) whose project was in distress. He had taken my class earlier when the Pat Fay Method book was not yet completed. Unfortunately his project was in distress and he needed some help.

He wouldn’t give me any details over the phone but questioned if I would come visit him at his house that was presently being remodeled. I arrived at 10 o’clock in the morning and the first thing I saw upon arriving was two framing carpenters taking a smoke break up on the scaffolding.

They were having a fantastic time catching up with each other, laughing and carrying on. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself because it was obvious that these men were working on a time and material contract. The reason I knew this is because carpenters on a fixed price contract would have been working with a cigarette stuck in their teeth pounding away with their hammers or nail guns.

After we sat down in the owner’s kitchen I questioned why he had signed a T&M contract when I had stressed in the class that it is the worst form of home construction contracting. At first he didn’t answer this question but immediately complained to me about how often they took breaks to smoke, to eat, to talk on their cell phones, and to discuss what they were doing. Some days there would be two workers and other days there would be three to four. He stated that the workers hardly spent any time working at all and that the project just barely progressed. He was so frustrated he was ready to explode.

I let him vent for awhile and when he had gotten it off his chest I repeated the question: why did you sign a T&M contract? His answer was classic. “I signed a T&M contract because the contractor told me my job was too complicated for a fixed price contract. He said that it was the best way to proceed on my project.”

It really was sad for two reasons. One, his project was a simple 960 SF addition to his two tale house. One side was being pushed out 8’x 30’ and the front by 12’ x 20’. The scope of work was to add a new foundation, frame the walls, demo the existing, extend the floors, change the roof and add gutters. It also included new windows, new interior doors & walls with the standard electrical, lighting and flooring in the 960 SF remodel. That was it! There wasn’t even any plumbing as no bathroom was added and the kitchen was on the end of the house that was not being remodeled.

The second reason it was sad was because the contractor had two to four men working on the foundation and framing for SEVEN MONTHS! The foundation and framing should have taken no more than 6 weeks. To add insult to injury the framing wasn’t even complete! The contractor was completely milking the project at the homeowner’s expense.

After I read the owner’s drawings of his project, did some calculations, I estimated that this project should cost about per square foot. This is less than the 0/SF that I normally tell homeowners because on this project there was no plumbing work. /SF x 960 SF is equal to ,800. Add a few thousand for contingency and the project budget is ,000.

This homeowner had already paid the contractor 5,000. He also had given the contractor a ,000 down payment at the time the contract was signed that was not part of the 5,000. The total amount of money spent by this homeowner was 5,000! Besides the incomplete framing, the homeowner still had to pay for the installation of the roofing, windows, and all interior work. This unfortunate homeowner had already paid out twice what the project should have cost and the framing phase wasn’t even complete. The way it was going he was going to be lucky to end up for a total cost of 0,000. That would be 0,000 more than the entire project should have cost.

Also, the amount of stress this poor homeowner was experiencing was terrible. He told me he would lay awake all night, he couldn’t eat, and he was irritable to his wife. All because he believed the following what the contractor said was the right thing to do. In the Pat Fay Method we call that unwise. Unfortunately this scenario plays itself out all across America in every state in the country. This doesn’t just happen to a few people; this happens to hundreds of thousands of people every year throughout America!

I offered to walk outside with the homeowner and fire the contractor right then and there. I promised to stay with him until the workers had cleared their tools and themselves from the site. The homeowner declined my offer because “I can’t fire them because they still have my ,000 down payment”.

I had taught this homeowner in my class not to pay a large down payment at the time the contract is signed. I had also stressed that no matter what to never sign a T & M contract. (The only exception to this rule is for limited demolition work but the homeowner protects themselves by building in a not to exceed maximum cost to the contract.)

Why had this homeowner gone against what he had learned in the Pat Fay Method class? This homeowner was inexperienced and unsophisticated when it came to home construction. I have learned from working with homeowner’s on their home construction projects that they have a need to have a contractor hold their hand and take care of them.

The huge problem with this though is that there are not many contractors in America that want to hold the hand of the homeowner. Like all businessmen, what they want is to make as much profit as they possibly can. Chapter 16 (Lessons Learned from Homeowners) in the Pat Fay Method book discusses this subject in greater detail.

The best contract form the American homeowner can use is the fixed price contract. This is where the homeowner agrees to pay a fixed price for the contractor performing a fixed scope of work completed in a certain period of time. The Pat Fay Method book has an entire chapter (Chapter 9) dedicated to contract documents. Most homeowners don’t realize that they have a right to modify the contract to be sure their requirements are included. After all, the contract is a document for two parties. The contractor brings expertise in some construction skill and the homeowner provides money.

The Pat Fay Method is a professional construction management book written for the homeowner. If you are a homeowner that does not want the above scenario to befall you then invest and read the Pat Fay Method. After all the homeowner is either going to follow the Pat Fay Method or the contractor method. Available at www.patfay.com or email patfayinc@aol.com.