Death of Construction?

bennyd16 · 10-28-2009, 09:21 PM

Hey guys, i have always wanted to go into construction management, and hopefully eventually start my own construction/development company (very wishful thinking). I should be graduating in about 2 years, but am i going to be screwed upon graduation? With the crash of the new housing and construction market, is a construction management degree going to leave me jobless? is it still worth it? any input is appreciated, thanks.

Techy233 · 10-28-2009, 09:55 PM

Eh, personally I can't say much to this end, but I do believe that the best construction mangers are CivEs whose roles have developed. The degree itself isn't particularly versatile.

aibarr · 10-29-2009, 01:09 AM

Quote:

The degree itself isn't particularly versatile.

...says the expert? I've found that my degrees are incredibly versatile. It really depends upon what you do with your degree.

You should be all right in two years. They're predicting that the construction market will start to turn around at the beginning of 2011. People will be hiring again by the time you graduate. "Death of construction" is a little dramatic... People aren't going to stop wanting to progress and build entirely, forever.

Calcozzo · 10-29-2009, 01:19 AM

Quote:

...says the expert? I've found that my degrees are incredibly versatile. It really depends upon what you do with your degree.

I think he meant a degree in construction management (though I haven't seen a lot of school that offer it), not structural engineering.

But yeah, I'd say the last thing humans decide to forgo will be shelter/water systems/transportation systems. Civil's a pretty stable field compared to, say, IT or automotive.

bennyd16 · 10-29-2009, 01:21 AM

lol yeah i know its dramatic that's why i wrote it... needed something to hopefully catch some interest

boneh3ad · 10-29-2009, 01:28 AM

This whole recession has been marked by the "death of reasonable thinking" by a lot of people.

aibarr · 10-29-2009, 01:36 AM

Well... we just had our fourth round of layoffs yesterday, so I don't think it's unreasonable to be concerned.

But yes, it's goofy to decide that the end of civilization is nigh.

boneh3ad · 10-29-2009, 02:10 AM

I just mean in general. I have heard people start comparing it to the Great Depression. I am glad that the people still around that remember the Great Depression probably aren't reading those kinds of claims, because it is just ludicrous.

Techy233 · 10-29-2009, 02:42 AM

I meant construction management, sheesh aibarr.

My dad is a CivE, moved into management. He's in charge of some of his friends with management degrees. UG degrees in management seem to be limited - much like UG degrees in business. The most successful business people, from what I've learned in classes, seem to be those who really invent something that's ridiculously innovative, or science/engineers who deal well with people. Most people learn to become managers, from what I've gathered. Not an expert, never claimed to be. Just giving in my 2 cents.

aibarr · 10-29-2009, 02:55 AM

Ah. Sorry about that, Techy233, I see that you were talking about a management degree now. No, you're right, those aren't that versatile. My eyes skipped over and I thought you were talking about civil engineering degrees.

And to boneh3ad... Nobody living, nobody at my company, has ever seen it this bad. I've seen silver-haired engineers go from cavalier last year, to mellow, to nervous, and now they're awkwardly waxing poetic about how raging forest fires actually renew things. In construction, we're closing our eyes tight, working seventy-hour weeks at 90% salary, canceling all company activities, and hoping it'll end soon. And it won't end this year. It'll end next year. We have to go through another whole year of this.

It's not the Great Depression. It's nowhere near the Great Depression. Still, our friends and coworkers with masters degrees from Purdue and Texas are being laid off, can't support their wives and year-old babies, are being deported unless they find a gig bussing tables within the next month, and nothing really feels ludicrous tonight.

Sorry. It's been a tough week.

purduefrank · 10-29-2009, 05:49 AM

I wouldn’t say it would leave you jobless in two years. The job market is tough right now for the const mgt degrees, but not long ago this was one of the best tickets around. Engineer-like starting pay, much easier school, and most of the programs around were boasting of 100% placement records for years straight. I wouldn’t change your major or anything like that, two years is plenty of time for the cyclical swing to come back that way. If you’re looking for internships I would try around your hometown. Construction, at least for me, is something that almost everybody I know, knows somebody involved. Offer to work for less than they would normally have to pay you just to get the experience so you can get yourself in good shape for your graduation. In honesty, I know quite a few people who were const mgt majors and they’re all doing very well right now - provided that they can hold this whole thing out.

MaineLonghorn · 10-29-2009, 10:00 AM

Wow, aibarr, that sounds rough. I guess DH and I are fortunate that we're still getting work. He just landed a job with a big firm in Dallas that wants to use him on projects they get in the northeast. They are a forensics firm and do a lot of work for insurance companies. DH will be a part-time employee, but just bill them for the hours he works, at his regular consulting rate. We've tried this kind of arrangement before and nothing much came of it, but this time the company is flying him down for a week of (paid) training in a couple of weeks, so it looks promising. With our oldest going to college next year, we can sure use the income!

rheidzan · 10-29-2009, 09:50 PM

Quote:

It's not the Great Depression. It's nowhere near the Great Depression.

YET. It's not great depression 2, yet... Real unemployment u6 rate is about 17% and going up!!!

Quote:

You should be all right in two years. They're predicting that the construction market will start to turn around at the beginning of 2011. People will be hiring again by the time you graduate.

People keep saying recovery is coming soon.... but recovery BASED ON WHAT??? Consumer spending used to account for 70% of the economy, but they're not coming back. Our manufacturing base has gone to China and India, and as much as I'd like to, they're not coming back...
So I ask, what are the economic FUNDAMENTALS on which people say there will be recovery?

Secondly, everyone graduating by recovery (if we ever recover) will have to fight with more experienced and qualified people that had been laid off.

If I were the OP I would study Mandarin as well. I've started...
You never know if and when the day comes for the US to be a 3rd world country...

Kickback · 10-29-2009, 10:28 PM

Quote:

You never know if and when the day comes for the US to be a 3rd world country...

Do you know what the definition of a third world country is? It isn't based on economy...

Third World - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Canadian_EE · 10-30-2009, 12:37 AM

In Canada (well Quebec, at least), construction is booming. Civil Engineers are largely in demand and get hired pretty easily. The economic situation isn't as bad as it is in the US though.