If you are looking for a hot job, a career as a construction manager might not be on your short list. After all, the news is filled with depressing statistics of a sagging housing market and stalled recovery. However, experts say those reports only tell half the story. While the residential segment continues to struggle in some areas, commercial and infrastructure projects are on the rebound, and the time is ripe for anyone looking to hop into this growing field.
Construction managers are hired to lead and oversee a variety of building projects from start to finish. The jobs can range from a small remodeling or renovation job to the construction of a large commercial structure, such as a school or hospital.
A construction manager is also known as a site manager or project manager. The duties of a construction manager are:
To have a plan of work with the other construction professionals who are supposed to work in that particular construction site. These professionals are architects, interior designers, engineers and many others. Even in case there is a necessity to have surveyors and estimators at the construction site, it is also the task of the construction manager to plan out the work with them. A construction manager is the one who makes all the plans, strategies for doing the construction job.
The other duty of a construction manager is to make sure that the work is going smoothly and perfectly. It is also the duty of the construction manager to survey that the work is done within time and within the budget.
Administrating the staff and workers, dispatching the workers from the construction site, taking care of the safety and security of the staff and supervising that they follow all the rules and regulations are all done by the construction manager.
Even the important task of negotiating with the suppliers, subcontractors, and making the changes in the contracts, if there is any, even the changes in the agreements with the engineers, clients and architects are all supervised by the manager.

The job of a construction manager is a very hectic one that involves a detailed participation in almost every field of the construction project. Therefore, any person from any field cannot do this task. It needs knowledge and experience about the field.
Many colleges and universities currently offer bachelor’s degrees in construction management, and about 60 have master’s degree programs in construction management or construction science. Students study traditional subjects like math, statistics, information technology and architecture, plus take more specialized classes in subjects such as building code enforcement, site planning and design, cost estimating, and scheduling.
Although Graduates from any field can do this job, but a degree in building technology or construction engineering management, building studies etc. can be beneficial for understanding the flow of the work. Any 2 year specialization at a field that is related to the construction industry helps in getting a job as a construction manager.
Still want the job? Wait, there’s a little bit more. Nowadays, clients are often looking for certified construction managers.
There are many institutes also, that offer the professional education for a job of construction management. However, some of the skills that a construction manager must have and that cannot be taught at any institute are that the manager must have a good analytical power, so that the plan and strategy for the construction is good enough and he must have a good communication skill so that the communication with the staff is good.