Design and engineering
What does a Construction Manager do?
Working out how something should be built, and drawing it so others can build it.
What the day is like
- Outside, in the weather.
- People all day.
- Right or wrong, to a standard.
- No two days alike.
- Responsible for other people.
The facts
- Pay
- $114,990 a year, median
- Construction Managers, May 2025
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
- Several years, and usually a formal qualification.
- Jobs
- +9% projected change in jobs, 2025-2035 projections
- Demand looks growing
What is good about it
- It pays well against the rest of the work on this site.
- No two days are the same, if that is what you want from a week.
What people find hard about it
- Everything late is your problem
- Early starts
- Conflict between trades
Most arrive through a trade or a degree plus years on site; few arrive straight from study.
Will machines take this job?
What machines will do to this work. Drafting and routine calculation are automating; the responsibility for a design that has to stand up is not.
How to find out whether it suits you
Follow a site manager through a full day, including the problems.
Would this actually suit you?
CareerDNA works that out from what you choose rather than from what you say about yourself: two minutes of choosing between real jobs, a few puzzles, and some questions about what you are like. It is free, it saves as you go, and it will tell you plainly where the answer is thin.