Looking to progress to management (construction)

Jdownes89

Hey everyone.

Looking for some advice really to help me in making a decision on the best thing to do.

I'm a 27 year old fully qualified plumbing & heating engineer and I want to progress onto the management side of the construction industry. My reason for this is that although I love my trade it's starting to take its toll on my body and I honestly can't see myself doing this well into my 50's besides I feel like I have stopped progressing which is what I want to do in life. I want to keep climbing the ladder so I can have a prosperous life.

I've been looking in to what need to be done in order to achieve my goals but I don't know what's best and how I could increase my chances of finding an employer who will put me through the courses needed in order to be successful.

I think my strong background in construction will benefit me and my employer but I honestly don't know where to start.

Any advice/ideas will be much appreciated.

Thanks!!

lincroft1710

There's far, far more chance of you being employed as a plumber than a company training you to be a manager. How many construction companies are there in your area large enough to have a management team, as it is these you should be approaching. A bit left field, but would you fancy teaching plumbing at a college or similar?

I know plumbing is physically demanding (as are many trades in the construction industry), but I think 27 is a little young to be thinking about giving it up. Most of our local plumbing firms are 1 man or small team businesses where the boss has moved from being hands on to the managerial side of the business.

Fireflyaway

I'm not in the building trade but I too am trying to get into management. For me I'd say you need some patience, because many companies want someone who has already had experience of being a manager, they don't want to take the chance on someone who doesn't have demonstrable experience.
Why not go on some job websites, look at the descriptions of jobs you would like and identify the gaps? If you can do a course in supervisory skills, team leading etc that could help. Experience of budgets, training and of course IT skills. Most management roles require this regardless of the trade you are in.

xapprenticex

As a new manager I'd say its well worth it, the rush you get after chairing your first meeting and being the focal point is amazing. I dont know about trades but id imagine it would be easier to start your own company and hire people.

ohreally

Jdownes89 wrote: »

I think my strong background in construction will benefit me and my employer but I honestly don't know where to start.

Surely the place to start is to put this to your employer.

BTW a strong trade background does not mean a good manager, if worked with enough of them in the past.

agrinnall

It's not clear what your work situation is at the moment, are you employed as a plumber, self employed, unemployed?

One thing to consider if you're not already self employed would be to start your own company, work hard at building it up for the next few years, take on more staff to actually do the work, then spend your time running the company.

trailingspouse

I don't think 27 is too young to be thinking about the physical demands of the job. The OP is likely to have been in the trade 10 years - certainly long enough to know that his body isn't indestructible. And getting into management takes time, so it's wise to start thinking how to go about it.

To progress, as others have said, you could work on your own account and start to take on apprentices, sub-contractors, oversee larger projects and so on. Or think outside the box - what about working towards management in other related areas - supply of building materials, manufacture of building materials, regulation of the industry.