Want a Degree? Look at Construction Management

I see people with all sorts of backgrounds become real estate investors. The cool thing about this industry is that it can be for everyone - from high school drop outs to the overly educated. But I don't see a lot of people with my construction background, and I want to share how I got here and spread a word to young folks looking for a college degree. While I don't think college is necessary for everyone, a bachelor of science in construction management was perfect for me.

I grew up in a real estate investor household, and my parents did the down and dirty management work. My dad is an electrician by trade, so I saw lots of construction projects growing up. I always thought I wanted to be an architect and design buildings. Then my dad showed me a newspaper article in the Seattle Times about the lack of women in the construction management program. As a high school junior, I had found my career path.

Not every, but plenty of schools in the US offer a construction management degree. It is usually in the school of architecture or built environments. I started out at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and then transferred and graduated from the University of Washington. Both have great CM programs, and I like to call it a specialized business degree. Along with all the general classes, I took business and marketing, and for the degree took classes like wood shop, surveying, construction law, materials and methods, estimating, scheduling, structures, civil construction and heavy equipment, landscape architecture, and a senior capstone class going through an entire construction project.

And don't let me forgot to tell you about the jobs coming out of college. Granted, 2006 was a booming time, but everyone in my 50 person graduating class got a job with a starting salary of an average of $54,000. Not a bad degree.

I've been working for a general contractor off and on for a total of 5 years now, and all the work I do can translate directly to real estate investing. A huge asset is that I understand construction. I know the terms and lingo of buildings. My project engineer job is to work with subcontractors and create and manage contracts. I do estimates, project documentation, and help facilitate a construction project from start to completion, and to the standards of a large professional construction company. I just finished a 12 million dollar high school stadium, and now my $40,000 house remodel will go like a breeze.

So, if you are young and are on the path to get a college degree, but also know that real estate investing is in your future, look into construction management. Not only will it set you up for a great career, but it can translate into the real estate life you are seeking.