New Engineer in Construction: Path to Management

Abstract

The large share of engineers employed in construction are also employed in management positions. They come to the industry with particular sets of abilities and expectations as to what they want from their job. The jobs they fill have specific skill and ability requirements and offer specific rewards. The match between the engineer and the job determines how motivated and, therefore, how productive the engineer will be. Management positions have very different requirements and rewards than traditional engineering positions. One particular requirement is the ability to work with people. Engineers must understand the requirements of management positions before they accept them. A mismatch between the engineer and his job may have serious consequences for both engineer and employer.