United States
Building and Construction
The art and knowledge of materials, techniques, and equipment used in the construction of any structure is known as building and construction.
This field, which incorporates everything from high rises, schools, colleges, offices, hospitals, bridges, dams and other facilities and installations, has come a long way from our forefathers' mud and clay houses.
It is both a requirement for, and a measure of the progress a city or country has made. It shapes economic development by creating opportunities for people with a variety of skills and enhancing tourism.
There are a number of courses available to get the highly in-demand jobs in this industry. Let’s take a look at these.
“You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it requires people to make the dream a reality.”
– Walt Disney
Top Careers in Building and Construction
Also called Urban Planners, these professionals develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.
The Corporate Construction Manager is in charge of the organization's overall construction management. To ensure that organizational requirements are met, oversees facility design and construction scheduling.
Building services engineers advise on, develop, construct, and manage cost-effective and energy-efficient building systems such as water, lighting, heating, air conditioning, lifts, and telecommunications.
An employee who reviews plans and visits construction sites to ensure that both local and national building codes and regulations are followed is known as a building inspector. The wiring, HVAC system, base, roof, siding, garage, plumbing, and any electrical equipment, for example, would all be examined by the building inspector.
Lesson plans and seminars on architectural design principles and history are created by architecture instructors. In a classroom environment, they also assess and teach students.
Building plans are inspected by fire inspectors to ensure that they comply with fire codes. Fire inspectors inspect structures for fire hazards and to ensure that federal, state, and local fire codes are followed.
Job Roles in Building & Construction
An education in this knowledge area also proves useful for the following job roles:
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Geotechnical engineer
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Management consultant
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Planning and development surveyor
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Architectural technologist
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Facilities and Financial manager
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CAD technician
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Environmental engineer
Top Courses in Building & Construction
B.Sc. in Construction Management: It is UG academic program. The course involves the study of managerial principles and techniques applied in the construction. All the scientific and development aspects are covered holistically.
Eligibility criteria: 10+2 in science stream
Duration: 3 years
B. Tech in Civil Engineering: It's a civil engineering undergraduate degree that teaches students both theoretical and practical aspects of civil engineering, as well as how to apply it in construction management. The curriculum includes coursework in important construction management topics such as fluid dynamics, geo-informatics, material strength, building materials and construction, and other related topics.
Eligibility criteria: 10+2 in science stream
Duration: 4 years
B.E. in Civil Engineering: It is a bachelor's degree program that focuses on engineering aspects of the construction industry. It is an academic curriculum that is focused on theory. This curriculum provides students with very little practical experience.
Eligibility criteria: 10+2 in science stream
Duration: 4 years
B. Arch.: It is a bachelor's degree program. It includes a one-year internship for hands-on experience. The curriculum focuses on designing and mapping construction projects including buildings, malls, shopping center, corporate buildings, offices, and other public spaces.
Eligibility criteria: 10+2 in science stream with Mathematics
Duration: 4 years
M.B.A. in Construction Management: It's a master's degree program. It is a construction management advanced program that differs from a typical MBA program. This curriculum addresses key topics in construction management, such as management principles, economics, quantity surveying, cost analysis, cost accounting, construction technology, and operations management, among others.
Eligibility: 10+2+3
Duration: 2 years
Diploma in Construction Management: It is an UG level academic program. The program comprises the study of material and equipment, building codes, blueprints etc.
Eligibility: After class 10
Duration: 1 year
There are also many on-line courses available which prove to be highly flexible. Now these could be short term or full time depending on the type of certification you are looking for.
Conclusion
“It is not the beauty of the building you should look at: it’s the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.”
– David Allen Coe
And that is where Building and Construction steps in.
If you fancy your way into the construction field, there are so many venues for you to get in. To pursue a career in architecture and engineer, you’d definitely need a university degree. You can also work your way up by specializing in skills of the relevant field.
FREE COURSES
The below courses provide a good overview on the study area
- The Industry and Profession in Construction Management on edX
- Construction Management Specialization on Coursera
- Construction Project Management on Coursera
- Construction Finance on Coursera
An introduction is provided in the below video
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s take a look at some commonly asked questions by students.
A widely diverse field, the construction sector will find you a job with any level of study .This evergreen industry promises job security, good salaries and high job satisfaction.
Given the shortage of skilled labourers in this field and the anticipated fast growth of this industry, a career in the construction industry is likely to be fast paced .
The prospects of the building and construction industry are quite promising to the next 20 years.
These two degrees are similar as they are both related to the construction industry. But they do have some key differences
The planning, designing and analysis of the construction project is dealt with by a civil engineer. A construction engineer focuses majorly on on-site management of the construction.
The course of the former focuses on theories based with construction while the latter has a more hands-on study
Civil engineers design the structures; ensuring that they are as per the building laws and codes of the state. The construction engineer sees to it that the codes and designs are properly implemented by the employees working under him/ her.
According to The Future of Construction, Global 2030) with China, US, India and the UK immersed in a “construction boom”; technology and digitization has been observed as a revolutionizing agent -spelling changes in social and economic trends with an added focus on sustainability.
This promises a more diverse generation of jobs that are emerging at quick rates. (Construction/project manager, glaziers, elevator installers are a few to name); keeping this sector evergreen in demand.
Helping drive efficiency in construction projects, these enterprising employees oversee and direct the entire construction project right from scratch. They plan, execute and coordinate their subordinates and are very efficient leaders in their industry.
Skills required include-
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Leadership & coordination skills
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Good communication skills
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Critical thinking
To know more check out www.tucareers.com/careers/construction-managers
The prime difference is that the CM oversees just the construction phase of the project. Having knowledge of a specific area, he looks at the day-to-day operations of the project.
Now, the PM possesses more responsibility. Other than the construction process, he/she oversees all phases of the project-right from project schedule and budgets to marketing and administrative needs. From start to finish the PM oversees the entire project as compared to the CM who is only involved with the actual construction phase.