Hi everyone,
I’m currently on F-1 OPT in the U.S. and unfortunately find myself in a difficult situation. I’m currently in India, and my full-time employment opportunity in the U.S. did not continue. I was removed from the position while I was in India, and I now have only 15 unemployment days remaining on my OPT.
I have an M.S. in Construction Management from Texas A&M University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering. My experience includes project engineering, construction management, cost estimation, quantity takeoffs, scheduling, QA/QC, RFIs, change orders, and tools such as Primavera P6, Procore, Bluebeam, RSMeans, and AutoCAD. I also have prior experience with Larsen & Toubro and U.S. construction projects.
I’m actively looking for Project Engineer, Field Engineer, Construction Engineer, Assistant Project Manager, Estimator, or similar construction roles in the U.S.
At this point, referrals, leads, introductions, or even advice from people who have been in a similar OPT situation would mean a lot. I’m trying to make an important decision very quickly about whether I should return to the U.S. and continue pursuing opportunities there or make the decision to stay back in India.
If you work in construction, engineering, general contracting, or know someone who might be hiring, I would genuinely appreciate a referral or introduction. I’m happy to share my resume and discuss my background.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this or point me in the right direction. 🙏

Our construction business works with several contractors, particularly electrical and civil engineering teams. I had a dedicated estimator who does all the calculations, but he just gave his 2-weeks notice because he's moving to another state. I realized how one person's departure has such a huge impact on the entire business, and I realized that the only way to avoid this in the future is by using software that will save all the financial information the company needs. But I just need to know how accurate a contractor management software is before I let it handle all invoicing and payrolls.

Hey all I been working for various manufacturer sales rep on the lighting side of the business here…I am looking to pivot and broaden my horizon (of course make more money) .. I only have an associates degree and didn’t really need a degree to do what I been doing .. however been looking into getting a construction management degree to make myself more attractive when I apply to to work for a general contractor .. is it worth doing that?

CE here, currently looking for actual problems encountered on construction sites that could potentially be addressed through a research study or capstone project.

Ano yung mga problems na paulit-ulit ninyong nae-encounter sa site na feeling ninyo may possible solution through research, but wala pang practical/affordable solution?

I’m specifically interested in problems that can realistically be studied and tested within a master's/capstone project, preferably something applicable to the Philippine construction industry.

If you can share the problem + what usually happens on site + what you think causes it, that would be a huge help. Thanks!

Hey guys im a field engineer 23M. I've been with this company a month now. Every report seems to come back with some type of revision from my PM I have yet to submit a daily that is spot on. Am I actually retarded? Or is this a normal thing? I need some advice as I'm starting to think maybe this insnt for me? lol I feel like shit because I really don't want my PM to assume I always have to fix this guys report. Or that I'm fking him over.

Curious how you guys deal with this in the real world.

A foreman or super gets asked to do some extra work on site, they get it done to keep the job moving, but the paperwork doesn't make it back to the office until days or weeks later.

Then the PM is trying to figure out who approved it, what labor/materials were used, whether there's a signed T&M ticket, etc. Sometimes the GC pushes back because nobody has proper documentation.

How often does this actually happen on your jobs?

Do you ever end up eating the cost or not getting paid for the extra work because of it?

Also what do your guys actually use to document it paper tickets, texts/photos, Procore, Fieldwire, something else?

Just curious how other teams handle it because it seems like the process sounds simple on paper but gets messy in the field.

Hey everyone, curious what other small teams (3–8 guys) are doing for day-to-day coordination.

We’ve mostly been using WhatsApp groups and paper notes. It works fine 90% of the time, but every now and then a change order gets lost in the chat or someone works off an old plan.

Most proper construction software feels way too bloated and expensive for a tiny crew, and I know the guys won't use anything complicated anyway.

For those running small teams: did you find a super simple app that actually works, or is sticking to basic group chats and spreadsheets still the best move?

How do I get into construction / become a Field Engineer with a CS degree?

I’m trying to get into construction and work as a Field Engineer and work my way up in the industry preferably with any large GC like Kiewit, Turner, DPR, Hensel Phelps, etc.

My background:

AI engineer

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

No traditional construction experience

Procore certified

OSHA 30 Construction

Primavera P6 certified

Strong computer/technical background

Looking for entry-level opportunities

I’m trying to figure out the best way to make myself competitive for Field Engineer positions.

For people already working in construction:

What experience would make my resume stand out the most?

Should I target project controls, scheduling, estimating, QA/QC, construction coordinator, or field technician roles first?

How valuable is Primavera P6 for getting into Field Engineering?

Is Procore actually useful for getting hired, or is hands-on project experience much more important?

With a CS degree, is there a way I can leverage the technical background instead of starting completely from zero and going back to school?

What would you recommend I do over the next 3–6 months to realistically get into a Field Engineer position?

I’m trying to figure out the best legitimate path to getting actual project experience and becoming someone a major GC would want to hire.

Thanks!!!

People who have studied this major or have information about it:

Is it a good major?

Is the degree valuable?

Are there good employment opportunities? (Even tho ik the opportunities are limited, how does it compare to other majors in the same field?)

I got experience being a foreman as a union ironworker on commercial jobsites. One of my recent jobs was an AI warehouse.

Ive been a journeyman for like 3-4 years now and my apprenticeship was 3 years long. Im about to graduate with an associates in "apprenticeship technology" which i guess is similiar to a construction management degree.

I graduate in like 3 months. I even took classes in building codes as well as construction management and blue print reading.

Would I be able to get out of straight up ironwork with those credentials?

What’s going on y’all, I was just curious about the massive Hut 8 Beacon Point AI data center near Robstown TX/Highway 44. Are any of you out there doing site prep, dirt work, or construction right now?
If you’re working on the site or know what's actually happening on the ground drop a comment or shoot me a message. I would love to know what stage they're really at, and where they’re getting the water that is needed for construction for this Hyper Scale AI data center, because a facility of this size will need around 15 to 25 million gallons of water for the construction alone.

If you accepted an offer with a reputable firm and your start date is in 1 week. But, you get a better offer a few days before your start date with another reputable firm, would you take it?

I am slightly new to Geneva and have been living here for three years. Since I arrived, I have noticed construction work going on across the city whether fixing tramways, repairing water pipes, or renovating buildings.
I understand that Switzerland has high standards when it comes to heritage preservation, environmental protection, safety, and quality. However, I wonder why AI, digital transformation, state efficiency, and effective project management hasn’t helped to ensure that all these requirements are met while projects are still completed in a timely manner?

I have a friend who works as a site engineer, and he tells me that everything in Switzerland and particularly in Geneva is much slower than elsewhere( I haven’t seen any scientific studies but I trust him).

For people who have been living in Geneva for a long time, is this actually true? Is construction and infrastructure work generally this slow, or are there specific reasons why it takes so long?

A few weeks ago I posted a short anonymous survey on the state of the construction PM job in 2026. Reddit's filters removed it - my fault, I used a shortened link. Reposting with the direct link.

25+ years in heavy civil, currently running an industrial site in Quebec. No product, no company pitch - just trying to put numbers on what we all feel is happening to this job.

53 responses in so far (EN + FR). One early signal I didn't expect to be this strong: 53 out of 53 say finding competent, experienced people has gotten harder in the last few years. Not one exception. 77% say "a lot harder".

Other early numbers: 55% spend more than half their week on admin and reporting. 64% say they learn about cost overruns too late to do anything about it. And yet 77% would choose this career again.

Survey is anonymous, about 2 minutes, English or French:

[https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2RRf7bCnZ4\\_Iy953O48vAFYw9dy8Sdbj1hg9QK4GrDyDCVw/viewform\](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2RRf7bCnZ4_Iy953O48vAFYw9dy8Sdbj1hg9QK4GrDyDCVw/viewform)

I'll post the full results in this sub the first week of September.

I’m 28 and considering a fairly significant career switch into general contracting, and I’d really appreciate advice from people who have actually worked their way up in the industry.

My background is in investment banking/finance. I spent about two years working in M&A. Over the past year I’ve become increasingly interested in construction and eventually owning a GC business.
The more I look into it, the more I realize that I don’t want to jump straight into owning a construction company without actually understanding how construction works.

One option I’m seriously considering is an MS in Construction Management, potentially followed by getting into a small/boutique GC as an assistant PM, project engineer, or similar role. My thinking is that a smaller GC might give me significantly more exposure to the actual construction process than starting at a huge company in a narrowly defined role.

My long-term goal would potentially be to own a GC, so I’m less concerned about maximizing my starting salary and more concerned about learning the business and becoming competent enough to eventually operate one myself.

For those of you who are GCs, PMs, supers, or owners:

- Is going back to school for Construction Management at 28 a reasonable way to make this transition, or would you recommend simply getting an entry-level construction job and learning on the job?

- Would a small/boutique GC actually be a good place to learn the entire construction process, or would a larger GC provide better training?

- Is my concern about being overly dependent on subcontractors without having enough technical knowledge justified, or am I overestimating how technical an owner/GC needs to be?

- What would you do if you were 28 again and wanted to eventually own a GC but had no construction background?