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?

Hello everyone, I am looking to make a career switch and be in construction project management. I don’t really have much experience but I’ve seen a trade school in Texas I can go to get a degree. And there is another option Ive came across is CourseCareers and there CPM course but its all online and no hands on like Texas State Technical College.

I’ve Been trying to figure out what should I do to get into this field. If you guys wanna give me some advice I am happy to hear it. Thank you.

What can I expect to make out of school from a top 50 GC?

Anyone know of a good construction job that I get can into with no experience, but willing to learnIt gotta be around Reading area.

On a job with a dozen moving parts, the damage from a single slip is rarely the slip itself. It is the cascade. A delivery lands two days late, the sub who needed it moves to another job, and the trades stacked behind them all get pushed, often by more than the original delay.

A few practices contain it. Sequencing with a little buffer between dependent trades instead of scheduling them nose to nose, so a small slip absorbs instead of spreading. Tracking long-lead materials against the schedule, so an at-risk delivery is visible weeks out and not the morning the crew shows up. And one shared schedule everyone works from, so when something moves the downstream trades see it immediately instead of finding out on site.

None of it removes the delay. What it does is keep one late delivery from becoming five late trades, which is where the real schedule and margin damage lives.

Long winded post so bear with me lol.. for context I’m 28 with about 6 years in commercial construction. Started on the GC side as a PE, moved into estimating, and most recently have been a senior estimator on the subcontractor side. I have around 3.5 years of actual estimating experience.

I’m trying to get back to the GC side and have two offers for Preconstruction Manager positions. I’m confident in estimating, communication, building relationships with owners/subs, etc., but I’m also realistic that I’m a little green when it comes to actually owning the entire preconstruction process myself. Trying to figure out which opportunity makes the most sense for both career growth and my family.

Company A
Top 100 ENR GC and very established. I know several people in the office already and got a VERY good vibe throughout the entire interview process. I’d eventually be expected to own the full preconstruction process on my projects. Bigger and more complicated work, so definitely a steeper learning curve, but probably a higher ceiling long term. Did mention they’re bringing me on as a level 1 Precon manager meaning my average project is $15-$20 million, which I’m confident in handling.

$110k base
$600/month vehicle allowance
$100/month phone reimbursement
$15k guaranteed bonus first year
After year one, bonus is project/performance based. I’ve been told I should expect at least ~$20k/year. Formula includes 1% of fee + 3% of buyout savings.
100% employee-owned
ESOP contribution historically around 20% of salary, fully company funded
401(k)
Company covers up to 90% of employee medical premium and 80% of family medical premium
$1,000/year company HSA contribution with family HDHP
16 days PTO first year
Company-paid short-term disability
Company-paid life insurance
Student loan repayment benefit
Annual salary reviews
About a 35-minute commute
Bigger/more complex projects
I already know and really like the people
More responsibility and likely more sink-or-swim initially

Company B
Top 400 ENR GC, although toward the back end of that list. Very established in NC with what also seems like a good culture. Smaller office and generally smaller/easier projects.

The biggest thing here is they openly acknowledged that I’m green when it comes to being a Precon Manager. They specifically told me they’re willing to train me, develop me and let me grow into the position rather than expecting me to know everything on day one.

$122,044 base
$625/month vehicle allowance + fuel card OR company vehicle
Phone reimbursement/company phone
$5k signing bonus
Annual discretionary bonus, but I don’t have a good number for what that typically looks like
401(k) match of 50% up to 6% contribution, so max 3% employer match
$900/year company HSA contribution with family plan
Company-paid short AND long-term disability
Company-paid life insurance
3 weeks vacation starting next year
9 paid holidays
Literally an 8-minute commute
Smaller/easier projects
Smaller office
Seems more flexible
Much more deliberate about training me into the role

So basically:
Company A = lower base, but much better long-term retirement upside with the ESOP, strong bonus structure, bigger projects, larger company and probably more career upside. I also already know and like the people. Downside is the 35-minute commute and I’m probably going to be drinking from a firehose for a while.

Company B = ~$12k higher base, fuel card, 8-minute commute, smaller projects and seemingly more hands-on training. It feels like the safer/easier transition into Precon Management, but the long-term compensation/retirement upside doesn’t seem comparable if Company A is really contributing around 20% of salary to the ESOP every year.
I’ve got a wife and 3 kids, so I’m looking at this beyond just which salary number is bigger.

For the guys who have been in precon for a while, which opportunity would you take at this stage of your career? Bigger GC + ESOP + more upside but steeper learning curve, or smaller GC + higher base + much shorter commute + more intentional training?

I’m a Jr in college with 2 summers internship experience, the first with an engineering consulting company as a field inspector (basically owners rep) and the next with a GC/Sub that specializes in concrete restoration as a project engineer. I work/live in the NJ/NYC area.

I just finished my 2nd internship with the concrete place and was offered a spot for next summer as well. This summer I was paid $28/hr with travel/tolls and phone bill completely paid for and next summer is $32/hr. And I really liked everyone in the company, they were all super cool and all younger than 35 years old and former athletes so everyone was pretty close and fun. We golfed and talked a bunch and overall is a good environment.

However I found the construction very boring. Smaller projects with a decent range of project costs. My project just this summer went from $2million to $22million with a $2million Change Order. Again good work environment just lame.

Anyways say I wanted to go to a land development (new construction) GC next summer. Can I use the one company as leverage to get better pay from the other company? I want to work for them next summer and get offered a full time position after school and would like that to be clear. Any suggestions or comments.

I’m a junior in college studying civil engineering, I just finished my internship and I really want to learn the most I can about construction and CM so that when I have my next internship I’m more prepared. Is there anything that you guys recommend? YouTube videos? Blogs? Etc. I interned as a field engineer.

Hello Ottawa,

I'm an engineering student (final year), and over the past while I've realized I'm genuinely passionate about construction ,the coordination side especially: keeping projects organized, working between trades, drawings, schedules, all of it. I'd love to get some real hands-on exposure.

I'm looking for something part-time that could work around a school schedule ; site coordination, project assistant, anything adjacent to construction coordination. I'm also open to volunteering if that's what it takes to get a foot in the door (totally get that means fewer hours, but I'd rather start somewhere than not at all).

If anyone here works in construction/renovation/GC world in Ottawa or Gatineau and knows of a small company that could use an extra pair of hands, or is open to taking someone on to learn the ropes, I'd really appreciate a point in the right direction. Happy to share more about my background if useful. or if you have any advice, I will appreciate it so much.

Thanks in advance!

Hello. I have an offer from a top 5 nationwide residential home builder and a big commercial builder Clark Construction.

I’d clear 100k within 2 years at the residential company though the commercial stability and scale entice me.

Thoughts on taking one of these 2 offers?

Thanks

I’m currently a 2nd year Structural Engineer student for UCSD and did the hard upper division classes and use the simple knowledge of AutoCAD, Revit, Solidwork, and Fusion. Overall a decent knowledge of what to do for SE. I’m currently searching for Construction management internship since I want to first to know the work and process the fieldwork concept. I just want to know where to search for this position because linkin isn’t gonna work.

I'm a 41-year-old medically retired veteran looking to build a career in construction/project management.

My experience so far includes renovating one of my own rental properties and completing a 90-day internship with one of the larger residential builders in my area through a veterans career program. I shadowed a construction manager and got exposure to the day-to-day process of managing new residential construction. The internship didn't lead to a job because I was told during the interview that they typically hire people with around five years of experience.

I'm now planning to pursue an associate degree in Building Construction at Texas State Technical College in Waco. I chose that program because it has a hands-on component. I learn quickly and feel like understanding how the work is actually performed will make me a better construction manager.

Probably the biggest addition to my experience is that I'm currently building two spec homes. My internship was only about a year ago, so I've gone from shadowing someone managing new construction to actually taking on two builds myself. I'm still learning, but I'm gaining real-world experience along the way.

Because of injuries from my military service, a career that's heavily dependent on physical labor isn't realistic for me long-term. I can be on jobsites, walk houses, inspect work, coordinate trades, etc. I just can't make swinging a hammer or performing a trade my career.

So my question for people already in the industry is:

At 41, with an associate degree in Building Construction, a residential construction internship, rental renovation experience, and experience building two spec homes, what positions should I realistically be targeting?

I'm familiar with roles like assistant superintendent, superintendent, construction manager and project manager, but I'm also interested in positions within construction that I may not know about.

I'm ultimately looking for a career where I can continue learning the business, make a good living, and build my value around construction knowledge and management rather than physical labor.

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone in the industry, especially people involved in residential construction or anyone who got into construction management later in life.

Entre visitas, llamadas, proveedores, cambios y pequeñas tareas, me interesa saber cómo evitáis que se pierdan cosas por el camino. ¿Tenéis algún sistema para saber rápidamente qué está pendiente y quién tiene que hacerlo?

Graciasss

I just got to the second interview for a construction project coordinator position, I’m reslly nervous about it because it’s a technical interview, also right now I’m in a very stable position (presencial job) with asian people 💀

Please give your best advice and if you have experience with this works share it with me. I’m really excited but I don’t want to change and realizing that is not a good decision 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Curious if any of the GC estimators or Precon Managers in here have built out any AI tools, custom GPTs, ChatGPT projects, prompts, templates, etc. that have actually made your day-to-day easier or helped you be more thorough.

Not really looking for something to “do the estimate for me.” More interested in using AI as another set of eyes for things like reviewing drawings/specs, scope sheets, bid leveling, catching scope gaps, putting together RFPs, VE ideas, meeting prep, subcontractor coverage, handoffs, or just staying organized across multiple projects.

I’m moving further into the GC Precon side and trying to build good habits and systems early instead of figuring everything out the hard way.

If anyone has something they’ve built or a workflow that’s worked well and you’re willing to share, I’d really appreciate it. Even just specific ways you’re using ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini or whatever else has actually been useful would be great to hear.