How to Learn Construction: Tips and Key Skills for Success

How to Learn Construction

In this Blog, I’m going to cut through the BS and give you some real advice on how to learn construction and also some things that you should probably not be stressed about. So where do you focus? What is the secret that most people don’t know? And what is one key that will always save you, that’s what we’re going to cover right now.

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Getting Into Construction

Let me connect with you here just a little bit. You want to know how to learn in construction, you might be trying to get into it, you might be doing a construction management major, you might just have gotten your first job like and maybe you haven’t gone to college, or you are a project or field engineer, and you’re worried about how are you going to learn this because you feel overwhelmed. You’ve started hearing acronyms and terms that you don’t understand. You’re around people discussing things that you don’t fully know about. You’re in an environment that is completely hostile, with people in some cases that don’t seem to like each other in this huge world being asked to manage multi millions of dollars of work, and you’re freaked out.

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It’s Normal to Feel Overwhelmed

So I understand, I’ve been there, we’ve all been there. So here’s some advice. You don’t have to take all of it. But you can take some of these. And I hope you enjoy it, because this is a question I get asked all the time.

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Learn a Trade

Number one, I want to suggest that wherever you are, if you ever have an opportunity to learn a trade, or a skill, it is absolutely fantastic. I’ll give you a for instance, I personally because I grew up as an equipment operator, a form setter, not a full Carpenter, but a form setter and a finisher, I have concrete as a background, man, I could no matter what, fall back on those skills. So what this has done for me is it’s provided confidence, a point of connection from an intellectual understanding, I feel very passionate about what I do, because I learned to love construction, when learning that trade.

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Why Learning a Trade Helps

And I have been asked over and over to express that trade or to share my wisdom and experience throughout my career. And it has very much helped my career. For instance, like when I’m on a job, and they say we’re in the concrete phase, or we’re dealing with field engineers, or we’re in the structural phase, or I need help with crew production. They know Hey, Jason, I know you have experience with that, that has bolstered up my career throughout, it’s been absolutely fantastic.

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The Confidence to Fall Back On

So I always recommend, if you can, you don’t have to please, if you have the opportunity to go learn a trade. The other thing that it will do is it will make sure that you don’t feel handcuffed, locked and trapped, because you always have something to fall back on. So I always recommend learn a trade.

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Don’t Rely Only on a Degree

Now, here’s some hard talk. And I think you’re gonna appreciate this, we’ve really gotten ourselves into a bit of trouble because as an industry, everybody was saying you have to go to school, you have to go to school, you have to go to school, to learn these things. So there’s kind of a paradox here, you do not have to go to a university to prepare yourself for construction or to learn construction, that is a fact.

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You Don’t Need a Degree to Progress

And you do not have to have a piece of paper to progress in your career. I did not go to school, I do not have a degree and I have made it like wonderfully and I now own my own business. Okay, so highly successful, I didn’t have the piece of paper. And, and I will say this construction recruiters are still not up to date with that, and are looking for that construction management degree.

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If You Want to Go to School

So here’s my advice. If you want to go to school, I love it. I love it. When people do that. I really value the experience there, and I believe it’s an honorable pursuit. While I think having a bachelor’s degree would be cool—especially if an opportunity aligned with my family’s needs—I want to emphasize that it’s not necessary.

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You Don’t Need a Degree to Stay

So don’t lack confidence if you come as a foreman, or you’re an industry higher, or you never got the opportunity, but those of you trying to get into construction, just know that if you don’t have the opportunity, and you should look for it, you may need that piece of paper to get in. But you will not need it to stay throughout.

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The Importance of Reading Drawings

Number three, once you’re in and you have the opportunity and you’re starting to learn and grow, you really need to learn how to read drawings. Now, I’ll tell you an interesting story. When I was first like getting exposed to construction, I think I was like 13, 13 and a half started doing side jobs. And I was interested I like thought, hey, I wanted to go be a superintendent, because my dad was in construction.

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How I Learned to Read Drawings

And there was a guy who for whom I did a side job. And he had these blueprints hanging around and we were emptying out his garage and I said hey, can I have these? I’d love to check them out. So I pored through him. I was like, oh, what does that mean? How do you read that? What is that? So I started to get used to the general notes and the legend and how it worked.

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Starting to Learn Drawings

And as soon as I got my first job at Hensel Phelps, the first thing I did was start learning how to read drawings.I reached out for help and consulted the formatter for guidance. I also took responsibility for my plans, as I’ve discussed in other blogsand concepts. I truly immersed myself in the process, because knowing how to read the drawings is essential.

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The Challenge of Reading Drawings

And unfortunately, a lot of construction managers nowadays even people that make it to superintendent level, don’t know how to read them. Study the frontmatter. Study the general notes, study legends, dig in, start to visualize it. With this section there the cut sections in the section views in the elevations, visualize the isometrics and ask for help.

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The Importance of Asking Questions

One of the biggest skills that you’ll need is to learn to read and understand drawings. There were four ask a ton of questions like you are asking questions as you start out, and I love it. Multiply that by 10 and you’ve barely scratched the surface. Literally. There are no stupid questions. The only stupid question is the one that wasn’t asked because you could have gotten an answer.

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The Power of Asking Questions

The other day I got a compliment from Kevin Reiss, our CVR chief visionary officer, he said Jason can be in front of a group of 34 Industry like veterans that are older than he is. And Jason is supposed to know what he’s talking about with construction. And if he doesn’t know something, he’ll just ask what does that mean? You’ve got to get into that same habit. If you want to learn construction, you ask questions that’s faster than school that’s faster than textbooks that’s even faster than practice sometimes because you could be practicing doing it wrong.

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Mastering One Skill at a Time

Ask ask ask multiply your questions, times 10 And you’ll barely be scratching the surface. Number five and this is a big one learn a skill at a time. I sound so arrogant and cocky when I say this, but let me tell you like I know how to use AutoCAD I know how to use Revit I know how to use the total station. I know how to create CPM schedules.

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Mastering Key Skills

I am proficient in using technology and building a battle board. Additionally, I know how to tie strength and can continue listing these skills. For instance, I am well-versed in writing RFI submittals and filling out procurement looks. Each of these skills is crucial, so it’s important to master them as you go.

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When to Learn Skills

Okay, that is the key because when you need to work fast when you need to work effectively, when you’re managing a multi 100 million dollar project, you don’t have time to go back and learn as you earn, you’ve got to know these things. So when you get a chance to learn how to write an RFI master when you get a chance to learn how to review a submittal master when you get a chance to learn how to write a contract master.

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Don’t Rush, Master Skills

When you get a chance to learn how to use AutoCAD or Revit Master master these skills one by one and dig in. Don’t just be like oh, here I created a couple lines. I’m good. No, get the training out. Go through the first eight lessons. actually create lift drawings actually get in there into AutoCAD actually do it. Ask for feedback, make sure you’ve mastered it understand the entire context.

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Focus on Sustainable Career Growth

And develop this one by one discipline will always be mere talent. This is not a fast game, you are not trying to get promoted as fast as you can to get the money you’re trying to learn the skills as fast as you can suit your career is sustainable. That is how it is done. And small actions small bits of learning throughout consistently done will make you one of the best construction managers in your peer group.

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Volunteer for Assignments

Number six, as you’re doing this, volunteer for assignments, if there’s something new that